The State of Social Media in Saudi Arabia’s Higher Education

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hend S. Al-Khalifa ◽  
Regina A. Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
The State ◽  
Media In Education ◽  
Universities And Colleges ◽  
Exchange Of Information ◽  
Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms are designed not only for entertainment but also for exchange of information, collaboration, teaching and learning. With this, Higher Education institutions in Saudi Arabia have started utilizing these platforms for the main reason that many students are embracing this new trend in technology. In this article, a discussion of this media in education in terms of its roles, used in different settings, and its policies and management in accordance with Saudi culture will be covered. Furthermore, the state of this media in Higher Education institutions among the country’s universities and colleges will be highlighted.

Investigating the Effects of Social Media on Higher Education with a Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (01) ◽  
pp. 2040023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamoun Masoud Abdulqader ◽  
Yousof Zohair Almunsour
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
The Other ◽  
Media In Education ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Teaching Learning

This research aims to investigate the effects of social media use on higher education teaching and learning as well as the students’ academic performance. A total of 275 students and faculty members from the College of Computer Science and Information Technology at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University took part in the study. The participants answered survey questions to analyse information on their use of social media in education and how that has affected their teaching, learning and grades. A majority of the participants reported that they used social media in training. However, they also stated that social media platforms were beneficial in academic matters. The number of participants who stated that the use of social media in learning helped improve their grades was 43%. The other 57% thought that social media had no impact on their grades or had an adverse effect or were undecided.

Aspectual Analysis of Digital Transformation and New Academic Professionals

2021 ◽  
pp. 108-122
Author(s):  
Alaa Abdulrhman Alamoudi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Ict Implementation ◽  
Technological Tools ◽  
Significant Research ◽  
Academic Professionals

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are currently developing a significant research interest in transferring from traditional to novel practices in teaching and learning through the use of modern technological tools and platforms. The integration of digital technologies in higher education has tended to focus on improving academic professionals in developing countries like Saudi Arabia. This chapter was driven by a desire to understand ICT implementation in higher education institutions (HEIs) by professionals using digital transformation in Saudi Arabia. This chapter discusses the implementation of digital transformation in teaching and learning at HEIs in Saudi Arabia. This aim is achieved throughout several objectives, beginning by reviewing the related literature and presenting theoretical frameworks. The literature review will provide the possibility of identifying the focal trends related to the topic.

scholarly journals Using Social Media to Enable Staff Knowledge Sharing in Higher Education Institutions

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niall Corcoran ◽  
Aidan Duane
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Barriers To Participation ◽  
Enterprise Social Networks ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are knowledge intensive environments by nature. However, the management of organisational knowledge and the promotion of staff knowledge sharing is largely neglected in these institutions. This study examines how enterprise social networks can enable staff knowledge sharing in communities of practice in that context. The study is framed as an Action Research project, covering three cycles over a 12 month period. A conceptual model was developed for empirical testing and data was collected through focus groups and interviews, supplemented by reflective journaling and content analysis. The findings support the conceptual model and provide insight into the antecedents necessary for the creation of an enterprise social network enabled knowledge sharing environment, the motivators for and barriers to participation, and the perceived organisational and individual benefits of increased staff knowledge sharing activity. The findings indicate that the barriers to participation are influenced by the prevalent organisation structure and culture, and a divide between faculty and other staff. However, individual benefits that accrue from participation may influence greater participation, and organisational benefits that accrue may influence organisational strategies that drive change in structure and culture to promote the development of the knowledge sharing environment. A number of findings have practical implications for the management of higher education institutions, such as the evidence of a divide between faculty and other staff, and the perceived existence of an organisational culture that inhibits staff communication, interaction and collaboration. In general, the study findings provide an opportunity for educationalists to better understand the scope and impact of employing social media platforms for knowledge sharing. This study adds to the growing body of work on organisational implementations of social media, and should be of interest to practitioners and researchers undertaking similar projects.

scholarly journals Social Media as a tool for increased student participation and engagement outside the classroom in Higher Education

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Graham
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Student Participation ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Social Media Networks ◽  
Project Outcomes ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Humanities Students

