The Use of E-Learning in Highly Domain-Specific Settings: Perceptions of Female Students and Faculty in Saudi Arabia Free

Saudi Arabia is a monarchy in the Middle East, with a population of more than 30 million. As one of the world’s largest oil producers, petroleum products accounted for 85% of the country’s total export revenues in 2015 (OPEC 2016). A large portion of these oil revenues has traditionally been spent on infrastructure, which includes improved educational facilities (Algarni & Male, 2014; Al-Seghayer, 2011). According to Human Development Reports (2013), 5.6% of Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product were apportioned to education expenditures in 2012. Recently, Saudi Arabia dedicated $57.9 billion to education from its 2015 allocation (U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council, 2015). Through this income, Saudi Arabia has long been able to provide free education to its citizens from primary school through higher education (Aljabre, 2012).

Mirroring the technology revolution of the late 20th century, however, Saudi Arabian higher education has undergone significant pressures to change and adopt modern, technology-based educational delivery. The emergence of advanced, computer and Internet-based instructional technology has influenced teaching and learning within Saudi Arabia, and the Saudi government now makes it compulsory for educational institutions to be fully prepared to address these new learning trends supported by technology (Al-Asmari & Khan, 2014). A significant increase in the budget of the Ministry of Higher Education in the mid-2010s, when the price of the oil dramatically increased (Alamri, 2011; Aljabre, 2012), was designed to support such goals.

In Saudi Arabia, there are only some 25 public universities, and the estimated number of students attempting to matriculate is some 450,000 (Almutairy, Davies, & Dimitriadi, 2015). Saudi universities are therefore facing significant overcrowding (Alebaikan & Troudi, 2010; Asiri, bt Mahmud, Bakar, & bin Mohd Ayub, 2012). To put it in concrete terms, the number of enrolled Saudi students in 2005 was 151,998, but swelled to a staggering 905,892 students in 2011, a 600% increase (Baqutayan, 2011).

This enormous higher education growth trend prompted the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education to take significant steps to address the problem. The government, for example, encouraged Saudi students to study abroad via means of government-funded scholarships. As an example, the King Abdullah Scholarship Program (established in 2005) is potentially the largest government scholarship program in the world, with approximately 125,000 Saudi students studying in 23 different countries (Al Mousa, 2010; Taylor & Albasri, 2014). The Saudi Electronic University (established in 2011) similarly was implemented to ameliorate enrollment crowding by providing blended learning to students, the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia (Asiri, 2014; Pavan, 2013).

Though the Ministry of Higher Education has begun integrating web-based instruction with its traditional instructional delivery (Alahmari & Kyei-Blankson, 2016; Alebaikan & Troudi, 2010), Saudi universities are no longer able to accommodate the large and growing number of students (Alshangeeti, Alsaghier, & Nguyen, 2009), prompting a rethink of e-learning as a potential mechanism to address the issue, particularly for the new generation of students who grew up in the digital age, the so-called “digital natives” (Almutairy et al., 2015). King Abdulaziz University was the first Saudi university to offer bachelor’s degrees through online learning (Alebaikan & Troudi, 2010), and other Saudi universities, such as Al-Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University, the Arab Open University, and later, the Saudi Electronic University, have subsequently adopted e-learning programs that lead to bachelor’s degrees.

Despite these programs, e-learning is being adopted at a relatively slow pace (Al-Asmari & Khan 2014; Mirza & Al-Abdulkareem, 2011), with e-learning minimally included and/or supported in higher education institutions (Alamri, 2011). A significant factor affecting slowed e-learning adoption is related to gender. Unlike most Western universities, public universities in Saudi Arabia consist of two geographically separated campuses: one campus for male students, and the other for female students. This separation is due to religious and cultural norms of the society that are upheld by governmental laws and policies (Almutairy et al., 2015; van Geel, 2016). Due to the shortage in the number of available female faculty, an ongoing need for male instructors to teach within female campus exists (Mirza, 2007). However, male instructors are authorized only to teach female students indirectly using courses that are remotely delivered by means of closed-circuit television, one-way video and two-way audio, or broadcast audio. Female students view lectures in real time via a TV monitor, and use a microphone system to ask questions and give feedback (Yamin, 2015).

