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Super University, the Future of Islamic World Universities

Super University, the Future of Islamic World Universities

  • 2024/01/07

The Article that follows is to raise awareness about Super University as a Necessity for the Future of Universities in the Islamic World in the Education Department which was written by Dr. Ahmad Pourghasem, the Education Director of this organization:

The Concept of Super University

Before explaining the concept of Super University, it is good to first analytically explain other basic concepts that help us understand this concept correctly and examine whether such a concept is achievable or not. After explaining the following content, attention will be drawn to whether we can simply think of the concept of Super University as a fictional university, or if we can extract this concept from among many other concepts and apply it to society. This perspective is a path that will be explored in the correct concepts that follow.

The Relationship Between the Ministry of Science and Universities

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education in any country is responsible for coordinating executive matters, policy-making in the educational system, research, and technology in that country. In fact, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of a country takes on the task of establishing the necessary laws for education, research, and technology, and strives to move the country's educational and research system in an organized manner with a coherent structure and laws. The Ministry of Science of a country carries out this task in organizing higher education institutions, so the universities and institutions that obtain their licenses from the Ministry of Science of a country regulate most of their laws and regulations based on the regulations and standards of the Ministry of Science. On the other hand, the establishment of any higher education institution and university is subject to obtaining a license from the Ministry of Science of a country.

Goals Pursued by a University

Before we talk about the Super University, it is necessary to first consider what services a university offers and what goals it pursues. After answering this question, we will be able to think more about the concept of Super University.

• Education

The first service a university provides is the education of students with the aim of promoting scientific, research, and technological knowledge. Just as the education system in K12 takes responsibility for the education of children and adolescents, the university also takes steps to educate students in age groups over 18. Although the educational approach in different universities and in various educational systems is different, regardless of the educational approach, education is still a major concern for the establishment of a university.

Now, if we can design a university system that, while providing education with various educational approaches, is also synchronized with executive and educational processes, would a university not embrace such a educational and university system? In the end, in this note, we may come to the idea that the Super University is the same educational system that universities worldwide, considering the facilitation of the educational system it follows, aspire to.

• Research

One of the most important goals of the university system is applied research defined within the goals of a country. These research projects are defined based on the needs of society and the long-term and strategic goals of a country. For example, a country is trying to improve its agricultural system, so universities related to agriculture define multiple projects, and the results of these projects are employed in agricultural systems. Similarly, various industrial, humanities and social sciences, and religious science projects are defined for achieving the set goals in the future of each country, and the university also strives to achieve them.

Now, we must ask this question again: if such projects can be fruitful with a more widespread approach in light of the long-term goals of the country with the help of other countries, can we think of a concept called Super University?

• Training Specialized Workforce

One of the very important goals that every country pursues is the training of specialized workforce that can be employed in specialized jobs and also have the ability to replace senior managers. This specialized workforce requires education, scientific growth, cultural growth, attitudinal growth, and training of individual and social skills, which universities are one of the most important institutions that achieve this goal. With the extensive educational interactions and connections of a university with other universities, which is different from what we see today in the light of a different educational system, it is possible to train a more efficient specialized workforce that can not only meet the goals of their own countries but also, with international education, bring peace and tranquility to their own country and other countries as well.

• Economic Growth and Capital Attraction

One of the goals that most universities pursue is financial independence from government systems and self-sustainable economic management, which can be achieved by attracting capital to scientific projects and attracting students paying tuition fees. Attracting international students paying tuition fees is one of the goals that covers every university, and this goal is pursued alongside achieving research and educational goals and, of course, other objectives. Defining a scientific project, in addition to contributing to the growth of a country and the development of the university in technological and educational fields, also attracts capital from various industries.

Now, let's assume that an educational system can define a concept that, in addition to educational and research goals, can also attract suitable capital for the university, a capital that is more effective and efficient than what currently flows in the universities of a country. Can the realization of such a concept be the same as the Super University?

