This research explores the impact of technology and culture on higher education in two Arab countries. In western countries where higher education is common, individuals regardless of their gender can meet, communicate, and collaborate at anytime at any place of their choice. This may not be true in Arab countries due to the social, cultural, and religious reasons. We argue that adoption of technology could provide a comparable learning environment to students in these countries. We present results of a case study based on surveys conducted in two universities, Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) in Jordan and Zayed University (ZU) in United Arab Emirates (UAE). Survey results show that adoption of technology has (a) improved the motivation and confidence level of students, (b) improved their communication and technical skills, (c) encouraged students to collaborate using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools, and (d) allowed students to be more independent. These improvements would not have been possible without technology in a gender-segregated society.
A survey based study was initiated in an outcome-based academic institution located in the Gulf region. The goal of this study was to learn about the students' attitude toward using a learning management system (LMS) (Blackboard learn + ) to take charge of their learning and to assess the awareness of the students about the learning outcomes used in the university IT programs. The survey was developed to target students in the College of Information Technology and included three categories: Learning Outcomes, Effective Use of Technology, and Communication and Confidence Development. In the first category, questions were asked to learn about the students' understanding of how learning outcomes are used in the IT College and University. In the second category, questions were asked to learn about the students' ability and willingness to use Blackboard in their courses. In the third category, questions were asked to learn about the students' preferred mode of communication and whether using Blackboard helped them build confidence and become independent learners. a technology mediated learning environment can provide a solution to improve academic performance, students confidence and help students become independent learners. Moreover, instructors can help by choosing the most appropriate teaching methods to foster student learning in segregated academic institutions.
Adoption of Internet-based communication and learning technologies could overcome the limitations caused by the social and cultural values of a society. Zayed University (ZU) is a femaleonly university in a modern Arab country that holds dear its high appreciation to cultural and social values. This paper explores the impact and effectiveness of the outcome-based technologymediated learning environment for the College of Information systems (CIS) students. This environment compliments the classroom activities. The paper concludes with some discussion on findings from a case-study of a database course. Results shows studying in this environment helped students: (a) be more confident in expressing their ideas, (b) develop their communication skills, (c) be independent learners, and (d) be more confident to do their best work.
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