Such a reality would appear tailor-made for e-learning approaches. However, online courses continue to remain of minor interest in Saudi universities due to a lack of basic knowledge and the training needed to effectively implement e-learning systems (Al-Asmari & Khan, 2014). Nevertheless, it would seem that the large and growing number of Saudi students, as well as the need for male instructors teaching within female campuses, will continue to pressure the adoption of online learning more broadly across Saudi universities. Al-Asmari and Khan (2014), for example, argue that elearning has become an urgent need in Saudi Arabian higher education. Interestingly, no research has been conducted on the effectiveness of online education as a method for helping female Saudi students overcome learning barriers and challenges when they are taught by male instructors in Saudi universities.

Given this historical and cultural background, this study was designed to examine the potential adoption of e-learning in the specific case of Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU), as well as explore the perspectives of male faculty members and female students regarding the benefits of, and barriers to, adopting e-learning-based pedagogical approaches. More specifically, this study focuses on the potential perceived benefits in replacing the currently employed closed-circuit television technology with an learning management system (LMS)-based e-learning approach when male instructors teach female students.

The research questions of this study are:

1. What experience, if any, do Saudi faculty members and students already possess in teaching/taking e-learning courses at PNU?

2. What are the perceived benefits of elearning courses at PNU?

3. What are the perceived benefits of replacing closed-circuit live video with fully e-learning-based courses?

4. What barriers and challenges may prevent PNU from taking advantage of e-learning approaches?

5. To what extent are Saudi faculty and students willing to accept and embrace elearning courses?

6. What motivational factors are required in faculty and students to move toward an e-learning-based modality?

7. What are the prevailing views on the probable and/or preferable future of elearning in Saudi Arabia?

Although this study is focused on PNU, findings may have a broader reach into the overall Saudi university context due to the cultural and structural similarities of Saudi universities, and the fact that PNU is representative of many other Saudi universities in terms of female education and the use of distance education (e-learning) for religious and culture reasons (Yamin, 2015).

The study’s results can provide significant, but different, insights to four distinct groups. First, instructors who are currently employing closed-circuit television for instruction can consider the potential benefits of shifting into an e-learning-based approach. Second, Saudi officials and educators can use the study’s results to help inform them in making decisions regarding the adoption of e-learning into the Saudi national context. Third, the greater Saudi higher education context can benefit from understanding the perspectives toward e-learning of faculty and students at a major university such as PNU. Fourth, and most broadly, countries with similar cultural settings can benefit from the study by gaining an understanding of how e-learning might be received in their own national contexts. All four groups can share an enhanced understanding of both the obstacles and challenges that may prevent the effective adoption of e-learning.

A country’s readiness for e-learning is as much an essential part of the potential success of e-learning as is e-learning’s technological implementation. Measuring the level of elearning readiness and implementation in higher education requires clear understanding of the interaction between e-learning components, including technology, users, and the existing culture of the institution undertaking an e-learning initiative (Ouma, Awuor, & Kyambo, 2013). Akaslan and Law (2010), for example, highlight the importance of investigating the extent of the existing information and communication technology infrastructure in an institution that can support e-learning implementation. Indeed, the successful implementation of e-learning depends on the level of experience and confidence of users using various information and communication technology and their attitudes toward e-learning and its potential derived benefits (Holden & Rada, 2011). According to Mosa, Naz’ri bin Mahrin, and Ibrrahim (2016), the culture of the institution is a significant component that can affect the success of e-learning implementation. The implementation of e-learning may face resistance due to a “traditional” culture that may exist within an institution, and it is therefore essential that an institution be as fully culturally prepared as possible to maximize the potential for a successful e-learning strategy.

Many universities around the world have taken advantage of the benefits that e-learning offers (Allen & Seaman, 2015). Historically, the founding of University of South Africa in 1962 and the UK Open University in 1970 marked a major development and fundamental change in e-learning and how it was practiced (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2014). This significant development in the delivery of distance education was accomplished by offering a mixed-media approach, where learning materials (text, audio, and visuals) were sent to students by mail and then supplemented by broadcast radio and television (Matthews, 1999). Another significant event in the history of e-learning occurred when Turkey’s Higher Education Act nominated Anadolu University in 1981 as the national Turkish provider of distance education. Its mission was to educate Turks living in rural areas and others who did not have the time (or resources) to enroll in conventional schools (MacWilliams, 2000). This mission at Anadolu University is largely viewed as successful, with enrollment increasing to “500,000 distance education students, which makes it the largest university on Earth” (MacWilliams, 2000, as cited in Simonson et al., 2014, p. 14).

