The Developments of ICT and the Need for Blended Learning in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The provision of information and communication technology (ICT) to academic staff and university students is critical in order to offer them more effective learning environments. Investigating the current status of the developments of ICT may help decision makers and academic staff to employ them successfully by overcoming the needs and reinforcing the good aspects. This study focuses on the pertinent literature that intends to present the developments of ICT in the Saudi higher education context and the reasons behind the need for blended learning at Saudi universities. The findings indicate that the supply of ICT equipment appears to be adequate which might be due to the recognition of its importance, but that training in using ICT is required for some academic staff and students. Academic staff and students seem to be using ICT unevenly with different levels of skills and experiences that vary from one university to another across the country. The findings also indicate that learning style, the dominance of traditional learning, and the universal pedagogical demand are likely to be some of the reasons behind the need for blended learning. Implications of these findings are provided.

Keywords: Information and communication technology (ICT), the Internet, blended learning, higher education, Saudi Arabia