An online course series for a research institute
Fear of the horrific "sharia law", Islam's incompatibility with Finnish society and lifestyle, and the inherent violence within the religion itself. These unfortunately familiar stereotypes and prejudices, which, at their worst, outright racism and Islamophobia, filled the comment section of Ixir's social media post when we announced the release of an online course introducing the basics of Islam. This, more than anything else, confirmed that this course was not created in vain.
Commissioned by the Finnish Institute in the Middle East and developed in collaboration with the University of Helsinki, the entirely self-paced online course titled "Misunderstood Religion? Get to Know the Basics of Islam" (available only in Finnish: Väärinymmärretty uskonto? Tunne islamin perusteet) makes academic knowledge about Islam accessible to the general public. As Ilkka Lindstedt, the course instructor and university lecturer, emphasizes in the course introduction video, the best remedy for prejudice is knowledge.
With the popularity of this course, it was decided to create an entire series of courses, and the third course—now focused on the ancient Near East—is currently in progress.
Participant comments on the courses
Absolutely excellent overall. This should be a mandatory course for all Finns!
Awesome and well-executed course. Things were explained very clearly but also comprehensively. Aesthetically very functional, it motivates learning.
I have taken similar courses offered by foreign universities, and this one has been the most suitable for my taste. It's appropriately compact, easily understandable, stylish, and functional.
The course was a very pleasant and gently instructive experience.
With an Online Course Against Prejudices
For many Finns, Islam is unfamiliar and frightening, or at the very least, known mainly through news stories about wars and terrorist attacks. When you delve deeper into Islam, you realize that this is not the entire picture of the religion followed by nearly two billion people. The perspective chosen for the online course that introduces the basic concepts of Islam is the diversity within Islam. The course covers topics such as Islamic literary sources, Islamic lifestyle and doctrine, as well as the key concepts related to these.
The purpose of the course is not only to dispel prejudices but also to bring the perspective of academic Islamic studies into the discussion about Islam. The course offers a glimpse into the subject of Islamic studies at the University of Helsinki and is used as part of the introductory course on Islam in the Faculty of Theology.
For Ixir, this course was an exceptional project because Inka Nokso-Koivisto, Ixir's CEO and e-learning expert who was responsible for the course's implementation, is herself a former scholar in Islamic studies and has taught these topics at the university for years. She also acted as the content expert on this course alongside University Lecturer, Docent Ilkka Lindstedt. The course was also developed with the input of high school religion teachers and the staff of the Finnish Institute in the Middle East, who provided feedback at two stages.
Watch the course introduction video
Why an online course?
Certainly, the basics of Islam could be written in a book or covered in a series of podcast episodes. These are not bad ideas either. However, an online course allows reaching audiences that might not pick up a book on the subject. Additionally, an online course offers versatile opportunities for interactive learning.
In addition to the typical quizzes found in online courses, this course also tests the acquisition of knowledge through practical multiple-choice exercises. These multiple-choice questions don't have to be mere fact-checking; when carefully crafted, they can assess the ability to apply acquired knowledge.
The goal of this course is not to replace traditional high school or university courses but rather to complement and diversify them. The course can be integrated into face-to-face instruction. For example, classroom discussions can be based on the introductory exercises provided at the beginning of each section or other applied questions used in the course.
Completing the course, including review exercises, is estimated to take around 3-5 hours. If this seems short for a high school course or if teachers need evidence of content mastery for assessment purposes, they can collect written assignments based on reflection exercises, for instance.
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Kuva: Unsplash
Is there more to come?
The course is aimed at the Finnish audience. The topics covered are illustrated with familiar examples for Finns, and Islamic concepts are learned to be applied in a Finnish context. As the course shows, Muslims are found all over the world, and the course's focus is not on a geographically limited area.
Islam originated on the Arabian Peninsula, and approximately one-fifth of Muslims live in the Middle East and North Africa. Islamic studies are one of the research areas conducted within the Finnish Institute in the Middle East, which commissioned this course.
The popularity of the Islam course was a pleasant surprise, with well over a thousand users already enrolled. It has been used in high schools across Finland and is also part of the introductory course on Islam at the University of Helsinki.
Inspired by this success, a full series of courses was planned. In spring 2024, the online course "Understanding the Modern Middle East" was launched, introducing students to Middle Eastern societies. Currently, an online course focused on the early history of the Middle East is under development and set for release in 2025.
Are you interested in learning about Islam? Or perhaps you’re fascinated by the modern Middle East? Both courses are available here (in Finnish only).