The Middle East has also been involved in the furthering of e-learning as an educational mechanism. The Gulf Cooperation Council for example, consisting of members Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, are improving education and alleviating pedagogical issues that are unique to Gulf societies, including the gender segregation factor (Weber, 2009). Along these lines, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has established the National Plan for Information Technology with a progressive vision to develop lifelong education (Al-Asmari & Khan, 2014; Alebaikan & Troudi, 2010). The National Plan for Information Technology in 2006 contributed in promoting e-learning across Saudi Arabia by establishing a National E-learning and Distance Learning Centre to encourage and enhance e-learning and distance education in higher education, with the goal of making education available to all individuals (Alebaikan & Troudi, 2010; Jabli & Qahmash, 2013). According to Al-Fahad (2009), the infrastructure for this e-learning and distance education initiative has already been officially established and has resulted in:

1. implementing the e-learning educational portal system “Tajseer”— ;

2. implementing the LMS in e-learning “Jusur”— ;

3. implementing the national repository for learning objects “Taiseer”— ;

4. creating the Saudi National Center for e-learning, and distance education for university education, which harmonizes elearning management systems with the needs of university education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and

5. launching an award for university e-learning excellence.

In spite of these developments, Saudi Arabia remains in the early phases of accepting and adapting e-learning, even if increasing numbers of individuals are currently now recognizing its potential benefits. A significant study conducted by Al-Shehri (2010) using a qualitative approach aimed at exploring views of 30 senior academicians and decision makers about the current and future developments and challenges of e-learning in Saudi Arabia revealed that most participants believed that e-learning is inevitable in Saudi universities and were optimistic about its future. Al-Shehri identified challenges and obstacles that face elearning in Saudi Arabia, including budgetary allocations, the ability of teachers and learners to effectively use e-learning, required infrastructure, and the organizational relationships of those involved in e-learning. Al-Shehri concluded that it is essential to prepare e-learners, and to understand their characteristics, motivations, and potential before embarking on major e-learning programs.

In a descriptive study, El Zawaidy (2014) examined the perception of 360 information technology faculty members who were using the Blackboard learning management system at three public universities in Saudi Arabia (King Saud University in Riyadh, King Khaled University in Abha, and Taif University in Taif). El Zawaidy’s study attempted to identify the obstacles that face faculty members while using Blackboard. The study revealed insufficient instructor training in Blackboard functionally when used as a part of blended learning system, low quality Internet connections, and a lack of interest or motivation within faculty in improving their technology skills.

In a similar study, Bousbahi and Alrazgan (2015) investigated the perceptions of information technology faculty members about of the incorporation of LMS’s into their courses in King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. In this empirical study, the researchers found that Blackboard was the only LMS used in King Saud University, and was frequently used as merely as a storage device for one-way dissemination of resources and material to students, rather than a dissemination technology enabling two-way communication. The study also reported that some faculty members viewed Blackboard as a tedious, unclear, and difficult-to-use LMS. The study also revealed that factors such as motivation and organizational support impacted information technology faculty members’ acceptance of the LMS as an educational tool (Bousbahi & Al Razgan, 2015). More broadly, these studies demonstrated that most faculty members working within these educational contexts were not aware of all functionalities available within Blackboard, due to a lack of training, and the time required to explore and understand such Blackboard functionalities (Bousbahi & Al Razgan, 2015).

Mobile learning (m-learning) as a specific variant of e-learning is still in its inception phase in many developing countries. Yet, some universities in Saudi Arabia have already adopted short message service in education, including King Saud University, which recently initiated a new short message service that offers the ability to send text messages directly from a personal computer to a mobile phone (Altameem, 2011). A study conducted by Al-Fahad (2009) examined the attitudes of 186 undergraduate female students toward the effectiveness of mobile learning applied in King Saud University and found that students held positive attitudes to mobile learning and supported the possibility of expanding wireless network infrastructures to increase the flexibility of access to learning resources. In this study, Al-Fahad (2009) concluded that mobile learning is an effective tool in improving communication and learning, and that short message service technology can be used effectively to support and improve student relationships. In another study, Almutairy et al. (2015) investigated the perspective of 131 Saudi students in a pilot study at United Kingdom universities about the possibility of integrating m-learning into Saudi Arabian higher education institutions. The findings of this study imply that Saudi students are ready for using m-learning as a method to achieve personal educational aims. Almutairy et al. (2015) asserted that higher education policy makers in Saudi Arabia should consider the possibility of creating m-learning environments at academic institutions.

