Muslim Student Expectations From Islamic Studies Courses in Australia

In 2009, the Islamic Sciences and Research Academy of Australia (ISRA Australia) partnered with Australia’s Charles Sturt University to establish the Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation (CISAC). From 2011, CISAC began offering undergraduate and graduate courses combining traditional higher Islamic learning with the modern quality standards of tertiary-level education. Since the opportunity to study Islam in an Australian university is rare, CISAC has attracted students from a diversity of age, ethnic and educational backgrounds, and with wide-ranging academic skills and motivations. While such diversity sets a unique opportunity, it also poses challenges for educators in terms of course design, approaches to learning and student services. For this study, we surveyed 360 students from CISAC to determine their motivations for undertaking undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Islamic Studies and the expectations they had from those courses. It was found that, by providing a holistic Islamic higher education within a structured and measured university model, CISAC has filled a unique gap. Also, whilst the vast majority of students seek to gain a well-rounded Islamic education, a small number undertake CISAC courses with the aim of pursuing further study. In that context, we concluded that CISAC needs to supply supplementary traditional scholarly programmes for those students who wish to go further. The study also highlights the importance of student engagement and feedback as a means of adequately meeting the demands of those students pursuing Islamic Studies in the West.