The Development Of The Islamic Culture Course At Sultan Qaboos University, Oman: An Attempt To Incorporate Students’ Specializations In The Light Of Lifelong Learning Theories

Higher education in the contemporary Islamic world is currently bifurcated,
with a divide between the scientific and technical specializations on one hand,
and Islamic sciences on the other. This research aims to contribute to closing this
gap. The Islamic Culture course (ISLM 1010) at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU)
is a 2 credit-hour university requirement offered to students of different
specializations in their first or second year of undergraduate studies. Its main
purpose is to expose the students to Islamic thought and culture and their basic
injunctions in the contemporary setting. Further development of the Islamic
Culture Course at SQU in order to give credit to and incorporate the students’
different specializations under consideration of lifelong learning theories may be
an important step in reshaping tertiary education. A research project run in
2018-2020 assessed the students’ general perceptions of the course in relation to
their own specializations. Hypothesis: The Islamic Culture Course, aiming at
instilling Islamic values and culture into students of all specializations, is in need
to incorporate the different specialized and professional backgrounds of
students so as to induce a lifelong learning experience. Two questionnaires were
distributed to current (Q1: N = 326) and former (Q2: N = 120) students of the
course. Survey results were analysed and compared. The research has confirmed
a need to incorporate the students’ different specialized and (future)
professional backgrounds to better realize the course objectives and overcome
the gap between the students’ specializations and Islamic culture.