Furthermore, the use of LMS technology is being increasingly adopted within Saudi universities (Asiri et al., 2012). According to Alebaikan and Troudi (2010), many Saudi Arabian universities and institutions have employed different LMS’s, including Blackboard, WebCT, and Tadarus (an Arabic-based LMS) to facilitate teaching and learning in higher education. However, the implementation of the blended learning approach at Saudi universities has experienced many obstacles and challenges, including the acceptance of this pedagogical approach from within a traditional university culture, determination of the optimal design of blended learning, and the time requirements for faculty to learn how best to use the technology, including time required for training workshops (Alebaikan & Troudi, 2010).

The studies referenced here reveal a somewhat sparse and insufficient literature base on the experiences and perspectives of faculty members and students in relation to their acceptance and readiness for online education in Saudi Arabia. This includes documenting deficiencies surrounding feelings about the appropriateness of replacing the closed-circuit television currently used when male professors are teaching female students at Saudi universities with online courses delivered through an LMS. This study responds to this gap in the literature by investigating these questions more directly and collecting empirical data on implementing this educational modality.

A quantitative approach was used to examine the perspectives of the faculty members and female students about e-learning at PNU in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and the perceived effectiveness of e-learning-based course delivery and the extent of the readiness and acceptance of e-learning-based courses to replace the closed-circuit television technology currently in use when male professors are teaching female students at PNU. A pilot of the survey was conducted during the fall semester of 2015, and resulted in 447 responses. After reviewing the data gathered from the pilot study, it was determined that the instrument was effectively collecting the data necessary for a full study. The full study’s quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS, and qualitative comments were translated, reviewed, and compared against the quantitative findings for additional insight on the quantitative findings.

The target population for this study was the female student body and the faculty members at PNU in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, estimated at 46,813 female students and 2,218 faculty members (Ministry of Education, 2015). The participants of this study (N = 306) consisted of 204 female PNU students and 102 PNU faculty members during the spring semester of 2016. Table 1, a description of the female student participants, reveals that most the female student participants were undergraduate students (87%), and more than half of them (61%) were between 21 to 25 years old.

Table 2, focused on faculty demographics in this study, shows that most faculty participants were female (80%); 46% of faculty members held master’s degrees, 31% held bachelor’s degrees, and 23% of faculty held doctoral degrees; 54% of participating faculty ranged in age from 26–35 years, 31% 36–45 years of age, 13% 46 and above, and 2% were age 25 and below. Regarding years of teaching experience, 54% of faculty members had 1–3 years of experience, 37% 4–10 years of experience, 7% 11–20 years of experience, and 2% of faculty had more than 21 years of teaching experience.

Student learning responsibility and selfdiscipline is reflected in Table 3. Half of female student participants reported that they are responsible for their own learning, while 48% reported that they share an equal responsibility with their instructors for learning; 44% of female students reported that they often get things done ahead of time, while 28% reported that they need reminding to complete schoolwork, and the remainder reported that they wait until the last moment to complete schoolwork.

Technology skills are reported in Table 4. More than half of female students (53%) considered their skills to be high, and are “digitally fluent” (i.e., can learn new programs quickly); 46% considered their skills to be moderate, and possess skills sufficient to complete their learning tasks. For faculty participants, 46% rate their technology skills to be moderate, and 31% of faculty considered their skills to be low (i.e., view themselves as a novice, and do not like using computers).

Two permissions were obtained prior to conducting the study. One permission was from PNU in Saudi Arabia for purposes of contacting and collecting data from faculty members and female students. The other permission was from the Institutional Review Board at Illinois State University to participate in human subject research. Both researchers hold current Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative certifications.

After approvals from both the PNU and Institutional Review Board, the developed survey was electronically sent to the faculty members and female students by PNU. The electronic survey invitation included an online link to the survey, which contained a consent form that detailed the purpose of the study, the steps for participation, and information about the research and researchers. The confidentiality of the participants was respected during the stages of the study by not referring to the participants by name. The survey was conducted both with volunteer participation and informed consent. Participants were informed that they could withdraw from the study at any time without penalty. No participant received an incentive or compensation for the participation.

