E-Learning in Saudi Arabia - Term Paper Example

Running Head: E-Learning in Saudi Arabia Name Course Institution Instructor Submission Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 1.0 Introduction 3 2.0 Context of Study 4 2.1 Problem of the Study 5 3.0 Theoretical Background 6 3.1 Definition of Terms 6 3.2 Literature Review 7 3.3 Description of the Problem 11 3.4 Purpose of the Study and Key Research Questions 12 4.0 Methodology 12 4.1 Reporting, Analysis and Interpretation 13 5.0 Conclusion 18 6.0 References 19 1.0 Introduction Globally, there is a shift towards technologies as alternatives for access to higher education in the last two decades. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is no exception. In spite of the fact that these technologies have been adopted in the last two decades, the Saudi Arabian government has put into consideration how they are used in various instructional processes. Saudi Arabian policy makers have put in place standardization measures on the use of e-learning (Alshahrani & Al-Shehri, 2012, P. 21). Many countries in the world have also done the same to ensure that crucial aspects of learning appearing to be at risk of losing value are maintained even with the adoption of open learning (Marshall, 2004, P. 596). Currently, the future of education is dependent on the development of e-learning systems. This is true especially for countries with few educational facilities. Through the analysis of educational facilities to population ratio, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is far much behind in terms of achievement of education objectives. It is quite clear from the fact that there are only eight universities to serve sixteen million citizens that the people of Saudi Arabia do not value the traditional education. According to Ali et al. (2003) higher education institutions in Saudi Arabia are being faced with a challenge of high enrolment rate due to imbalance in population to educational institutions ratio. A number of factors have been identified to be the main causes of this. Among other factors, low grades, cultural values, lack of motivation and financial challenges have been identified to be the major causes of this. E-learning is a solution to some of these factors. However, there is need for the government in Saudi Arabia to ensure that the objectives of e-learning are attained through flawless implementation. The objective of this research report is to identify the problems facing adult learners in their quest for higher education. The report will also give reasons why distance learning and e-learning could be the best solutions and how they can help in improving access to higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 2.0 Context of Study Being the 14th largest state in the world and the largest in the middle east with only eight universities to serve sixteen million people and one of the fastest in population growth in the world, there is need for Saudi Arabian government to enhance distance learning and e-learning as an alternative for access to higher education. The need for effective use of technology in tertiary institutions has come along with the government's realization of the need to meet the high demand for higher education in Saudi Arabia and have a sustainable relevance of higher education in the future. It is for this reason that the government of Saudi Arabia has put in place various measures to enhance the development of distance education. The ministry of higher education has tasked a specialized group to prepare a plan for the institution of e-learning and distance education in tertiary institutions (Ministry of Higher Education, 2011). This is in line with the goals of the National Plan for communications and information technology. In the year 2005, the government came up with an e-learning strategic plan which was part of the eight development plan for this nation. Being an implementation of the e-learning strategic plan, the government of Saudi Arabia launched the National Centre for E-Learning and Distance Learning that laid a foundation for e-learning development and use in tertiary institutions (Ministry of Economy and Planning, 2010). Most recent is the establishment of postgraduate universities; King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in the year 2009 and the virtual Saudi e-University in the year 2011 (Ministry of Higher Education, 2011). These two institutions are equipped with technological facilities that allow for distance education programs. This was bolstered by the government's initiative in 2010 to approve distance learning regulations that enabled many citizens to access higher education (Ministry of Higher Education, 2011). From this, it is quite clear that Saudi Arabian government is beginning to appreciate the importance of technology in the education sector. In fact for a nation where cultural values are a priority, technology could be an alternative. Technology is perceived to be a crucial aspect in the development of various government sectors and an instrument for moving from the past industrial society to a knowledge and information based society (Ministry of Economy and Planning, 2010). Saudi Arabian government realization of the importance of technology in higher education is in accordance with various achievements including; reducing class time and expenses (Fazeelatunnisa & Maniyar, 2013, P.2). With this subject gaining more interest among many researchers in a wide perspective, little has been done with regards to Saudi Arabia. Of great interest here is how distance learning and e-learning is helping Saudi Arabians to access education and how it has helped in eradicating a number of problems if not all of them especially in higher education perspective. 