Enhancing Knowledge Sharing Among Computer Science Academics: Implementing a Web-Based Teaching Experience Platform in Saudi Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

Knowledge sharing is crucial for organisations to obtain a competitive advantage, especially in knowledge-intensive environments like higher education institutions (HEIs). Knowledge sharing enables institutions to generate and maintain knowledge. Academics are a key source of knowledge in HEIs. HEIs’ success relies heavily on the quality and expertise of its faculty members and knowledge sharing between them is essential for the success of universities. To make better use of their academic knowledge and expertise, academics should thus be encouraged to share their knowledge with peers. However, many universities face difficulties in improving the sharing of knowledge accumulated by academics due to geographical and social constraints. Lack of knowledge sharing can impede the effective application of teaching skills, potentially impacting academic performance and leading to lower student achievement levels than could have been accomplished with better knowledge sharing. Although knowledge sharing management (KSM) has garnered substantial attention and implementation in numerous business entities in the Saudi context, the application of KSM within HEIs has been comparatively underexplored. This thesis examines the effective exchange of teaching-related knowledge through the incorporation of KSM in a web-based platform in Saudi HEIs. It focuses on facilitating teaching-related knowledge exchange among Computer Science (CS) academics in a virtual context. This research involves three phases. The first phase is problem identification. The literature reviews and three research investigation studies were conducted in this phase. The literature review findings indicate that most existing knowledge management systems (KMS) in HEIs have been developed for a generic knowledge context, leading to a lack of KSM related to teaching experience. The three research investigation studies assessed CS academics’ perceptions of knowledge sharing related to teaching at different Saudi universities. The first study investigated knowledge sharing related to teaching and learning through social media applications in by collecting quantitative data via questionnaires. The second study investigated CS academics’ perspectives on the factors that affect their willingness to share knowledge (WSK), again using questionnaires. The third study involved collecting qualitative data through interviews. It aimed to understand the perspectives of CS academics regarding sharing teaching related knowledge among colleagues. It also examined factors influencing knowledge sharing, such as motivation, barriers, and the technology used for knowledge sharing within the CS faculties at Saudi Arabian universities. vi The findings show that CS academics believed that exchanging teaching experiences can benefit them by resolving teaching issues, enhancing work procedures, and aiding the university in attaining its performance goals. However, they face a significant barrier in exchanging their teaching experiences with colleagues, as there is no efficient means of communication other than in-person engagement, which their substantial teaching responsibilities make hard to do. To address this issue, a prototype system was designed in the design phase, using a combination of soft systems methodology (SSM) and the joint application design (JAD) technique. A Teaching Experience Platform (TEP) system was successfully implemented and deployed in this phase. The TEP system enables CS academics to effectively record, store, access, and evaluate teaching experiences. In addition, it includes social and gamification tools to motivate CS academics to use the platform and share their knowledge with others. In the evaluation phase, the TEP system was tested in a real-world context within a community of CS academics in an experiment that took seven weeks. In the end, questionnaires and workshops were conducted to evaluate CS academics’ experience and perceptions relating to the TEP system’s usefulness. The empirical results show a highly favourable agreement on using the TEP system and the effectiveness of its functions and features to facilitate and motivate CS academics to share their knowledge among peers. Future research directions and recommendations are discussed at the end of the thesis.