The Facilitator as Murabi Exploring the Teacher-Student Relationship in Light of a Holistic Learner Experience Framework in an Islamic University in Egypt

Abstract

This paper explores the transformative potential of FIRST (Focusing, Interacting, Reviewing, Sequencing, and Transforming), a new learner’s experience framework that promotes active and deep learning within a higher education setting. Based on the reflective experience of a university professor teaching a course on Maxims of Islamic Jurisprudence to 4th-year male students, as well as the experience of his students, this study addresses the following question: How is the FIRST framework transforming the learning experience in a traditional university setting taking into account the teacher-student relationship? The research adopts a case study methodology employing interviews, surveys, and observations of videos of the course lectures. Findings suggest that the FIRST framework can instigate a paradigm shift in how the teacher conceptualizes their role re-envisioning the student’s image. Through implementable practices involving adopting the FIRST framework in teacher professional development programs, FIRST aims to gradually transform the classroom into a learner-centered one, potentially empowering teachers to humanize their pedagogies and thereby strengthen the teacher-student relationship as well as their connection with students, to reclaim and revive the forgotten role of the murabi in Islamic heritage. This novel study also adds to a pertinent area of research that needs further development: strategies promoting teacher-student relationships. Despite the focus being on higher education in Egypt, the study’s findings can be generalized to other educational settings and international contexts.