2.1 Problem of the Study The growing shift to adoption of e-learning as a supplement to the traditional system requires an pre-analysis of how effective it will be in attaining its objectives. The objective of e-learning adoption in Saudi Arabia is to increase access to higher education. Some higher education institutions have already implemented with success and other institutions are now moving towards implementing this program. A general conclusion on the concept of e-learning being crucial in increasing higher education access to higher education should not be derived from these few cases. It requires in depth analysis of how it has affected the rates of admission to higher education institutions. And for this reason, the problem of this research study is to find out if e-learning or distance learning improves access to higher education for adult learners in Saudi Arabia. This can be achieved through the analysis of higher education enrolment data for subsequent years and theoretical facts that have been documented by various scholars. 3.0 Theoretical Background 3.1 Definition of Terms From this topic of study, terms which are emerging as key to the subject of study are e-learning and traditional education model. E-Learning incorporates two terms; electronic and learning. The letter 'E' stands for electronic (Naidu, 2006, P. 1). E-Learning is among the terms used more often in learning technology. With the current rate of development in learning technologies, scholars are yet to arrive at a precise definitions of the day to day terms in the discipline and the right terminologies (Moore, Dickson-Deane & Galyen, 2010, P. 129). It is for this reason that no meaningful studies through comparisons of past research studies and the current as a result of conflicting findings. Debates have emerged over the conflicting definitions of various authors. For example, Ellis (2004) gives a conflicting view of what e-learning is composed of over what other authors propose. He believes that e-learning goes beyond the idea of usage of web based tools. Other scholars such as Nichols (2003) believes that e-learning is a learning that strictly comprises of web based tools. Nichols (2003) defines e-learning as "the use of various technological tools that are either web-based, web-distributed or web-capable for the purposes of education" (P. 2). In the same way, Dajani (2009) defines E-Learning as the system of communication across and between electronic channels, mainly computers, through usage of audiovisual, sounds and text for various educational goals. It also refers to the methods where companies utilize their computer networks to administer training and educational instructions to their employees while universities take it to mean a particular method whereby students make use of online technologies to attend their course training and evaluation without necessarily having a physical presence on campus (Qureshi & Badawood, 2012, P. 15). What is quite clear from is the idea of absence of clear description of what e-learning. In fact terms such as e-learning and distance learning are often used interchangeably. For the sake of this study, e-learning will be presumed to be any learning activity taking place with the help of technology. Traditional education model is a kind of instruction model where teaching is done by way of face to face communication and in a classroom environment. In this type of learning, the teacher is the chief bearer of knowledge and his/her work is to disseminate knowledge (Posner, 2004). The learner takes the passive position while the teacher takes the active position. Learning will only take place if both parties involved; teacher and learner are physically present. 3.2 Literature Review Retention and access to higher education still remain as two key challenges to many nations of the world. Many countries are coming up with Policy reforms to ensure equity in access to education. Access to higher education vary from one state to another depending on the availability of education facilities. Inadequacy of tertiary institutions has resulted to some nations having its citizens move to other nations to acquire education. With regards to higher education access, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always been a subject of discussion to many researchers. As earlier stated, Saudi Arabia has very few tertiary institutions to serve its ever increasing population. As a result many of its citizens study abroad. In fact, it is ranked the fourth country globally whose majority of the citizens study abroad with an estimated value of about 70,000 (Faleh, 2011, P. 16). Besides this, it is a nation that is well known for its culture. The culture of the Saudi Arabians is radically distinctive and complex. Metz (1992) highlights the fact that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a deeply conservative nation in terms of its religion and social values. Everything is done in accordance with Islamic religion. In almost the same dimension, the challenges facing higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are notable. Some of the challenges that have been documented include; population explosion leading to higher demand for higher education facilities, imbalance between graduates from empirical and theoretical areas, and educational personnel and students wastages (Faleh, 2011, P. 18). In addition to this, owing to the fact that the government finances higher education, it has resulted to strain on the government due to the increasing population. E-learning can assist to a great extent in facing a number of these challenges. Faleh (2011) argues that e-learning may be a solution to the problem of narrow base of higher education and the high costs