Tuesday 13 January 2009

Conclusion

To conclude my analysis of the Sunni Path website would like to say that this site is really helpful to the Muslims and it provides information that we rarely see on websites. also the kind of information that is given is superb, with the class etc. i think that sites like these should be looked for a certain template for how people should offer information and online services to the Muslims.

i believe that as time goes on sites like Sunni path will immensely improve and thus effectively providing information to people around the world. we couldn't dream of online classes what will their be in the future that is beyond our imagination??

could we see something that has attempted by the movies? such as Vanilla Sky or eXistenZ, both with the use of technology allow you to go into a 'virtual reality'. the way that it has been shown in the film such as eXistenZ for example, we see the realisation and the discovery of 'virtual reality' and how it is so real as if everything is really happening but also we see developing, some concerns with virtual and the real. but can we see that this could be the next level of Internet development? is something like this even possible?

http://www.vrealities.com/

here is a link which provides information about virtual realities

http://www.vrealities.com/hmd.html

this is a link to a page within the virtual reality site, this shows head mounted displays, which are worn and viewed. could the Internet develop in the future so much so that, when you place these glasses on you could for example be in a class room with a teacher? feeling the class room experience with people online and from other areas but be totally away from each other. this could counter a few criticisms about the Internet being too individual.

Friday 9 January 2009

The websites appearance

i would like to look into the websites appearance and how user friendly it is. for me a website needs to look presentable, so it can attract the viewer, and want them to carry on looking through the site. the colours used are, in my opinion very calm and warm, making in more pleasant to look at. colours that really lash out and open up your eyes. the images used are very well thought of and look extremely professional, making the site look as if it has high standard and for some reason in my opinion looks more trustworthy. the slide show that they have makes it look again, more professional and also allows a more effective and easier way to get all what they have to offer across to the viewers. the colour scheme overall is simple with a view lavish colours here are their but the background which can be clearly seen, but with the standard boxes around certain sections adds to simplistic effect, making the site easier to look at and makes the site spacious and not cramped making you feel suffocated. the way the site is spaced out also makes a person be able to look at everything and not overlook anything on the site

the links on this site are very well done, i am pleased with how the links to other sites on the page are structured out because the writing of certain features are in a large font so you can clearly read and tell the difference between the links. how the preview of the features at the top of the page in presented with a small page that changed allows a person to fully read and understand what the link leads to. when you scroll down you can see, very simply but effectively done certain links to pages on the site which you can clearly read and understand with large writing on top and then a short description at the bottom. links to other pages such as the answers, books etc, which are at the top area of the home page, can be clearly seen when hovered over.

if i was to pick out a concern i would say that the links to the bookstore, answers etc are not clearly seen although when hovered over the colour changes but it can be difficult to see in the first place. this could be something difficult for a person who may be visually impaired

Comparing Sites

i have decided to see how well the Sunni path website is by looking into other websites that may be similar to this and see if Sunni Path, although it has a variety of options to choose from, is better than a majority of websites of the similar theme.

http://www.askimam.org/

this is a website which is dedicated to answering the questions given by people from different places. they have placed the answers in different categories like the SunniPath website, but to compare i think the Ask Imam website has more variety of answers to choose from, but the Sunni path, categories are less. but the Sunni Path website has separated the the answers to the different schools of thought, which looking at the Ask Imam website i am unable to see a distinct separation. making the Sunni Path website more appealing for the wider audience.

http://www.al-inaam.com/library.htm

this is a link from the website that allows to people to read books. this is a similar feature found in the Sunni Path website but their is a difference. the Ask Imam website has reading material online, so you choose the category on the left and then you choose the what it is you want to read. this can be helpful, but the books that i chose where not full length, like the book found in Sunni Path. but a positive point in the Ask Imam website is that their is no need of payment of what you read.

http://www.askimam.org/links.php

this is the section within the Ask Imam site, which is access to other sites, their are sites on finance, and sites of scholars are different countries such as South Africa and America. this allows people to go specific to a place or site that they can maybe relate to because the website may be in the same country or city as them.

but after looking at both of these sites i have to say that the Sunni Path is the site that i would look at more because of the way Sunni Path is set out, it looks more professional and easy to look at. also i would like to mention that the Sunni Path site has so much to offer comparing with the Ask Imam site. it can be argued that the Ask Imam site has more details on answers but it can be argued. that the Ask Imam site is a site that concentrates more on its answers to questions but the Sunni Path has so much more in it, so the priorities change and their is more for the administrators of Sunni Path to monitor and provide.

Sunday 4 January 2009

Tuition

http://www.sunnipath.com/Academy/Online/Information/tuition.aspx

what makes the courses in this site more real and close to any other course or degree is the fact that payment needs to be given. of course their is sense that because payment needs to be given for wages, bills etc but i feel this just brings a sense of realism to it. they have also given details of different policies when it comes to payment. these different price plans are interesting because they have plans for new Muslims and family rates. these are different from the kind of price plans found at university but it shows a difference and a caring for different people and the sort of situations they are in. its bringing a new realm, for the learning of Islam in the virtual context.

will there be a need for any centres and schools?

