Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted The Factors Impacting Secondary School Teachers’ Continuance Intention to Use Madrasati Platform in Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 2016) Assiri, Fiasal; Wincenciak, Joanna; Morrison-Love, DavidDuring the rapid outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries enforced stay-at- home policies, which led to an increase in distance working. Accordingly, e-learning was utilised to replace face-to-face education, with many educational organisations across the world switching to online teaching and learning. In Saudi Arabia (SA), the option for e- learning was not widely supported in public schools. The Ministry of Education (MoE) developed an online learning management system (LMS) named Madrasati to support the educational process during school closures. However, a large proportion of teachers chose to continue using Madrasati even after schools returned to face-to-face teaching, making it part of their post-pandemic approaches to teaching and learning. This study aims to investigate the reasons and motivations associated with the post-COVID-19 usage of Madrasati. This is of particular interest given that, internationally, LMSs such as Madrasati typically feature more prominently in further and higher education than they do in elementary and secondary school education. To thoroughly address the research question, this study adopts an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach, wherein both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered in an organised sequence. First, a proposed model for a continued use of e-learning platforms was developed, primarily informed by the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour (DTPB) and other relevant e-learning studies. In the first phase, a large-scale survey was conducted with 304 secondary school teachers in SA, who completed an online questionnaire. At this stage, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied to evaluate the proposed model, utilising two main techniques: the measurement model and the structural model. In the second phase, follow-up interviews were undertaken with 19 secondary school teachers, with a reflexive thematic analytical approach used to clarify the quantitative findings and to gain a deeper understanding of the rationale behind their decisions regarding the continuance of Madrasati use. The obtained results confirmed that the proposed model demonstrated a good fit with the quantitative data, verifying the validity and reliability of its instruments. The survey findings identified significant factors influencing teachers’ intentions to continue using Madrasati, including learning content quality, perceived usefulness, social influence, and self-efficacy. Most teachers demonstrated favourable attitudes towards the platform, with social influence—particularly from peers and students—emerging as a strong predictor of continuance intention. In contrast, qualitative data from the interviews revealed some concerns that could hinder the platform’s continued use, such as insufficient professional training, limited technical support, and inadequate internet infrastructure, particularly in rural areas. From an academic perspective, the proposed model may provide a useful tool for researchers in the field of technology adoption in education who wish to examine factors influencing the intention to adopt LMSs and technological platforms in diverse contexts. In addition, practical recommendations were presented to Saudi educational stakeholders and Madrasati’s developers to implement methods that could increase teachers’ motivation to continue using the platform.8 0Item Restricted Faculty Members’ Digital and Instructional Practices in E-learning Programs at Saudi Universities(University of Idaho, 2023-02-10) Alhasaf, Ibtisam; Dixon, Raymond A.With the increasing popularity of e-learning programs, educational stakeholders are attempting to promote the successful implementation of interactive e-learning programs. Scholars have long tried to understand how faculty members perceive and practice e-learning instruction in Saudi universities, where e-learning is a relatively new concept. A few studies conducted in different regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have investigated faculty members' perceptions. This study added to the limited body of knowledge on Saudi faculty members' perceptions of their practices in e-learning programs. This qualitative study recruited 17 instructors from six universities in Saudi Arabia using a generic qualitative inquiry approach. Semi-structured interviews with the participants were used to collect data. Findings indicated that the participating faculty members have a variety of practices and experiences regarding implementing an interactive e-learning program. These experiences were conceptualized in four main themes: interactive activities, assessment, multimedia learning material, and students' acceptance of e-learning programs. The present study clarified that instructors use various interactive activities, tests and quizzes for assessment, and videos as the main multimedia tool in their online classes. The results elucidate that students are increasingly accepting e-learning environments and the technologies used in their learning space. The study also throws light on factors affecting the successful implementation of the interactive e-learning program. Exploring these competencies and practices can provide instructional designers, faculty members, directors of online education, and other relevant stakeholders with the present picture of faculty techniques and virtual ability to teach in dynamic online spaces in Saudi universities.21 0Item Restricted 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, PeterIn 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.24 0Item Restricted Blockchain Based Open Education Platform(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-11-27) Alshehri, Mansour; Aniello, Leonardo; Bills, OliverE-learning is a growing market that within the coming few years may double in size due to rapid improvements in technology, such as the rise of cloud computing, in addition to the sudden closure of education and work facilities that took place during Covid19 which paved the way towards more expansions in remote services. Such sudden changes have motivated the transformation of teaching and working from on-site to online settings. Provided the majority of ICT* are still mainly centralized which allows the world to develop and our daily routines to continue. Blockchain, on the other hand, can offer good services for education, such as this platform, and find solutions to some faced dilemmas, such as price souring and the censorship of control that are found on centralized platforms. Cost efficiency and the ease of implementation that blockchain networks provide, combined with efforts that communities of developers lend a hand for, have made it possible for some applications, such as voting and supply chain control, to surge from such implementations. Some blockchain based platforms are already serving customers with video streaming, however, particularly for education and teaching, it is still far behind the centralized one as there is no obvious development to mention which calls for this project to rise. A centralized server, within a virtual environment, backed up by data stored on a blockchain based network helps deliver the final product of the project. The hassle is that centralized platforms empower features that cause price fragility, and stationed themselves on a single point of failure that blockchain based networks can tackle even when involved partially. Regarding traditional mitigations towards these issues, blockchain as a concept differs and introduces itself in consistency with community ambitions, like those who suffer financially and have needs to access cheaper content to get qualified. This project is willing to stand up as a PoC, provided some components of the final product may appear in centralized form as it is still difficult to only depend on blockchain based services.47 0Item Restricted MEASURING THE USE OF LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (LMS) IN TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE AMONG TEACHERS IN SAUDI ARABIAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES(Saudi Digital Library, 2022-06-08) Alsaaid, Adeem; Abd Razak, Norizan; Wahi, WahizaNumerous studies have shown the necessity for learning management systems (LMS) for teachers in various locations around the world in recent times. Instructors dominate the learning process in the Saudi education system, and students look to them as their primary source of information. Thus, in order to have a profound understanding, this study used two approaches: the quantitative approach used the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), to examine the major factors (Performance Expectancy; Effort Expectancy; Social Influence; and Facilitating Condition) affecting the adoption of e-learning systems and the differences in gender roles among university instructors. Also, this study applied the qualitative approach in order to triangulate and verify the findings. In terms of the data collection, in the quantitative approach, a self-administered questionnaire was used, and data were obtained from 190 English instructors from 28 Saudi Arabian public colleges. For the qualitative section of the study, an interview based on semi structure was conducted. The interview was guided by interview protocol (interview guide), thus 14 informants were interviewed. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) (quantitative) and thematic analysis (qualitative) were used to evaluate the proposed research. So, the results of this study showed that performance expectancy and social influence are significant predictors in influencing instructors’ behavioural intention (BI) to use a blackboard system (BBS), whereas effort expectancy facilitating conditions showed insignificant results with behavioural intention (BI). Subsequently, behavioural intention (BI) was significantly related to actual user behaviour. This study also examined gender as a moderator in the relation of behavioural intention (BI) to use the blackboard system (BBS) and actual usage behaviour of (BBS). Therefore, the results revealed that the interaction effect of ‘Gender’ was significantly moderate to the relationship between (BI) to use (BBS) and actual usage behaviour of blackboard system (BBS), which was stronger for females compared to males. In addition, from the qualitative data, the study further concluded that the best practice of teaching foreign languages such as English in Saudi Arabia lies in the three modes of teaching. These modes of teaching include; the traditional method (face-to-face), the online method, and the group discussion. As shown in the qualitative analysis that for better teaching and learning for the student, teachers should adopt the online mode available to them. Concerning technology in teaching foreign languages, it is concluded that most teachers in Saudi prefer to use the old method than the new method (online). This is due to its technical problem, high cost, and lack of adaptation by the teachers. The study further concluded that only through the use of technology in education gender segregation can be minimised in a country such as Saudi. Therefore, technology can play a vital role in minimising gender segregation in education. Thus, the model of this study has provided theoretical contributions by filling in gaps and offering accurate information followed up by conclusive evidence. This technique can also be used by universities to boost job performance, maintain instructors with high potential and talent in Saudi Arabia, and strengthen instructors' perceptions of (LMS).32 0