The electronic survey was hosted on SurveyMonkey.com. The survey was directly developed from a literature review on e-learning and online course delivery. The survey was developed in English, and then translated into the Arabic language with a certified translation service. Certified translation was used to ensure that there was no difference between the English and Arabic versions of the survey and to ensure that the participants had a good understanding of the survey items. Data collected from the survey were translated from Arabic back into English for analysis and presentation. The survey instrument was constructed in eight parts:

• demographic information for faculty and female students;

• technology skills;

• experience with online learning;

• perspectives regarding the benefits of e-learning

• challenges to e-learning;

• readiness and acceptance of online learning;

• motivation to move toward e-learning; and;

• open-ended questions for faculty members and female students to share their views on the probable/preferable future of e-learning in Saudi Arabia.

A 5-point Likert-scale collected quantitative data, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), on items b through g; item a and item f collected qualitative data.

Validity is defined by Roberts (2010, p. 151) as “the degree to which the instrument truly measures what it purports to measure,” and reliability as “the degree to which the instrument consistently measures something from one time to another.” Prior to conducting the full study, a pilot study was conducted, which included testing the validity and reliability of the research instrument. To establish validity, the word choice, answer choices, and construction of each item were reviewed to determine whether each item measured its intended object. To test for reliability, a Cronbach’s alpha was computed to verify internal consistency of the survey items. Theoretically, all reliability estimates should meet the desired standard level of 0.70 or above that is suggested by Green and Salkind (2014). According to Mohsen and Reg (2011), the higher the Cronbach’s alpha, the more reliable the test results. In this study, the Cronbach’s alpha was found to be 0.90.

The quantitative data was analyzed with SPSS. All data collected from the surveys were analyzed using descriptive statistics including weighted averages, frequency and percentage. The weighted means of Likert items were computed to determine the trends in the responses. The study was intended to produce empirical information describing the level of readiness for implementing e-learning at PNU. Descriptive statistics were used to present the results of the statistical data analysis, and summarized results were developed for each of the first six research questions. Responses to the open-ended questions were then examined to provide additional insight into the meaning of the data.

The first survey question was: “What experience, if any, do Saudi faculty members and students already possess in teaching/taking elearning courses at PNU?” Table 6 presents findings for this question.

In addition, faculty members where asked if they have participated in any conference on elearning and online education. Table 7 presents the findings for this question.

The second survey question was: “What are the perceived benefits of e-learning courses at PNU?” Table 8 shows that most female students and faculty participants strongly agreed that online education meets the needs of students who have difficulty attending traditional classes, such as those living far away from the university. The highest item had a mean of 4.49 for female students and 4.47 for faculty members (online courses meet the needs of students who have difficulty attending traditional classes, such as those living far away from the university).

The third survey question was: “What are the perceived benefits of replacing the closedcircuit television with fully online courses?” The results of this question are depicted in Table 9. Generally, all participants agreed or strongly agreed on all 6 items, with the mean ranging between 3.66 and 4.47. The item “Allow easier contact with the male instructor for questions and explanations at any time” had the highest mean, at 4.10 for female students, and 4.23 for faculty members.

The fourth survey question was: “What barriers and challenges may prevent PNU from taking advantage of e-learning approaches?” The results for this question, depicted in Table 10, convey findings correlated to faculty/student responses to rate to what extent they agree on the 11 challenges to e-learning. As can be seen, female students and faculty participants agreed on most of these eleven items, with a mean that ranged between 3.42 and 4.24. The greatest perceived barriers to e-learning for faculty were the limited technological infrastructure to support e-learning, such as high speed Internet connections and the restrictive laws or policies which might prevent universities from supporting e-learning (M = 4.24). For female students, the greatest perceived barrier to e-learning was the lack of cooperation between universities in terms of the exchange of e-learning experiences (M = 4.16). The items; “a general perception that e-learning is a secondary educational priority” (M= 3.42) and “a general perception that students require more discipline to succeed in an online course than in a face-to-face course” (M= 4.81) were the lowest reported barriers.

