Faculty members' readiness implementing e-learning in higher education Saudi Universities: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background/ Objectives: This article reports on an e-learning readiness study that was carried out to determine the institutional, individual, and communication factors of the two major stakeholder groups (teachers and institutions) in the higher education universities in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A sample of 139 faculty members working in ten higher education universities in Saudi Arabia was surveyed in this cross-sectional study. A pre-validated survey questionnaire of e-learning was adopted to collect data from the participants' between April and May 2019. Findings: The pre-validated survey tool of Teachers' