Faculty members’ perspectives on the reality of employing multimedia in teaching Islamic subjects in higher education in Saudi Arabia in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at King Saud University

Abstract

The increasing use of multimedia and its applications has recently modified the model of the educational process, thereby affecting the educational environment in the higher education arena. This has also affected the role of faculty members in teaching Islamic subjects. The aim of this study is to identify the views of faculty members in higher education at King Saud University on the use of multimedia and its applications for teaching Islamic subjects. Six academic members from King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, participated in the study. The findings reveal that faculty members had a good attitude toward multimedia and its educational applications. They also present the approaches used by various faculty members to integrate multimedia into their student instruction, with the majority of faculty members using educational tools such as PowerPoint and videos. Moreover, some faculty members choose to teach using traditional methods instead via multimedia, and indeed some Islamic disciplines do not allow the use of multimedia in their education. Faculty members report using multimedia during daily program periods, particularly during the main and final periods, and do so both individually and collectively. Furthermore, faculty members often tailor their use of multimedia to specific learning activities, such as delivering a lesson, assessing student progress, or teaching specific skills. On the other hand, faculty members also mention several barriers to the correct use of multimedia and its applications in teaching students, such as the lack of professional support. As a result, from the perspective of faculty members, this study sheds light on the primary challenges and obstacles of using multimedia to teach Islamic subjects. The Learning Department and other educational institutions can use the results of this study to improve the educational environment by providing training courses for faculty members on multimedia and the applications that serve the teaching of Islamic subjects. Furthermore, they should provide ongoing maintenance that supports faculty members during their academic practices.