Effectiveness of E-Learning - Research Proposal Example

Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics Assignment Coversheet Student ID numbers Student Names Student Email addresses Unit name Unit number Name of Unit Convener   Assignment name Due date   Date of submission Word Count Table of Contents 1.0.Research Area 3 2.0.Research Problem 5 3.0.Research Question and Sub-questions 6 3.1.Main Research Question 6 3.2.Research Sub-questions 6 4.0.Terms of the Study: 6 5.0.Significance of the Study 7 6.0.Literature Review 8 6.1.Teachers’ Attitudes Towards E-learning for Students with Special Needs 8 6.2.Effectiveness of E-learning Modules for Students with Special Needs 9 6.3.Obstacles to teaching computer course for students with special needs 10 6.4.E-learning as Effective Mediator of Knowledge Transfer for Deaf and Dumb Students 12 References 13 1.0. Research Area The rapid advancement of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the internet infrastructures has greatly revolutionized how education is administered in Saudi Arabia. Presence of advanced technologies has continued to change perspectives in which education is administered and importantly, has ensured ease of communication and relay of information. Studies that have focused on the connectedness between e-learning and students with special needs have recognized that when e-learning is implemented in accordance with specific needs it can offer opportunities for students with special needs (Al‐Qahtani & Higgins, 2013). There are consensuses among contemporary studies that there exist obstacles that continue to limit students with special needs from participating in their educational rights (Al-Fahad, 2009). In particular, Kuo et al. (2014) researched on the impacts of e-learning on students with special needs taking information technology courses and observed that perception and attitudes were areas that needed to be improved so as to realize the inherent beliefs regarding e-learning for students taking computer related courses. Researches that have delved their research topics on e-learning among students with special needs recognize that Saudi Arabia continue to register decreasing number of students talking about essentiality of having students with special need embracing e-learning (Abanumy et al. 2005). Owing to the growing demand for e-learning services in different institution including King Saud University, a research that focuses on the effectiveness of e-learning on teaching computer courses for students with special needs will be essential in testing inherent obstacles and university teachers’ perspective regarding this approach. Institutions of higher learning in Saudi Arabia have continued to explore different education delivery approaches with the aim of identifying the best course delivery methods that fit students with special needs (Alshahrani & Ally, 2016). Lshahrani and Ally findings share the same perspectives from Alhalabi and Alhalabi (2017) who noted that introduction of e-learning for content delivery among students with special needs will ensure effectiveness of content delivery. The central focus of this study is to examine the effects of e-learning in teaching computer course for the deaf and dumb. We take a case study of King Saud University borrowing from researches of such implementation in Saudi Arabia including but not limited to policy frameworks with the institution (King Saud University) and across the country that work in tandem with students with special needs to eliminate the obstacles and perspectives relating to e-learning among students with special needs. Concerning different considerations, the challenges in Saudi Arabia has been in the bridging traditional and e-learning, and in the identification of how the dumb and deaf will be supplied with learning resources on their computer courses. The current situation shows that culture and environment in King Saud University enforce specific requirements for e-learning system. According to Al-Azawei et al. (2016) one of such system is cultural factors as one issue that helps the institution separate between male and female dumb and deaf in designing e-learning programs for computer courses for these students. Recent objectives outlined by Dr. Nourah bint Saud Al Hazzani, deanship of e-learning and distance education observed that there is still need to develop technical and regulatory standards for e-learning applications at the university level. From this point, the research finds the need to investigate a number of barriers that affects e-learning in teaching computer course for the deaf and dumb in the institution. This study is therefore an examination of King Saud University e-learning academic structure and specifically, the effects of e-learning in teaching computer course for the dumb and deaf students. We are focused on the University’s teachers perspectives about the obstacles that prevents the execution of e-learning academic structure that favours teaching computer course for the dumb and deaf students. Motivated by the decreasing number of studies talking about the students with special needs and their demands in the Saudi Arabia, we exploit the opportunities available for course delivery for the deaf and dumb students taking computer courses. We assess King Saud University’s technologies including multimodal delivery systems in e-learning content delivery to the deaf and dumb students taking computer courses. 