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    How Do Saudi Universities Motivate Students to Benefit from and Engage in E-Learning Systems?
    (Victoria University, 2024-03-27) Alamrei, Saad Othman M; Martino, John; Thomas, Peter
    In recognition of the importance of education and health, the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia allocated the largest budget in 2023 to the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, among all ministries (Ministry of Finance, 2023). e-learning in Saudi universities is considered an indispensable part of continuing the educational process and keeping pace with the world in scientific and technological development. Because there are few studies that have focused on motivating students in Saudi universities and even less on motivating students to use and engage in e-learning systems i, this thesis investigates student motivation and explores strategies used by Saudi universities to motivate their students to benefit from and engage in e-learning. In addition, it aimed to measure the effectiveness of these strategies through the use of Keller's ARCS Model of Motivational Design. The study sample covered three universities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and included students, academic staff, and e-learning specialists. A mixed methods research approach was used in this thesis, which selected two units from each university. Data were collected through individual interviews with six academic staff members, five e-learning specialists, and twenty-six students in total in focus groups; one hundred and sixty responses were also obtained from students who participated through filling out questionnaires across the three universities. The results of the study revealed that there were no specific strategies developed by the three Saudi universities to trigger students’ motivation towards using and engaging in e-learning systems. However, the results showed that some academic staff motivate students in the e-learning environment, using different methods they consider appropriate based on their experience, aiming to make the content more engaging and thus increasing students’ engagement. The results of the study also brought to light some barriers facing e-learning in Saudi universities, such as weak Blackboard systems or poor internet performance, especially in university branches outside big cities. The study concluded that Saudi universities need to develop clear strategies aimed at motivating students to use, engage in, and fully benefit from e-learning systems. The thesis recommended that academic staff should be involved in developing and creating e-learning content to ensure that it appeals to students. In addition, the study highlighted the need for further research to foster better understanding of students’ motivation and achieve successful implementation of e-learning systems in Saudi Arabia.
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    Developing an Awareness Framework for Software Developers to Implement Privacy into Software Systems
    (Saudi Digital Library, 2023-06-14) Alhazmi, Abdulrahman; Arachchilage‬, Nalin
    The use of software applications is inevitable as they provide different services to users. The software applications collect, store user data, and sometimes share it with a third party, even without the user’s consent. The Internet has also grown, significantly increasing data breaches in software systems. One of the reasons for this might be that the software developers responsible for ensuring that software systems are embedded with the appropriate privacy guided by laws such as GDPR, fail to implement the laws. GDPR law has guidelines that software developers can follow to implement privacy into software systems. Nevertheless, many data breaches might be due to the failure to implement guidelines. Developers might be lacking enough motivation to implement the GDPR law. Therefore, to equip developers with the motivation to implement their skills to mitigate such breaches, this thesis proposes a GDPR game-based teaching framework. Gamification, widely described as "the use of game design elements in non-game contexts", has previously shown potential in the development of exciting and efficient learning experiences, both in the sense of education and business. Some researchers have concentrated on the connection between software privacy and gamification, but they only focus on a few data privacy elements. The proposed framework will focus on improving developers' secure coding behaviour by way of their motivation. The novelty of this framework is that it will incorporate all GDPR principles together, making sure that software developers put GDPR into practice, resulting in software systems embedded with privacy. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a gamified application in educating developers on incorporating privacy-preserving techniques into software code. The impact of developers on application design was examined, and subjective satisfaction was assessed using the System Usability Scale (SUS). A think-aloud study experiment with pre-test and post-test evaluations was conducted, revealing encouraging results. Participants demonstrated a significant improvement in their understanding of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and their ability to incorporate privacy into their code. The gamified application successfully taught participants how to use privacy-preserving techniques in software design. This study investigates the motivating factors that influence developers' adoption of privacy-preserving techniques in software code. Key factors identified include perceived threat, susceptibility, severity, self-efficacy, lawfulness, fairness, transparency, purpose limitation, data minimization, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity, and confidentiality. These findings highlight the effectiveness of gamification in promoting secure coding behaviour and inform the game design framework for privacy incorporation.
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    Understanding Motivation to Learn English : A comparison of Urban and Rural Students at Saudi Arabian University
    (Saudi Digital Library, 2023) Almansour, Sami; Duursma, Elisabeth
    Proficiency in English is an important component of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. While upholding Arabic language, the Saudi Arabia (SA) government is reforming the educational system to improve students’ achievements. Explicitly stated in the Vision is a clause dedicated to uplifting the educational standards to enable SA to compete with the world on an equal footing. Although there is no explicit plan to improve English instruction, there is increasing need to teach English for competitive innovation and for considering national reform initiatives in an increasingly global world. The Saudi government has spent billions of dollars offering incentives to international institutions to enter into partnerships with SA universities enabling them to offer joint programmes in undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Despite the aspirations of the government, Saudi students’ English language proficiency remains slower to develop. Some studies in other jurisdictions have attributed the lack of English proficiency to low motivation. This thesis addresses the problem of low motivation in the SA context. It reports on a mixed-methods investigation of motivational factors that affect language learning in urban and rural SA contexts; exploring the potential that rurality is related to motivation. To undertake the quantitative study, the researcher administered questionnaires to 233 university learners using a version of Gardner’s (2001) International Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (IAMTB) adapted by Makrami (2010) and translated into Arabic language. Quantitative data was analysed utilising multiple regression analyses and t-tests. To complement the dataset, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with six teachers and 16 students participated in one of five focus group discussions. The qualitative data was transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis to explore salient themes and issues emerging from students’ and teachers’ perspectives. The findings suggest that whilst there is a strong correlation between eagerness to learn English and instrumental motivation, urban students are more motivated compared to rural students. It seems urban students’ exposure to better job opportunities and limited occupations in rural SA requiring English were largely responsible for these differences. Building on these findings, this study developed novel insights into English as a Foreign Language (EFL); adding to the existing conceptual model. Like Gardner’s (1985, 2001, 2005) Motivation Theory, the model proposed in the current study has the same three main components: motivation, integrativeness, and attitudes toward the learning situation. However, the current model adapts Gardner’s (2001) model to include ‘parental encouragement’ within ‘other support’ thereby expanding its cultural sensitivity and relevance. Based on both the quantitative and qualitative data, students also perceived their peers and teachers to have a positive influence on their learning. While students thought peers were highly influential in their motivation, their intrinsic motivation appears to be facilitated by their teachers’ provision of psychological support, relevant teaching activities, and a friendly attitude. Overall, this thesis is significant because it provides essential information for educators, practitioners, and policy makers who influence EFL learning outcomes and provides in-depth and well-rounded understanding of the EFL motivational learning processes and teaching practices in the Saudi Arabian context; helping fill a gap in current knowledge about important contemporary developments in SA and how best to support them.
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