Abstract—The study investigates the use of a blended learning approach for teaching Arabic as a foreign language at a South African Islamic college in the light of the South African National Qualifications Framework level descriptors and their critical cross-field outcomes. In particular, the approach has been used for teaching a Ḥadīth Module in an undergraduate BA programme during the second semester of the academic year 2018-2019 at the International Peace College South Africa (IPSA). The college adopts a content and language integrated approach for teaching Arabic. The study concluded that the use of a technology-enhanced blended approach using Web 2.0 tools and Learning Tools (with full) Interoperability (LTI 2.0) (e.g. gamification) plays a vital role in motivating the learners and in the achievement of critical cross-field outcomes of each NQF level including, subject knowledge, critical thinking and problem solving, communication, teamwork and self-management among others. The study is part of an action research project that also includes the design of a syllabus for teaching Arabic for Shari’ah purposes in the South African context and the attitudes of learners towards it.
Index Terms—Blended learning, Ḥadīth, ASSURE, instructional design, national qualifications framework (NQF).
T. A. S. Mohammed is with the International Peace College South Africa, South Africa (e-mail: tawffeek@gmail.com ).
B. Al-Sowaidi is with Taiz University, Yemen and the University of the Western Cape, South Africa (e-mail: balkis.20@gmail.com ).
F. Banda is with the University of the Western Cape, South Africa (e-mail: fbanda@uwc.ac.za ).
Cite: T. A. S. Mohammed, B. Al-Sowaidi, and F. Banda, "Towards a Technology-Enhanced Blended Approach for Teaching Arabic for Shari’ah Purposes (ASP) in the Light of the South African National Qualifications Framework," International Journal of Information and Education Technology vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 1-9, 2021.
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