In recent years, the rise of social media networks and the potential they hold for Higher Education teaching and learning has not gone unnoticed by practitioners. There is now an increasing body of academic work that has set out to investigate the benefits that social media can have on the student learning experience. However, the vast majority of these studies have been carried out in American universities and largely focus on students enrolled in social science or science subjects. This study, building upon the findings of previous trials, sought to examine how social media platforms could be utilised to facilitate increased student participation and engagement amongst Humanities students at a British university. The project outcomes offered positive indicators about the potential that social media can hold for this form of learning, reinforced by the levels of interest and enthusiasm amongst students. Yet, the results also indicate that for social media to achieve its full potential, students need to be inculcated, nurtured and encouraged to engage with this form of learning. 

scholarly journals Challenges Experienced by Public Higher Education Institutions of Learning in the Implementation of Training and Development: A Case Study of Saudi Arabian Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Majed Bin Othayman ◽  
Abdulrahim Meshari ◽  
John Mulyata ◽  
Yaw Debrah
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Saudi Arabian ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Human Resource Managers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learning And Teaching

The present case study aimed to investigate challenges in learning in Saudi Arabia’s higher education institutions in the context of the implementation of training and development. A qualitative study design was used, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 75 faculty members and human resource managers working in four public universities in Saudi Arabia. The interviews were recorded, and thematic analysis was applied to the collected data. On-campus and off-campus methods are used to implement training programmes in all four universities, regardless of the flaws of both types of training. Due to a lack of time, the majority of respondents indicated that their heavy teaching workload prevented them from engaging in university training and development. Multifactorial challenges are involved in the higher education institutions of learning with regards to the application of training and development in Saudi Arabia. One of the most significant obstacles that Saudi Arabian institution administrators face in their attempts to innovate and strengthen learning and teaching methods and methodologies is a shortage of qualified and domestic trained faculty. Because of contact breakdowns, hiring highly skilled and technically trained international teachers, for example, introduces language gaps and reduces the efficacy of teaching and learning processes. The key consideration is the execution of preparation and growth; universities have a smaller chance of achieving the goal value. With too much money being spent on training and growth, the question is not what organizations should prepare, but, rather, whether training is worthwhile and efficient.

Key Success Factors of Using Social Media as a Learning Tool

2017 ◽  
pp. 267-282
Author(s):  
Alexander K. Kofinas ◽  
Abdallah Al-Shawakbeh ◽  
Andriew S. Lim
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Learning Tool ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Key Success Factors

Students are dedicated and innovative users of Social Media; in the context of Higher Education they use such media in a pragmatic fashion to enhance their learning. Higher Education institutions are thus in a position to facilitate their students' learning by embedding Social Media in their teaching and learning pedagogy. This chapter will discuss the Key Success Factors of using Social Media as a coordinating, managing, and learning tool to enhance students' education in the context of Higher Education. The Key Success Factors are mapped along the communication and activity flows of the student's study enterprise as viewed from an Actor-Network Theory lenses.

scholarly journals The Use and Effects of Smartphones in Higher Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hejab Maazer Alfawareh ◽  
Shaidah Jusoh
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
Northern Border ◽  
Smartphone Use ◽  
University Level ◽  
Media Applications

<p class="0abstract">The purpose of this study is to investigate the use and effects of smartphones on academic staffs at a university level, especially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We conducted a survey study using questionnaires. The questionnaires were randomly distributed to 66 academic staffs who own a smartphone at the Northern Border University. This study discovers the smartphone had replaced a computer, and an email application was mostly used. The academic staffs also had utilized smartphone as a means for knowledge sharing. Social media applications were greatly used in teaching and learning. Despite the benefits of smartphone use, academic staffs had been negatively affected.  This study also reveals that having a smartphone diverted academic staffs' focus at work, created "check habits", and an artificial relationship; more than 90% of the respondents admitted that they put their smartphone besides their bed before sleep, and 61.41% of them claimed that they had the feelings of incompleteness whenever smartphones were not with them. </p>

scholarly journals Social Media as a Marketing Tool for European and North American Universities and Colleges

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 125-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joana Motta ◽  
Maria Barbosa
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United States ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
North American ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Universities And Colleges ◽  
American Universities ◽  
Number Of Publications

