Investigating Academic Staff Members’ Perspectives Of The Effectiveness Of The Use Of E-learning Skills In Teaching In Saudi Arabia Universities

Abstract

Higher education institutions in many countries around the world are facing serious challenges from expansion, leading to a number of developments in the process of integrating information and communication technologies into university practices. E- learning is a revolutionary development that is fast becoming one of the most popular learning environments in the field of education in most universities globally, including in Saudi Arabia. In recent years, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has witnessed an unprecedented growth in higher education as a result of the increasing pace of advances in technology and especially developments in the use of E-learning at University level. This research investigated male academic staff members’ perspectives of the effectiveness of the use of e-learning skills in teaching at four Saudi universities. It also provides insight into faculty members' attitudes towards the use of E-learning in the teaching and learning process, and their visions of possible and preferred usage of ICT in education in the future. In order to answer these questions, the study used a mixed method design combining a quantitative research approach with academic staff members (questionnaires), and a qualitative approach research with administrative staff and policy makers (interviews). The analysis of 375 questionnaires by academic staff members was complemented with semi-structured interviews of administrative staffs and policy makers at university level, in order to validate the questionnaire results and to gain a deeper insight in supporting the interpretation of the data so as to understand the research problem. Validity and reliability of the questionnaire were checked and statistical treatments such as percentages, means, frequencies, standard deviation and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted. The results indicated that academic staff members have positive attitudes towards the using of E-learning in their teaching and the educational process, with positive agreement in all three dimensions covered by the research. Significant variables within this positive rating included academic qualification and years of academy experience. This means that length of experience is important. Overall, the study shows the enthusiasm of academic staff members in terms of their motivation for the use of E-learning in their teaching, through their responses to the questionnaire. In addition, the study identifies several obstacles indicated by faculty members, which can be regarded as being at university level such as the absence of an institutional policy for e-learning. A number of other obstacles were identified, including such as a lack of integration of technical support, lack of support in instructional design for E-learning and lack of adequate training in the use of E-learning techniques. The study concludes with some recommendations, to find suitable and more effective solutions as well as suggestions for future research.