This study reports on the pedagogical implications of using the Blackboard feature Discussion Board (DB) to improve students’ learning in higher education. The study sample included three sections of female students – a total of 155 students – in an undergraduate course at an international university in Saudi Arabia. The impact of using DB on first-year female students’ achievement was assessed through quantitative analyses of pre- and post-tests. The effect of DB on students’ attitudes was ascertained by means of qualitative analyses of students’ responses to a post-treatment questionnaire. The results indicated that students in the experimental group showed a greater degree of improvement in test scores than those in the control group, and that posting to Blackboard was positively related to improvement among those in the control group but not among those in the experimental group.
This study examined the effects of an integrated mathematics and science curriculum with life-skills applications on academic achievement in a Saudi Arabian elementary school. An integrated unit was developed covering the grade 5 'sound and light' science unit and the 'perimeter, area, and size' mathematics unit, using practical applications activities connected to the students' everyday lives. The study involved treatment (n = 36) and comparison (n = 41) groups of grade 5 students (females) enrolled in a private school in Dhahran City. The comparison group was instructed using a conventional approach involving separate science and mathematics units, while the treatment group was instructed using the integrated unit. Two achievement tests for the target science and mathematics units were developed and used in the pretest-posttest design to verify the equivalence of the treatment and comparison groups before conducting the study, and to compare the achievement results after implementing the conventional and treatment units. The study found statistically significant differences favouring the treatment group on the achievement posttest (effect sizes were 0.44 for science and 0.49 for mathematics). These large effect sizes indicated the positive impact of using the proposed strategy of curriculum integration to evaluate the teaching program to see if the goal of improved achievement was actually realised.
Since the emergence of the 2020 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Saudi Arabia (SA) has preserved the safety of its citizens by mandating crisis distance education (CDE). Appreciating that most learners struggle with such an abrupt shift in delivery mode, especially one that depends on self-directed learning (SDL), this exploratory, qualitative study solicited data in May 2020 from a convenience sample of 20 Saudi female postgraduate students enrolled at a public university in the Eastern Province of SA. Findings affirmed that SDL via CDE contributed to their educational growth, and they will continue to engage with SDL after the health crisis ends. In short, their SDL CDE experience changed the way they will approach their education in the future. Their high level of SDL allowed them to assume responsibility for their learning. They especially gained an appreciation for the role of reflection, self-monitoring, and selfevaluation. SDL both instilled and promoted self-confidence, self-reliance, commitment, and perseverance. Implications for future research were tendered and universities are encouraged to intentionally build learning environments that support learner-centered and self-directed learning to move the country through and beyond the COVID 19 pandemic.
This qualitative study explores a group of male and female faculty members (n = 85), drawn from diverse academic disciplines, who participated in a two-day Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) workshop held at a university in Saudi Arabia. Shortly after participating in this two-day workshop, the faculty members were surveyed to obtain data about their experience. Three months later, a random sample of these individuals progressed to an in-depth follow-up interview in order to determine whether they had fulfilled their participation objectives. The degree of planned and enacted HOTS workshops, the analysis of post-workshop abilities, and the level of knowledge of and ability in HOTS are topics that have not yet been explored in the professional faculty development literature. Ideally, the assessment of the impact on the professional development of faculty members should measure the effect of learning in terms of their ability to implement what they have learned. The results show that 89% of the faculty members were initially enthusiastic about applying the knowledge and skills acquired through the workshop but that what they had learned started to diminish and to be set aside within the first three months. This was largely because the faculty members became heavily focused on routine activities including lecturing.
This study was conducted to examine whether a leadership training program increases university students' perception of leadership skills. Female students, like their male counterparts, have to play a central role in the economy of the country, regardless of the existing social constraints. Therefore, they need to be equipped with leadership skills in order to ensure that they are capable of making authentic changes in society. The survey included 42 components with seven subscales that were used to measure the following leadership skills: communication, planning, teamwork, decision-making, controlling, motivation and evaluation. The sample consisted of 36 female students who were randomly selected to participate in a two-day leadership training program at the University of Dammam. A questionnaire was distributed at the end of the program. This questionnaire was applied with the objective of estimating the students' perception of the importance of leadership-related skills. The results demonstrate that this program significantly develops participants' perceptions of leadership skills, as t(35) = 7.81, p < 0.05, regardless of their area of academic specialization, their history of participation in organized social activities, any previous leadership roles that they may have held, and any previous leadership training that they may have received. The authors recommend that this study be replicated on a larger sample.
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