incurred by the government in funding higher education (P. 18). The origin of e-learning trails back to early nineteenth century, when courses were tendered through correspondence. Earlier in twentieth century, distance learning was informally occurring in Britain, until 1971 when it was officially unveiled by the Open University and later conveyed to other countries (Abdulaziz, 2008). Taha (2007) highlights the fact that evolution of e-learning can be dated back to 1950's when stand alone technologies were used in the instructional process (P. 350). This educational technology included radio and television instructions. This technology was used up to the year 1990. E-Learning replaced this technology in 1993. Since then, E-Learning has evolved and given rise to mobile learning. Despite the emergence of mobile learning, e-learning still proves to be a crucial facet in education. ICT revolution has however played a major role in developing distance learning. Recent developments in the twenty-first century including design of websites has enabled users to design, control, implement, manage and evaluate teaching and learning processes through internet (Machado & Demiray, 2012). Developments including but not limited to online and electronic books, papers, iPods, blogs, iPads, voice recognition, Wikis, multi-touch interfaces and Pod casts have completely altered how e-learning is viewed in its presentation, usage, interaction levels and multiplicity of its interactive features. Like in other nations, E-learning has developed so rapidly in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the last decade (Alkhalaf et al., 2011, P.48). Similarly, there has been a rapid increase in demand for this model of learning. This unprecedented rise in the demand for E-Learning education facilities, is due to its emergence as a knowledge outsourcing centre in the Gulf Region. Recent market research indicates that the demand for eLearning modules will be driven by factors like rising investment and e-Learning, which has been emerging as a substitute of distance education. Estimated to grow at the rate of 33% during 2010-2014 periods, the size of e-Learning market in Saudi Arabia is likely to reach US$ 670 Million by 2014. Last year, the Saudi Government had allocated $40 Billion (SR 150 billion) in its 2011 Budget to education and training. It’s no secret then that investment in human capital has become a top priority for the Saudi Government” (Garg, 2012). The rapid development has seen many higher education graduates enroll in tertiary institutions. This has been attributed to a number of reasons. One of the reasons for the growth of e-learning is the increasing demand for further studies which outweigh the supply (Alkhalaf et al., 2011, P.48). The existing institutions are faced with a challenge of overcrowded facilities and insufficient tutors. The problem has continued to increase despite the government's effort to develop and enhance development of new institutions both private and governmental. In fact, according to Al-Shehri (2010), from the year 2004 to 2009, one university was initiated in every three months and in every month, five colleges were initiated. There has also been a boost in the scholarships abroad awarded to Saudi students (Al-Shehri, 2010). Despite these efforts the existing institutions do not have the capability of serving the increasing demand and "Thousands of students are over-enrolled by these institutions and are simply given the course materials and sent home to study on their own" (Al-Khalifa, 2010). Another major factor which has resulted to increasing interest in e-learning is its capability of reaching out to a larger population of marginalized residents in this nation of large geographical area (Alkhalaf et al., 2011, P. 48). As earlier stated, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is unique because most of the activities are done based on the interpretations of Islamic religion (Mirza, 2007, P. 1). As a result of rigid culture of Saudi Arabians, majority of the population has been marginalized. E-Learning has provided an opportunity to these people in remote places. The provision of education based on gender is also another major factor for the upsurge in demand of e-learning (Alkhalaf et al., 2011, P. 48). Mirza, 2007) points out the fact that education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is offered on separate institutions (P. 1). This will imply that more facilities are required to provide education for the two gender and as a result strain o the available resources is likely to occur (Alkhalaf et al., 2011, P. 48). Women are the most affected in this and on many instances, they are the ones pushing for e-learning services provision (Bates, 2009). Other factors that have contributed immensely to the development of e-learning are; demographic developments including but not limited to rising volumes of young population, increased education levels and the high cost of providing traditional learning. The primary objective of e-learning is to fulfill the aspirations of the emerging large young generation. Rise in the number of learners in Saudi Arabia in need of access to excellent higher education and employees who intend to further their training so as to gain leverage have pushed educational institutions in this country to offer distance education (Asiri, Mahmud & Bakar, 2012: 126). In addition to this, it was essential to adopt this education model because it prepared the graduates for complexities of the near future (University World News, 2008). According to the director of National of E-Learning Dr. Abdullah, Almegren, learners can be able to adjust their education under the mentorship of their teachers (University World News, 2008). As a consequence, learners will not be required to attend their classes fully. 