Abstract Objective: The purpose of the following study is to examine the approach to social media of European and North American higher education institutions ranked in the Top100 on the 2017 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). Data regarding the number of publications and the number of followers of each social media were analysed. Methodology: The present study is quantitative in nature. The sample consisted of the European and North American universities and colleges listed in the Top 100 of the ARWU 2017: in total, 48 institutions in the United States and 35 in Europe were identified. To analyse the official social media sites used by each higher education institution, the links presented on the Homepage of the universities’ website were followed. Data was collected between the 27nd of August and the 2nd of September 2018. Two different types of variable groups were defined: 1) the number and type of Universities’ publications, and 2) the number of followers on each social media. For benefit of the research the authors considered Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Weibo and VKontakte as social networking sites; Instagram, Pinterest, Flickr and Snapchat, as photo sharing platforms; Youtube, and Vimeo as video sharing platforms, and finally Twitter and Tumblr as microblogs. Findings: European and North American universities and colleges invest in marketing activities in social media. Regarding the number of social networking sites, content sharing and microblogging platforms no significant differences were found between means of the two independent samples. The most popular social media used are Facebook and Twitter ex-aequo, followed by Youtube, Instagram and LinkedIn. Concerning the number of publications on these media, significant differences by region are present for the variable number of photos and videos on Facebook, number of Instagram posts, and tweets. Furthermore, on all the prominent social media, North American universities and colleges benefit from a substantial higher number of followers than their counterpart. European users favour Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and only then Instagram. Participation in G+ is marginal. In the United States the preferred social media are Facebook, LinkedIn, G+, Twitter, and Instagram. Regarding user engagement, measured by the number of followers, equality of means between the two independent samples were found for Facebook, Pinterest, Flickr and Youtube. Differences exist for the social media: LinkedIn, G+, Instagram, and Twitter. G+ is quite popular in the United States, but not in Europe, and Twitter attracts visibly more followers too. Value Added: The contribution of this research paper consists in better understanding, from a quantitative point of view, differences between the use of social media as a marketing tool by the European and North American higher education institutions listed in the Top100 of the ARWU 2017. Regional differences exist, even though universities and colleges compete on a worldwide basis. Recommendations: From an academic perspective, a qualitative study approach is advised to better understand the concurrence of the number of publications and followers on the different social media, since significant Pearson correlations between variables were identified. As practical implications, marketers from the European higher education institutions should invest more in posts, uploads and tweets. For both regions, the social networking site LinkedIn has been neglected, despite the high number of followers.

Challenges Posed by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for South African Higher Education Institutions

10.28945/2679 ◽  
2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
ME Herselman ◽  
HR Hay
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Revolutionary Change ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Teaching Learning

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are the major driving forces of globalised and knowledge-based societies of a new world era. They will have a profound impact on teaching and learning for two decades to come. The revolutionary change which is taking place in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), has dramatic effects on the way universities carry out their functions of teaching, learning and research, particularly on the creation, dissemination and application of knowledge. These developments pose unprecedented challenges to higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing countries particular in South Africa as South Africa is viewed as the leading country on the continent.

Institutional Plagiarism Policy (Georgian higher education institutions’ case)

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natela DOGHONADZE ◽  
Ekaterine PIPIA ◽  
Nikoloz PARJANADZE
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Survey Questionnaire ◽  
Existing Problems ◽  
Copyright Violation ◽  
University Policies

The article deals with various aspects of plagiarism: definition (discriminating it from cheating and copyright violation), types (intended / unintended), involved people, causes, prevention, detection and punishment of plagiarism. A survey (questionnaire containing 42 items to be assessed in a 5-point Likert scale and one open- ended item) was conducted in Georgia. The questionnaire developed based on the literature review was uploaded on social media in three variants (to analyze the results separately and compare them): for students, for researchers and for assessors. The obtained results revealed that the opinions of the three groups of respondents differed to a certain degree, but were quite similar, eventually. The survey disclosed the existing problems, such as: lack of academic writing (in the native and especially foreign language) and research skills, lack of training in avoiding plagiarism, insufficiently clear university policies in the area, the emphasis on punishment instead of prevention, etc. Based on the obtained results recommendations for universities are given concerning plagiarism policies. 

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