2.0. Research Problem Currently, King Saud University has embraced two approaches for content delivery for dumb and deaf students. The first one is the traditional face-to-face or on campus where the deaf and the dumb are delivered with computer related course materials by King Saud University educators or teachers in designed lecture halls (Zabadi & Al-Alawi, 2016). The second option is the off-campus or e-learning approach where the deaf and the dumb students do not need to physically attend their computer courses within King Saud University lecture halls. However, there is decreasing number of studies that have focused on the students with special need and their continued demands for e-learning opportunities owing to the growing demands in Saudi Arabia. Currently, King Saud University offers two basic approaches of e-learning content delivery to the deaf and dumb. The first is synchronous instruction where these groups of students interact fully with their instructors regarding their courses (Zabadi & Al-Alawi, 2016). The second approach is the asynchronous e-learning where the university does not require students to participate at the same time but can choose their learning time. However, the challenge with either of the option is the existing barriers and teachers perspective owing to the fact that there is paucity of researches that have succinctly evaluated effects of e-learning on the deaf and dumb taking computer courses. We are motivated by the paucity of information to research on e-learning in teaching computer course for deaf and dumb students at King Saud University. 3.0. Research Question and Sub-questions 3.1. Main Research Question 1. What is the effectiveness of using E-Learning on teaching computer course for the deaf and dumb students King Saud University? 3.2. Research Sub-questions 1. What are the teachers’ perspectives on the obstacles of using e-learning on teaching computer course to the deaf and dumb from King Saud University? 2. What is the effectiveness of using e-Learning on teaching computer course to collect students for King Saud University deaf and dumb students? 4.0. Terms of the Study: E-learning: According to Zabadi and Al-Alawi (2016) e-learning is synchronous or asynchronous approach of teaching where technology is adopted to teach and learn from a distance. Students with special needs: According to deanship of e-learning and distance education in Saud University, students with special needs refers to students in the University who have either mental, psychological or physical needs thus face difficulties in accessing education (Al-Emran et al. 2016). 5.0. Significance of the Study Researches such as Al-Emran et al. (2016) have recognized that Saudi Arabia is facing challenges of supplying institutions of higher learning with support needed to allow students with special need to access their course off campus. Therefore, this study helps in ascertaining barriers that limit deaf and dumb students taking computer courses from accessing e-learning. Secondly, this research follows recommendations provided by studies such as Alzahrani and Watson (2016) to review teachers’ perspectives from King Saud University so as to identify the setbacks in e-learning as well as the implementation of distance learning that will have positive impacts on deaf and dumb students taking computer courses. Thirdly, the research in concerned with the effectiveness of using e-Learning on teaching computer course so that in can review what King Saud University is currently offering to the dumb and deaf students thus gaining what can be done to improve faculty engagement and adoption of even effective e-learning technologies for the this group of special need students. 6.0. Literature Review 6.1. Teachers’ Attitudes Towards E-learning for Students with Special Needs There is general understanding among Saudi Arabia teachers that the level of e-learning for students with special needs should meet current Saudi public administration and policy framework requirements (Alzahrani & Watson, 2016). A research conducted among four different Saudi Arabia universities (King Abdulaziz University, King Faisal University, Saudi Electronic University and Arab Open University) observed that teachers need improved access to e-learning amongst students with special needs as this would in turn culminate to equal or higher value equitable access to education to the special needs students (Khafajeh et al. 2016). This finding is in tandem with contemporary researches that have evaluated the effectiveness of teachers’ perception on content delivery for students with special needs. Taking quasi-experimental with pre-test and pro-test approach, the study investigated views from 150-perspectives from 12 sampled universities from Saudi Arabia. Looking at factors that contributed to special needs students’ contributions towards the realization of equitable education the study found that at least 78 percent of interviewed teachers supported e-learning modality to students with special needs. These findings indicate that there are positive attitudes towards different approaches to e-learning or online learning to students with special needs and there is also commitments and acceptance to the adoption of such platforms that would necessitate content delivery to the deaf and dumb. As illustrated by one author, ‘e-learning approaches to students with special needs have dramatically changed the pedagogical notion and structure of our content delivery to the students with special needs taking technical courses. This is an approach that should be accepted as it helps permeate challenges that were inherent in content delivery using traditional approaches’ (Al-Gahtani, 2016 p. 362). However, there are other studies that have indicated that e-learning as a method of delivering content to students with special needs is not fully accepted by other teachers. Researching on ‘the influence of online resources on student–lecturer relationship in higher education’ Alshahrani et al. (2017) observed that teachers are not ready to embrace e-learning platform in delivering technical courses such as computing and technology. The study cites minimal interaction among students with special needs adding that when content is delivered online special needs students may not be able to effectively interact with each other or learn from each other. 