Expert Commentary on New Opportunities and Challenges for Women Within Saudi Distance Education Institutions

Abstract

Access to post-secondary education is an essential condition for advancing women's leadership opportunities. This chapter provides an expert commentary on how distance education in Saudi Arabia contributes to the advancement of female leadership opportunities by providing women greater access to education and new opportunities for leadership roles. However, despite the new opportunities that distance education offers to Saudi women, there are pervasive challenges that hinder them from acquiring leadership roles in education. The expert commentary draws on professional experience and research to provide insight into the advantages and disadvantages of distance education to prepare Saudi women to be leaders in higher education. It also offers recommendations on how to better leverage distance education experience for female students and instructors by applying the rules of netiquette in Saudi online learning environments.