With so many options now available to study Arabic, Quran, and Islam, how can you know which one is best for you? With the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been an influx of online learning platforms, where anyone can take a class from the comfort and safety of their own home. The fields of Islamic education are no exception: it has become so easy to find an online program to learn Arabic, Quran or Islamic Studies masha’Allah! But are all these programs offering the same quality? And how can you navigate all these options to find what is best for you? Below are a few things to consider when looking for your next Islamic online class insha’Allah!

Does Online Learning Even Work?

Online learning has become one of the greatest conveniences of our times. Learning – literally anything! – from the comfort and safety of home has never been easier, and it comes with a lot of benefits: it tends to be more affordable than traditional learning, it is extremely flexible, and refreshingly convenient for learners at any stage.

In previous articles, we went through the many benefits of taking online classes, especially when it comes to studying Arabic, Quran or Islam. In this article, we even did all of the homework for you with a whole section dedicated to helping you figure out if online learning is for you 🙂

Alhamdulillah, with Studio Arabiya, learning from home means that you have access to one-on-one and group classes that are offered 24/7 around the world. We provide a state-of-the-art, easy-to-navigate online portal to manage your classes, hire qualified and trained teachers, and rely on our educational team to put together structured courses to offer the best possible online Islamic education to all our students. Our course offerings include both one-on-one classes and group classes (Homeschool and Sunday School programs for kids and teens; semester-based and short intensives for adults) to cater to various needs and preferences because we know that learning is not a one-size-fits-all type of thing. Some students do better when they can get individual, personalized attention and can go at their own pace while others thrive on following a specific schedule of classes over a defined timeframe and can interact with peers along the way.

How Do I know If an Online Program is Legitimate?

There are currently no regulations or even official guidelines for online learning programs in the fields of Arabic, Quran, or Islamic Studies, making it difficult to know whether the instructors and the institute are qualified to teach what you are seeking. Because of that, you will find many different options and levels of services offered when signing up for an online class in one of these fields. More services or higher tuition aren’t necessarily signs of higher quality (or the opposite, of lower quality), but a few areas to investigate when looking through your options would be:

• The reputation of the program: How long have they been around? What have you heard about them? Do you know anyone who has attended this program?
• The quality of their teaching staff: How are teachers hired and trained? Where and what did they study? Do they have a structured educational system?
• Their online presence especially on social media: This is not a must, but if they are based abroad, finding them easily online will give you a first idea of how flexible their classes will be on different time zones or how experienced they are in dealing with students from all over the world and especially with non-native Arabic speakers
• The quality of their website and public content if any: How friendly is their website? Do they share content on social media or through a blog, and if so, is this content good?

At Studio Arabiya, we are about to celebrate our 10th year anniversary insha’Allah! We have an institute in Egypt (where we run our Study Abroad program) and we are certified by Al Azhar University, but we have students from all over the world, especially English-speaking countries where part of our team is based. Our instructors are trained to teach in our online learning portal, certified by our own institute and have graduated from Al Azhar University or Dar ul-Uloom. Our Arabic and Quran instructors are specially trained to teach non-Arabic speakers, which makes them optimal for helping you reach your Arabic fluency. The format of our online portal gives our students or parents a sense of transparency as you can track your grades, the subjects you are currently studying, the goals for the course, and the course materials. With Studio Arabiya, online learners also have the opportunity to enroll in group classes and engage in feedback from other students and parents if they choose.

What About My Child – Is Online Learning Good for Children? How Do I Choose a Program?

Online learning for children has been proven to be beneficial in many ways. The flexibility with learning from home gives children a chance to work at their own pace and to have many breaks in their schedule, which research has shown to be valuable in retaining information. Other studies have emphasized that packed schedules that come with traditional learning for children can be significantly more difficult to juggle and can lead to unhealthy anxiety levels. It is also known that online learning comes with less distractions, and a more relaxed environment which helps students work more efficiently.

When it comes to choosing the right class for your child or teen, you can follow the same list as shared above and also look into how much experience the online program has with teaching young learners. Are their teachers trained to teach children? How easy is it to access class online, what platform do they use? Are there extra activities suitable for children and teens?

Alhamdulillah, at Studio Arabiya we offer classes for children and teens in Arabic, Quran, and Islamic Studies offered in both one-on-one and group settings with our Homeschool and Sunday School programs. We also have Ijaazah programs for recitation and memorization. Our teachers have a lot of experience teaching young learners who are not native Arabic speakers, and know how to make learning fun for children. In addition, our online learning portal is very intuitive and easy to use, and we have included fun games and activities for children so that they can learn without even realizing it! Parents have access to the online portal, can manage their child’s classes and communicate with the teacher and our support team easily. They are also welcome to sit in on the classes with their child to help ensure they are guided and getting any additional support they may need. By enrolling with Studio Arabiya, you are setting your child up for success in the Islamic courses they are needing insha’Allah. If you are interested in reading more about how to make the best of your child’s online learning experience (whether with us or with any other online program, including their current school’s virtual education), we share 16 tips here!

The development of online learning offerings is such a blessing for those looking to pursue their Islamic education without having to go abroad, or – with Covid-19 – without having to leave home. It can feel overwhelming when it comes to choosing the right program for you or your child, but with a little bit of research – and sincere duas, as always 🙂 – you will be able to navigate your way through the options available to you insha’Allah.

وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا

And say, “My Lord, increase me in knowledge.”
(Surah Ta-ha, 20:114)