6.2. Effectiveness of E-learning Modules for Students with Special Needs One empirical study from King Faisal University sought to investigate the effectiveness of e-learning on students with special needs, focusing on performance, course completion and employability after course completion (Al-Azawei et al., 2016). The research focused on first and second year students with different special needs including physically and mentally challenged. Focusing on reading, comprehension, application of the concepts and graduates’ dynamism when it comes to job markets, the researcher found that with e-learning special needs students had ample time accessing course materials thus improving their studies by at least 20 percent. In an effort to understand the effectiveness of e-learning approaches on the students with disabilities’ approaches to knowledge acquisition and experience in their course Al Ghamdi (2017) used the research’s pretest and posttest scores that indicated that with e-learning integrated within learning institutions special students easily acquire and internalize course materials especially where such students face logistical challenges including transports and coordinating their activities within the campus. This view has been supported by Alshahrani and Ally (2016) who observed that many universities in Saudi Arabia remains gender-segregated and this case is complicating students with special needs. As a result, integration of e-learning for students taking computer courses would be effective as universities will be able to offer specific subjects to specific gender thus broadening limitations that has been created by challenges of gender in higher education. In a separate research, Al-Fahad (2009) noted that with e-learning for special needs students taking technical courses such as engineering or computer related courses, these students will be focused towards quality and quantity that guarantee their future employment. In supporting this view, Alzahrani and Watson (2016) has observed that due to challenges that have been facing students with special needs, employers have often had view that skills acquired by students with special needs do not meet specific needs of market demands. Therefore with e-learning, the research found that there will be substantial impacts with different transformations on how students with special needs access education. 6.3. Obstacles to teaching computer course for students with special needs With the increasing population rates and the continued expansion of the main cities in Saudi Arabia, e-learning remains to be the possible option for widening access to education for the students with special needs. However, there is rich evidence of studies that have shown that obstacles to teaching computer courses for deaf and blind continue to grow. Studies such as Al-Gahtani (2016) has categorized these obstacles as institutional based, policy based, cultural based and teachers based. Cross-institutional based research that took case studies on five universities in Saudi Arabia sought to investigate teachers’ perspectives regarding the obstacles to teaching students with special needs who take their studies online. The research indicated that university teachers had not embraced the idea of teaching this group of learners online because they feel that they will ultimately have fewer career opportunities. This finding is supported by previous researches that investigated teachers’ perspectives regarding the adoption of e-learning for teaching computer course for students with special needs. The author noted, ‘we have cases where teachers would prefer traditional classroom setup where they interact with learners and know then deeply. There are cases where the teachers are not motivated when it comes to embracing self-directed learning’ (Al Ghamdi, 2017 p. 47). Other restrictions that have been developed include increasing restricted travel, shrinking natural resource budget and technological advancement in some institution. Recent studies that have focused on technology, learner based challenges, and government related policy developed a framework that outlined some of the problems that continue face students with special needs in their pursuit of e-learning teaching of computer course. The figure below outlines Al Ghamdi (2017) grouping so these obstacles. Figure 1: Categorical Obstable Framework for E-learning for Deaf and Dumb Students Source: Al Ghamdi (2017) 6.4. E-learning as Effective Mediator of Knowledge Transfer for Deaf and Dumb Students Most universities in Saudi Arabia have recognized the need to incorporate e-learning for the deaf and dumb as an effective mediator of knowledge transfer. These approaches have ensured that teaching computer course for students with special needs such as the deaf and dumb have ample interactive sessions with their course materials (Al-Gahtani, 2016; Alzahrani & Watson, 2016). The research from Al-Gahtani (2016) indicated that in 2013/2014 academic year in Saudi Arabia, about 14,000 students with special needs including the deaf and dumb effectively acquired core trainings in their courses through e-learning. According to the researcher, this figure was expected to rise by at least 20 percent annually as more students with special needs continue to opt for e-learning modules. According to Alzahrani and Watson (2016) overcrowding remains as one challenge among universities in Saudi Arabia. It therefore means that for effective teaching of computer course for the dumb and the deaf, e-learning remains as the only option for King Saud University. Evidence-based research that sought to understand the connectedness between e-learning as a mediator for knowledge transfer and academic excellence among the deaf and dumb noted that embracing online education was the based placed solution when institutions respond to the increasing demand for higher education and the concerns that have been raised by students with special needs in such institutions (Al-Fahad, 2009). References Abanumy, A., Al-Badi, A., & Mayhew, P. (2005). e-Government Website accessibility: in-depth evaluation of Saudi Arabia and Oman. The Electronic Journal of e-Government, 3(3), 99-106. Al Ghamdi, A. (2017). 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