The fifth survey question was: “To what extent are Saudi faculty and students willing to accept and embrace e-learning courses?” The results in this section examine the components that motivate faculty/students at PNU to accept and be ready for online education. Table 11 show that most female students and faculty participants agreed on all 7 items, with a mean ranging from 3.73 to 4.14 for female students and from 3.99 to 4.42 for faculty. The highest mean for female students (M = 4.14) was on the item “easily learn new technologies and use them effectively to enhance learning.” The highest mean for faculty (M= 4.21) was on the item “can locate solutions when I have a problem with technology.” An interesting finding depicted in the previous table is that the lowest means for female students (M= 3.59) and faculty (M= 4.04) were on the same item, “prefer online courses rather than the closed-circuit television”

The sixth survey question was: “What motivational factors are required in faculty and students to move toward an e-learning-based modality?” All mean scores were higher than 3.92, indicating that most female students and faculty agreed or strongly agreed on the 10 items, with a mean ranging between 4.26 and 4.46 for female students, and from 3.92 to 4.56 for faculty (see Table 12). The highest mean result regarding motivation toward e-learning among female students was the availability of reliable electricity (M = 4.46), whereas the most agreed upon motivation among faculty was the professional training for the technology use (M = 4.56). Faculty also strongly agreed on the need to raise awareness about the value of e-learning at both governmental and personal levels across the society (M = 4.53), and to improve online learning management system (M= 4.53).

The final portion of the survey consisted of open-ended questions developed to help shed additional light on the data collected from the quantitative data collected from the previous Likert-style questions. Faculty members and female students were asked to share their prevailing views on the probable and/or preferable future of e-learning in Saudi Arabia.

Forty-five students and 35 faculty members provided narrative commentary on this question. A review of this qualitative data revealed that most faculty and student comments were in support of e-learning. Some of the faculty favorable comments included (translated here into English from Arabic): “It is improving and will have a bright future,” “It will increase the enrollment of students who live in remote areas,” and “It will get a greater attention and widespread use.” Students also offered positive comments such as, “E-learning offers the opportunity for anyone [who] wants to learn,” and “e-learning will replace the use of the closed-circuit television by online education due to its benefits for both male instructors and female students.”

In addition to their comments, some participants submitted recommendations and/or suggestions regarding e-learning in Saudi universities. Some of faculty comments included: “E-learning will require hard work and cooperation from various institutions,” “It needs to increase the awareness of the importance of self-learning for students,” “The preferable future of e-learning will take [a] long time because of the old administrators who are unaware of its importance,” and “The preferable future of e-learning will be achieved by providing all supplies and materials needed to support this educational style.” Both faculty and students shared many concerns surrounding technological infrastructure they perceived as being particularly valuable to support elearning in Saudi universities, such as high speed Internet with reasonable price for students, technical support, professional training programs for instructors, computer laboratories, and funding. Student participants made note of the necessity of valuing the outcomes of e-learning equally with traditional learning. Some comments of note include: “It needs to be valuable and accredited equally with the traditional education in Saudi higher education andjob market,” “E-learning will be advanced in Saudi Arabia when students who are graduated from distance education have opportunities to be hired as equally as those from traditional education,” and “It seems that e-learning will be limited to self-learning, but at the university level, it is more likely to disappear because it is not trusted by the job market in Saudi Arabia.”

The current study was designed to sample and examine the perspectives of faculty members and female students at PNU in Saudi Arabia. Questions focused on the benefits of e-learning, the challenges to e-learning in Saudi Arabia, the readiness for, and acceptance of, e-learning, and the motivation these groups hold toward LMS-based technology as a replacement for the currently used closed-circuit television technology.

Results from this study indicated that the perspectives of the faculty and female students were generally positive toward e-learning. Respondents largely agreed or strongly agreed with the 15 statements of the benefits of elearning and other six statements surrounding the benefits of online course delivery, particularly for female students. Faculty and female students showed high awareness of the potential benefits of e-learning to enhance current teaching and learning practice.

This study provides empirical evidence that most female students possess relatively high levels of self-discipline, time commitment, and basic technology skills that are necessary for elearning. Invariably, it is required that students have a good degree of self-discipline, selfmotivation, and time commitment to be successful in e-learning (cf. Lee, 2016). The study reveals that one of the greatest perceived benefits of e-learning is its ability to meet the needs of students who have difficulty attending traditional classes, such as those living far away from the university, and in assisting in transportation issues present in Saudi Arabia, particularly for Saudi women. This finding is consistent with finding of previous studies which indicated that the shift toward e-learning is expected to empower Saudi female students in overcoming social and cultural obstacles (Alahmari, 2017; Almutairy et al., 2015). The study also provided evidence of high levels of support for replacing the closed-circuit television technology currently used by PNU and most Saudi universities with LMS-based-technology when male faculty teach female students. It is also apparent from this study that female students were in favor of taking online courses as an alternative to the closed-circuit television method. This aligns with a recent study on online learning that indicates that “online courses are becoming a more widely popular and viable option for many adult learners” (Lee, 2016, p. 81).