The Teachers

http://www.sunnipath.com/About/academyTeachers.aspx

this is a link to the site, giving details of the teachers of Sunni Path. i think that this is important to have for a site that offers so much courses and also provides answers, like this one. the way that this has been set out s very well done because we can see what current courses they are doing and what they have done in the past, which is useful to see if you want to go to a person who knows a certain topic more than some of the other teachers on site. this could have a bit of a problem if their were no teacher information on the site because if their weren't then their would a issue of trusting the person who was giving the answers to the questions.

Thursday 1 January 2009

Degree opportunities

http://www.sunnipath.com/degree/associates/
http://www.sunnipath.com/degree/associates/courses.aspx

the first link is the detail of what the degree is and the second is a list of modules within the degree

this site has provided something new to offer for the 'students' that come to this website. Sunni Path has know given its 'students' the ability to be able to acquire a degree from the site. a qualification which is recognisable, granted by Sunni Path and also a university known as WISE University. i feel that this has really broadened out the virtual experience. giving students the ability to acquire a degree all online. from this i feel their are many positive ideas that can be given, such as the website has started to give knowledge to a global audience, allowing people to get knowledge not only so easily and conveniently, but also something that is accredited and recognised. this has opened a new door to studying Islam, from how it used to be from the traditional class, with students from different backgrounds being together in the same room learning from the teacher, to the virtual class room with the teacher being listened to by students from also different backgrounds but they are still in their own environments and also the 'students' may be studying the same course they still are not together.

the few worries that i have with this sort of virtual course is that, although they allow students to ask questions and have contact with the teacher in certain appointed hours that the teachers have provided, it still limits the learning of the student from the teacher, if a student is writing a question or comment to their teacher, i feel that maybe the difficulty of typing could limit the question instead of really speaking to the teacher through their words. also with the amount of students taking the same course, how will the teacher really cope having to write so many answers to the questions given to them by their students? will the answers of the teachers be thorough or rushed so that they can be able to get to the next question?

furthermore me being a students also, i have learned not only in lectures but in discussions with friends on certain modules, with long discussions and talks with each other. information has been acquired by discussions that have developed through time in a conversation. i think that it would be difficult to have that sort of developing conversation through typing or even on the phone compared to having a face to ace conversation. i think it would be difficult virtually to have certain study groups or discussions etc. you wouldn't believe how much i have learnt through just sitting with my friends in a lounge having hot chocolate. can that be achieved virtually?


http://www.sunnipath.com/Academy/OnlineCourses/Law/Introduction-to-Inheritance-Law.aspx?utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=featured267w

this is a link to a course detail of a specific course. i would like to look at the layout and features of this particular link. because of how it links to a course description within a university for examples. showing its professional layout and style. this page provides information that relates to the Internet access such as the time and day in which they stream, which i assume is for classes. the way that this linked out is that it has on top, the categories of the types of courses it has. the course that this link shows is of inheritance law which is obviously apart of the 'Law' section.
to make the course details look more professional they have loads of options at the bottom where it has the details of the teacher. just above it their are other details provided such as requirements, lesson overview, details, features etc.

curriculum

when looking into the course curriculum, i think they have different types. the inheritance law says it is an 'associates curriculum' and before in another course i think it said 'foundation curriculum'. their is a link to find out, more about the curriculum but it seem to go to an empty page.

Tuesday 2 December 2008

Online books and Bookstore, audio and video

this site really is a well thought of site and i think looks like their has been alot of effort put into it.

http://sunnipath.com/bookstore/

this section of the website allows people to purchase books from this site, allowing if their lesson ask them to buy certain book, they don't have to go searching for the books but instead they maybe can buy the books straight from the site, being more efficient for the students or viewers of the site. they have many options on the left side of the page allowing people to choose what they want.
http://www.sunnipath.com/bookstore/category.aspx?categoryID=25
their is a page which allows access to books for academy, so books are placed in a separate section, i assume allowing it to be more easier to find the books needed.

http://www.sunnipath.com/bookstore/category.aspx?categoryID=1
this is the site that may just be for books in general for those who may not be apart of any of the lesson within the site

http://www.sunnipath.com/bookstore/category.aspx?categoryID=12
not only does the site provide books but it has audio also, give the site more variety for the viewers and students to get the best form of learning as possible. this is broken into 2 sections which can be chosen from the left site and they are the sub categories of the audio section. the sub categories are CD's and Tapes, catering for a majority of peoples needs.

http://www.sunnipath.com/bookstore/category.aspx?categoryID=3
here they have Video's and DVD'S, it is short but its better than nothing

http://www.sunnipath.com/bookstore/category.aspx?categoryID=22
http://www.sunnipath.com/bookstore/category.aspx?categoryID=21
http://www.sunnipath.com/bookstore/category.aspx?categoryID=26

these 3 links are the gifts, featured products and the new arrival. the gift sections provides more products that are not exactly for learning purposes, which i think attracts a different audience, showing that this site is more than just a site to gain religious knowledge but a site that wide and broad and caters for different needs of people.