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Participants' Perceptions of Moocs in Saudi Arabia Manal A. Almuhanna

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Participants' Perceptions of Moocs in Saudi Arabia Manal A. Almuhanna Participants’ Perceptions of MOOCs in Saudi Arabia Manal A. Almuhanna THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PhD) School of Education The University of Sheffield September 2018 0 Abstract Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which are typically short courses offered free to anyone with Internet access, provide opportunities for online education regardless of participants’ gender, professional status, qualifications, age or location. Since the international introduction of MOOCs in 2008 in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, they have attracted public attention and online learning researchers have already made headway in investigating their essence. However, although MOOCs were introduced to Saudi Arabia in 2013 and have gained the attention of Saudi government sectors such as the Ministry of Labour, little research has been published on the effects of MOOCs in the country. Therefore, this research, to the best of my knowledge, is the first to explore Saudi participants’ perceptions of MOOCs. As a Saudi teaching assistant at King Saud University in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), I can see a clear trend in Saudi education towards online learning. The use of online learning is perhaps one of the most important current developments in the education system (Algahtani, 2011) and it would be difficult to dispense with this kind of learning now. Therefore, after consulting with several Saudi professors in educational technology, I concluded that investigating Saudi participants’ perceptions of MOOCs could make a significant contribution to the evolution of Saudi education generally and online learning in particular, thus contributing to improving Saudi people’s culture. This study aimed to explore the cultural implications of MOOCs for Saudi participants with the main objective being to identify Saudi participants’ perceptions of MOOCs, specifically the impact of MOOCs on participants’ lives, their pedagogy and learning design, and their social environment. The data was collected using mixed methods through conducting surveys, observation, and interviews with participants. Consequently, participants’ perceptions are 1 linked to the literature review and discussed in detail in relation to the Saudi Arabian context. Furthermore, recommendations are offered on how to maximise the potential of MOOCs alongside suggestions for further research. The conclusion of this study asserts that MOOCs are widely used by Saudi participants, especially women, due to MOOC flexibility and their contribution to the development of educational cultures. MOOCs contributed to improving participants’ knowledge and personalities, as well as developing their educational and professional lives; however, the study revealed that the benefits participants gained from MOOCs varied depending on their positions and aims. In addition, the findings showed that participants’ views regarding the effectiveness of the pedagogy and learning design of MOOCs differed. Moreover, the study highlighted several factors that affected participants’ learning in terms of course design and the rules of participation, and some insights are provided that could address the concerns participants raised. MOOCs can contribute to attaining Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 by providing courses that focus on educating Saudis and imparting the skills required for future employment and for effectively carrying out the jobs recently allocated to citizens. 2 Acknowledgements Praises be to Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. Praise as befits the Glory of Your Face and the greatness of Your Might, for your conciliation, protection, and during the completion of my PhD journey. I owe a huge amount to the people and organisations that facilitated and supported this study. First, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Julia Davies, for her tremendous encouragement, helpful guidance, and support. Her continuous advice and valuable comments enriched my experience and improved my work. I am also very grateful to the owner of the MOOCs platform of this study and the support team, especially Ms. Deemah, for their positive responses, collaboration, efforts, and understanding that helped me collect my data. I also extend thanks to all the participants for their time and enthusiasm about sharing their views about their experiences. Indeed, I am very grateful for all the prayers, wishes, and encouragement that I received by email from many people regarding my study. These messages had a tremendous impact on my personality and pushed me to make a greater effort to explain their views and aspirations. The participants' words and comments gave me unexpected moral support. Finally, my deepest gratitude goes to the most precious people in my life who gave me the energy and passion of learning, giving, and success: my family. Special thanks and appreciation for my lovely parents Sarah and Abdulrahman, my sisters, and brothers, especially Bander: thank you for your love, protection, care, prayers, and endless support and encouragement. 3 Table of Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. 3 List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ 9 List of Figures ......................................................................................................................... 11 List of Appendices .................................................................................................................. 12 CHAPTER 1: Introduction ................................................................................................... 13 1.1 The Problem of the Study and its Rationale .............................................................. 13 1.2 What is Online Learning? ........................................................................................... 15 1.2.1 Summary ................................................................................................................ 20 1.3 Overview of MOOCs ................................................................................................... 21 1.3.1 Summary ................................................................................................................ 27 1.4 Defining of Key Terms................................................................................................. 28 1.4.1 Understanding the Term Perception ................................................................... 28 1.4.2 Understanding the Term Culture ........................................................................ 33 CHAPTER 2: Context of the Study ..................................................................................... 37 2.1 The Rise of MOOCs in Saudi Arabia ......................................................................... 37 2.1.1 Rwaq MOOC platform......................................................................................... 38 2.1.2 Junnah MOOCs platform .................................................................................... 41 2.1.3 Maharah MOOCs platform ................................................................................. 42 2.1.4 Doroob MOOCs platform .................................................................................... 43 2.1.5 Zadi MOOCs platform ......................................................................................... 46 2.1.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 47 2.2 The Importance of MOOCs in Saudi Arabia ............................................................ 48 CHAPTER 3: Literature Review ......................................................................................... 54 3.1 History of MOOCs ....................................................................................................... 54 3.1.1 MOOCs of 2008 ..................................................................................................... 56 4 3.1.2 MOOCs of 2011 ..................................................................................................... 59 3.1.3 MOOCs of 2012 ..................................................................................................... 60 3.1.4 MOOCs of 2013 and Later ................................................................................... 63 3.2 Types of MOOC ........................................................................................................... 67 3.2.1 Differences between cMOOC and xMOOC ....................................................... 68 3.2.2 Summary ................................................................................................................ 73 3.3 Understanding MOOC Learning Theories ............................................................... 74 3.3.1 Connectivism Theory ............................................................................................ 75 3.3.2 Objectivism Theory (Behaviourism and Cognitive Models) ............................. 82 3.3.3 Social Constructivism ........................................................................................... 84 3.3.4 Points of View Theory .........................................................................................
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