3.3 Description of the Problem The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has heavily invested and is still investing heavily on technology in education sector. In fact this nation is turning out to be a technology hub among the Gulf nations. The government and its citizens have realized the importance of technology at this level especially for a nation with very high population growth rate and few educational facilities. The extensive and fast adoption of e-learning has turned out to be inevitable as a greater percentage of individuals possess basic computer skills and they are becoming more comfortable with computer use. E-Learning is used at all levels of learning in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Despite usage at all levels, lower level institutions; primary and secondary have adopted a special e-learning that combines both traditional and learning by technology called blended learning. In tertiary institutions which offer higher education, both e-learning and traditional learning approach are offered but separately unlike in the lower levels. It is at the higher institutions where e-learning is likely to bring about to tremendous transformation. In this situation where the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has heavily invested and will continue with the same on e-learning development, it is necessary to pause and evaluate how this technology has affected e-learning. It is the only way under which pedagogues and institutions can increase the chances of accomplishing the potential of being global leaders in e-learning usage. There has been no study initiated to investigate how e-learning has affected higher education enrollment especially in the Saudi Arabian context. 3.4 Purpose of the Study and Key Research Questions The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has continued with unprecedented efforts of investing in the development of E-Learning. The findings of this research study anticipated to assist the government in getting the full picture of how e-learning is effective and identifying the problems adult face and can be addressed by e-learning. They will also provide a better plan on the implementation of e-learning. To attain its objectives, questions were formulated to guide the whole process and they are; 1. What is the perception of adult learners on e-learning? 2. How has e-learning affected adult education enrolment? 3. What are some of the problems adult learners face? 4.0 Methodology Various methods were used in this research. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used. It involved analysis of data obtained from e-learning research studies that have been conducted before through different research methods such as interviews. The data obtained included those of the current higher education enrolment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 4.1 Reporting, Analysis and Interpretation It is quite evident from this research study that Saudi Arabians have began to realize the importance of higher education. According to a research study conducted, 35% percent of individuals prefer traditional model while 29% prefer distance learning (Ali et al., 2003). The government's effort in increasing internet access coverage has made it possible for many citizens to access higher education through e-learning. The internet access statistics indicate a tremendous increase in internet usage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Within a span of ten years, the number of internet users rose from 200,000 to 13,000,000. Figure 1 YEAR Users Population % Pop. Usage Source 2000 200,000 21,624,422 0.9 % ITU 2003 1,500,000 21,771,609 6.9 % ITU 2005 2,540,000 23,595,634 10.8 % C+I+A 2007 4,700,000 24,069,943 19.5 % ITU 2009 7,761,800 28,686,633 27.1 % ITU 2010 9,800,000 25,731,776 38.1 % ITU 2012 13,000,000 26,534,504 49.0 % IWS Source: Internet World Stats < http://www.internetworldstats.com/me/sa.htm > Internet usage has come along with the ever increasing uses of internet. From the above statistical data presented as figure 1, the number of internet users doubled every two years between the year 2005 and 2012. Notably, the period between the year 2007 and 2012 presented a sharp increase with users increasing by about 22%. It was during this period when the government began implementing its laid down strategy of e-learning development and use in tertiary institutions. The sharp increase can be attributed to e-learning which was gaining ground. Similarly, there has been a tremendous increase in literacy among adult learners in Saudi Arabia. There are high chances that literacy rates have increased due to easier access to education. As earlier stated, greater percentage of adults in Saudi Arabia are working and many of them may find difficult to access traditional education. As a consequence, many of them opt for distance education which is more flexible Figure 2 Source: AlMegren (2011) It is quite clear from statistics done by UNESCO as presented by AlMegren (2011) that the literacy level has improved greatly improved since the year 1992 when it was averaging at 71% to 85% by the year 2011. Initiatives taken by the government are the core reasons given for this. The initiatives included enhancing the use of technology; e-learning to provide education. It is evident from the statistics that there was a sharp increase in literacy among the adults between the year 2000 and 2005. This was the period when the government began to implement the e-learning strategic plan. Increase in literacy level among the adults can therefore be attributed to e-learning. Various reasons were given by individuals interviewed for taking online courses. Their preference of online courses offered through the internet was mainly due to the fact that they liked using computers (Ali et al., 2003). There were some other reasons given for preference of online courses. Figure 3 Source: Ali, Sait & Al-Tawil (2003) From the above data of preferences on online courses presented graphically in figure 3, it is quite clear that a greater percentage of individuals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have been motivated by the fact that they can pursue their courses through the computers. Many of them have opted to continue with higher education because courses are offered on an environment of their liking. Similarly, many of the adult learners are working for various organizations. The possibility is that despite having that urge of advancing their studies, they lacked enough time. High chances are that many had to enroll for e-learning courses because they could work at the comfort of their jobs and homes. At the same time, it is probable that many of them were sponsored by their employers to improve their skills. Generally, a good number of reasons given by the respondents could not be addressed by the traditional model of education. From this, we can conclude that e-learning has helped in increasing enrollment in higher education. Different courses were also given preference over others. From the data obtained from a research on the online course preferences as given in figure 3, it was also quite clear that distance education enhanced the access of higher learning among adults basically because a greater percentage of the learners needed education only to upgrade existing skills. The data obtained indicated that 40% of online learners interested in taking online courses mainly to upgrade their existing knowledge (Ali, Sait & Al-Tawil, 2003, P. 396). This affects mainly adults who may need to improve their skills while working at the same time. Other respondents gave their preference online courses as shown in the table below. Table 3 Types of on-line courses users intend to take on the internet Type of Course Very Interested Little Interested Neutral Not Much Interested Not at all Interested Remedial Education 12.6 10.2 38.4 7.2 31.3 High School 5.6 4.2 34.9 7.7 47.3 University Degrees 18.4 9.3 33.8 5.7 32.3 Home Schooling (Instead of attending school) 7.4 6.8 37.6 8.2 39.3 Home Schooling (where no schools are available) 8.3 4.7 39.3 7.0 40.1 Special Training Courses for Jobs 27.7 11.9 34.5 4.4 20.7 Telemedicine 10.9 10.5 43.8 7.5 26.5 Learn new household skills 14.7 13.2 41.7 6.3 23.2 To upgrade my skills 40.1 15.9 32.7 1.7 8.6 Other Reasons 5.6 3.7 57.9 2.6 28.0 Source: Ali, Sait & Al-Tawil (2003). Perceptions about e-Learning in Saudi Arabia Previously stated, Saudi Arabia is characterized by its culture and strict adherence to Islam religion. Moreover, gender is a matter of concern in educational access. Learners in educational institutions are segregated based on gender. Initially, the culture and religion of Saudi Arabians made it difficult in remote places to access education. With the emergence of distance learning more women are able to access higher learning. A higher percentage of distance learning individuals are women. More women attending e-learning workshops clearly indicates that more women than men embrace higher learning. In the second international conference on e-learning and distance learning held at Riyadh, 47 women of Saudi Arabian origin registered on the first day compared to only 44 men who did the same on the first day (Khan, 2011). An interview with one of the women participants showed that women are now beginning to embrace distance education. Unlike in the past, few women attended such conferences. According to the Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook, the literacy rate in Saudi Arabian women has increased from 70.2% in the year 2002 to 82.2% in the year 2011 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2013). From this, it is evident that e-learning has had a major impact on higher education access in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Besides this, e-learning has helped in bumping off major problems faced by adult learners that include; high costs, scheduling problems, low self motivation and other problems originating from stern culture and religion. 5.0 Conclusion In conclusion, e-learning has helped in eliminating various stumbling blocks to adult education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. E-learning is a cheaper way of accessing education. For nations like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where education is offered on separate entities based on gender, provision of enough learning facilities may prove a challenge. Distance learning may deem an appropriate option. In addition to this, e-learning comes along with a completely new learning environment; a learner centered kind of learning. The government need to invest in distance learning and formulate policies promoting distance learning. It is also crucial for the government to accredit online courses so as to encourage many individuals to access higher education. 6.0 References Ali, S. H., Sait, S. M., & Al-Tawil, K. M. (2003). Perceptions about e-Learning in Saudi Arabia. King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Saudi Arabia. Ali, S. H., Sait, S. M., & Al-Tawil, K. M. (2003). Perceptions about e-Learning in Saudi Arabia. Alkhalaf, A., Nguyen, J., Nguyen, A. & Drew, S. (2011). The potential role of collaborative Alkhalaf, S. S., Nguyen, A. T. & Drew, S. (2010). Assessing eLearning Systems in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Higher Education Sector: An exploratory analysis. 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