• University Reputation

One of the goals that every university pursues is its reputation among the universities of a country and consequently its ranking among the universities of other countries. Among the factors considered in the ranking of each university, the reputation of that university among students is one of them. Many universities exist that annually define their strategic policies based on improving the university's ranking in global ranking systems such as QS and Shanghai.

• University Ranking Enhancement

It is good to look at the general factors affecting the ranking of universities here so that we can use them more specifically in the next discussions. In the QS ranking system, various indicators can be mentioned for university ranking, but some of its most important factors include:

• Academic and Research Reputation, which constitutes 40% of the total ranking score, is related to the scientific reputation, teaching quality, and research in global universities.

• Graduates' Reputation among Employers, as graduates want to enter the job market with the skills and knowledge they have acquired, is assessed in the QS evaluation to see how universities prepare students for entering the job market and which universities deliver the most creative, innovative, and effective graduates to society.

• Student-to-Faculty Ratio, evaluating the number of faculty members per student, indicating the level of academic load in classes and the student's experience.

• Documents and Articles of each faculty, measuring the quality of university research with the standard of articles produced in five-year periods for each faculty.

• International Student-to-Faculty Ratio, assessing the ability to attract high-quality students and staff from around the world, indicating the university's broad outlook in the QS evaluation system.

The QS ranking system has many other factors that are not mentioned here. Similar ranking systems also exist, which, while maintaining differences in presenting criteria, also have significant similarities with the above factors that are considered important. For example, when examining the ISC ranking system, which is specific to Islamic countries, we see indicators such as:

• Education (with a weight of 30%),

• Research (with a weight of 25%),

• Technology and Innovation (with a weight of 20%),

• Internationalization (with a weight of 10%),

• Economic Impact (with a weight of 10%), and Social Services, and Infrastructure and Facilities (with a weight of 5%), which have considerable similarities with the mentioned indicators in the QS evaluation system.

• University-Employment Connection

One of the goals that many universities pursue is the connection between the university and the job market. A university that cannot create a connection with the job market will naturally not be able to meet the needs related to its students. If the enhancement of this connection is synchronous with international markets, not only will it be important for the university itself but also, perhaps, for the country that houses that university. If the Super University is the same concept that can provide employment opportunities for the university, it has certainly addressed one of the major needs of universities.

• Exchange of Students and Professors

The exchange of international professors with native professors and the transformation of native professors into professors teaching in multiple universities worldwide is also one of the goals that universities pursue. The Erasmus project, one of the very famous projects in this field, not only pursues multiple goals in the field of education but also follows the exchange of professors and students. Exchange, which is considered very important for most universities and countries worldwide, is one of the fundamental values that each university seeks for its activities.

Now, imagine that in the Super University, this process is carried out with ease and the least administrative bureaucracy. Wouldn't you, as the responsible person of a university, be tempted to operate in such a university?

Super University, the COMSTECH Inter-Islamic Virtusl Universities (CINVU) Project

So far, we have explained the values that are of great importance to a university. Now is the time to reconstruct these values in the Super university and examine the possibility of creating such a university.

• Improvement of Educational Quality and its Credibility Assessment

The assessment of educational quality and its improvement, and ultimately the issuance of certificates and diplomas that reflect this credibility, is one of the goals that will take shape in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Super University. In many universities, certificates issued for short-term courses and documents issued for long-term courses are obtained due to the credibility that the university has obtained from its license obtained from the Ministry of Science of that country. However, this credibility does not have a direct relationship with the quality of education. There may be a university with an educational license but providing very low-quality education. Therefore, in the OIC Super University, ensuring the quality of education is one of the concepts considered in the educational system.

• Improvement of Teaching Methods Teaching

methods have a direct relationship with the practical application of sciences. The practical application of sciences, especially in the humanities, requires infrastructure activities to slowly cultivate the ship of sciences on the shore of practical application, just as the crude oil, refinery, and petroleum products, including plastic, are considered. In the practical application of sciences, a similar process, namely the establishment of a science refinery, is required. Especially in the humanities, the science refinery should transform the raw materials of sciences into products that have a significant impact on human life.