The analysis of the computed and narrative results of the current study showed that female students view e-learning favorably and as beneficial, which agrees with the results of previous studies cited in this study carried out in variety settings (Alturise, 2013; Jabli & Qahmash, 2013). Female students in this study reported high levels of acceptance and readiness for e-learning. The study also revealed that most female students indicated they have adequate knowledge of technology, as well as high awareness of the benefits of e-learning. In sum, the results of this study found that, overall, female students at PNU are ready for elearning and would prefer the use of e-learning-based courses, rather than closed-circuit television approaches.

The area found to contain the widest divergence between faculty and students was in the rating of technology skills. While most female students, for example, rated their technology skills to be “high” to “moderate,” most faculty members rated their technology skills to be “moderate” to “low.” This would imply that faculty members may lack the technology skills needed to incorporate technology into their teaching practice (Alfahad, 2012) and the need for increased and ongoing faculty professional development to ensure the quality and success of e-learning courses.

The results of this study revealed that most faculty reacted very favorably to the online course as a replacement for closed-circuit television modality. However, it was found that faculty participants have limited experiences with e-learning, as well as limited participation in e-learning and online education conferences. This result was largely consistent with the findings of Alebaikan and Troudi (2010), where it was found that faculty and students have not had direct experience with online learning. However, it is acknowledged that instructors’ technology skills, experiences with e-learning, and their attitudes toward elearning influence their perception of the effectiveness of the modality. Considering this, faculty participants would likely benefit from participating in professional development programs to strengthen their technology skills, and could play a crucial factor in the success of e-learning in Saudi universities. Developing training opportunities for faculty was reported as the greatest motivation in moving toward effective implementation of elearning in Saudi universities. This, too, is in line with the findings of Al-Hattami, Muammar, and Elmahdi (2013), who reported the need of providing professional development opportunities to enhance faculty members’ professional abilities in using technology. The present findings also support Al-Zahrani’s (2015a) study, which concluded that the training opportunities provided to faculty in terms of information and communication technologies were inadequate, reporting the need for continued training through group training, individual training, and self-training.

This study also highlighted challenges that might prevent the success of e-learning-based education at PNU. The greatest reported perceived challenge was the limited technological infrastructure to support e-learning, including Internet connections, technical support, computer laboratories, digital resources, and use of appropriate LMS’s. These results support other studies that similarly concluded that limited technological infrastructure is one of the greatest challenges preventing the effective use of e-learning in Saudi Arabia (Alebaikan & Troudi, 2010; Al-Shehri, 2010; Gamdi & Samarji, 2016; Hussein, 2011). These previous results likely reflect the fact that the Internet was implemented in Saudi Arabia quite late by comparison with other countries (c.1999), due to governmental concerns and reservations at the time (Alshahrani, 2016). Even today there are only three telecommunications companies in the Saudi Arabian mobile market: STC, Mobily, and Zain (Alshahrani, 2016). However, the present study revealed that providing high-speed Internet connectivity with lower cost for students and technical support is a requirement in moving toward e-learning, consistent with findings by Alebaikan and Troudi (2010) who emphasized the need of Internet services sufficient to support e-learning. Similarly, the availability of reliable electricity was viewed as a key motivating factor in e-learning. Research by Alrashidi and Yahya (2014) also points toward the government’s responsibility in providing electricity for the rural communities to effectively benefit from e-learning.

Furthermore, restrictive laws or policies were perceived to be large challenges to elearning in Saudi Arabia, to the extent that these might prevent PNU and other universities from supporting e-learning at all. The study reported the need to enact appropriate policies favoring e-learning and raising awareness about the value of e-learning at both governmental and personal levels across the society. This present result supports Gamdi and Samarji’s (2016) study, which concluded that the funding-strategic policies are required to support and expand the adoption of e-learning at Saudi universities. However, Al-Zahrani (2015b) reported a clear gap between strong policies that support e-learning and the lack of technology implementation present in Saudi Arabia. Through the narrative responses of the study, it was found that online learning and distance education are not accredited in the same manner as that of “traditional” education in Saudi Arabia, particularly in regards to recognition of these degrees within the job market. This, in turn, limits the enrollment of such programs. It is therefore apparent that the accreditation of higher education e-learning programs must carry the same perceived quality and prestige as traditional degrees by the job market if students are to be motivated to opt to study via e-learning.