In the educational thinking of the Sinuow Educational Management, this infrastructural process is where sciences take shape and are transferred. A place where the teacher and the student are present, meaning the classroom! The classroom is the same refinery that transforms the crude oil of sciences into the needed products. More precisely, formulating the teaching method of sciences is the same refinery and infrastructure that we are looking for. The teaching method of sciences is a long and complicated process that will transform all our perceptions of education. Like an oil refinery, the teaching method of sciences leads us to production, while a class that does not produce is like a refinery that has oil but does not produce any products. It is necessary to emphasize that education is a concept that includes many processes, including teaching and learning, techniques, pre-class problems, redefining the role of the teacher, designing educational content, and so on. Therefore, changing attitudes in each area, including learning, teaching techniques, learning styles, etc., will shape the formulation of the teaching method, making it stronger.

Now, let's assume that graduates of universities in various fields, instead of entering the classroom directly and teaching, learn the teaching method of that science that will lead to practical results for that science before. According to systematic teaching methods, they transfer scientific courses and topics to their students. In this case, the quality of education will be offered differently than what we have today, and the OIC Super University can present such a form.

• Emergence of a New Educational Paradigm in the Virtual reality and Metaverse

In the prevalent form of education, the learner participates either in person or online and offline in the classroom and receives their certificate after completing the course. Initially, it seems that this form of education encompasses everything in education. However, if we imagine the university environment where students and professors, instead of being present in physical or virtual classes, experience a complete educational system, and education is shaped based on that space, assessed, and its certificate is issued, we have moved the real educational space to a completely different educational space.

What innovative education means to us is paying attention to a space different from traditional and even virtual education, a space that brings a completely different experience of education. A space similar to the Avatar movie, where you experience another world, have your own avatar, have an office and a book, have a room, have a teacher, and find everything you have experienced in reality. That space is the space of universities and educational institutions in the metaverse.

With the emergence of education in the light of the concept of metaverse and the establishment of metaverse universities, the paradigm of education will be completely different. The approach, content, teaching method, and educational assessment must be redefined to make the most of the capacity of this university model and its associated education. It is worth noting that the presence of the Secretary-General and the Strategic Executive Deputy of the International Sinuow Organization in Oman, which took place at the official invitation of the Minister of Higher Education of that country, will herald the creation of such a section.

• International University Instead of Universities with International Collaborations

The dominant paradigm in today's universities is that modern universities have designated a section for defining and pursuing their international affairs and conducting their international activities based on the university's goals through that unit, which can be an international office, management, or international affairs deputy. Now, instead of considering a university department for international activities, how about defining the entire university with international duties? What if this university is defined under a Super university and has no geographical boundaries? What if its laws and executive affairs are regulated based on an international organization that is valid among the 57 Islamic countries?

Although answering these questions has many challenges, establishing such a university can significantly support the educational goals of this organization, including educational justice and the promotion of peace and tranquility among Islamic and global countries.

• Ranking System for Islamic Countries

The ranking system of universities in Muslim countries is usually defined with Western ranking systems such as QS, while the ISC ranking system, which is one of the most powerful ranking systems for world Islamic universities, should be considered. As stated in the definition of this organization, the Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC) is a scientific information system that seeks to rank world Islamic universities and analyze scientific journals of Islamic countries based on valid Islamic scientific criteria. The mission of this organization is specifically dedicated to Islamic countries, and naturally, such an organization can rank Islamic world universities alongside other international rankings and elevate them.

Feasibility

In conclusion, although there are many difficulties in forming a Super university, establishing such a university can significantly contribute to the educational goals of this organization, including educational justice and the promotion of peace and tranquility among Islamic and global countries.

Sincerely

The Article that follows is to raise awareness about Super University as a Necessity for the Futu...