The study also uncovered other perceived challenges, including concerns about the quality of the online courses; lack of awareness of the importance of e-learning; and lack of cooperation between universities in terms of the exchange of e-learning experiences. Regarding the quality of online learning, Ward, Peters, and Shelley (2010) asserted that the quality of learning achieved by students in a face-to-face environment can be achieved in an e-learning format. Educators who have worked extensively in online education know that e-learning can meet the same standards as traditional education, but this perception must find its way into the broad audience of students and faculty in Saudi Arabia if barriers to e-learning are to be overcome.

The primary limitation of this study is that it was conducted at a single university in Saudi Arabia (PNU), rather than across multiple institutions. Additionally, although the n = 306 number is high in comparison to many educational research studies, this number reflects only a small segment of the target audience. It must also be noted that the collected data consists entirely of self-reporting. Whether or not participants felt fully comfortable in reporting their feelings and attitudes, or were accurate judges of the questions asked, is always an issue with self-reporting. Any limitations affect generalizability, but the number of participants in this study provides a relatively strong level of confidence in the study’s generalizability to other similar institutions in Saudi Arabia and, potentially, to other countries with similar cultural settings.

We make the following recommendations regarding the use of e-learning in the Saudi higher education setting based on data collected from this study:

1. e-learning courses should be more commonly offered for Saudi higher education students to provide more flexible learning opportunities.

2. Accreditation of e-learning programs should be present, and should represent equivalent accomplishment to traditional settings via implementation of high quality e-learning curricula.

3. The technological infrastructure and technical support required to support e-learning learning must be implemented and/or strengthened at Saudi higher education institutions.

4. The current closed-circuit television modality used when male faculty members teach female students should be phased out over time and replaced with LMS-based systems to provide a richer and more interactive learning experience for female students.

5. Computer laboratories with high-speed Internet access should be made available to students at higher education institutions to accommodate those who may not have computers and/or Internet access at their homes.

6. Professional training programs that focus on the optimal use of technology in teaching should be mandated to help ensure that instructors build the necessary technology skills for successful e-learning in Saudi universities.

Despite previous studies that have been conducted on the topic of e-learning in Saudi Arabian higher education, very few studies have focused on the benefits of e-learning for Saudi female students. Few or none of these studies have been conducted on the differential benefits of e-learning course delivery for female students who are currently taught by male instructors using closed-circuit television. The current study may serve as a basis for future studies in further examining the effectiveness of e-learning-based course delivery when male instructors are teaching and interacting with female students. Insufficient information, too, is present concerning the perceptions of faculty and students on the effectiveness of online courses for Saudi female students, and so additional in-depth research using qualitative methods should be conducted to provide more insightful data in this area.

As this study was conducted at a single, female-only university in Saudi Arabia, it is also recommended that future research replicate this study in other female campuses at one or more Saudi universities to gather additional evidence concerning online course delivery for female students taught by male instructors. These studies can collect further important data revealing the views of female students and male instructors who teach in female campus about the suitability and effectiveness of online course delivery for this special educational in Saudi universities.

Universities worldwide have taken advantage of the benefits of e-learning by offering at least some coursework online, but many universities in Saudi Arabia are still reluctant to offer online courses. This reflects the limited experiences of e-learning among students and faculty members at Saudi universities. Consequently, there is an urgent need to actively and reflectively consider a new e-learning in Saudi higher education, particularly for the special situation when female students are taught by male instructors.

Although the setting on which this study focused is culturally unique (the case of male faculty members teaching female students), the vast bulk of what is already empirically known about e-learning will apply to this special case. Like many other countries that have already undergone this shift in educational delivery, Saudi Arabian universities will face a variety of challenges while undergoing this alteration in how its students are taught. The sheer number of students in Saudi Arabia who wish to achieve the highest levels of education, coupled with the limited number of in-person seats available to students in Saudi Arabia, make this transformation an imperative for the Kingdom. Understanding and addressing the challenges to e-learning in higher education is mandatory if Saudi Arabia is to proceed with successful e-learning adoption.

This study has no funding. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. All procedures performed in this study that involved human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.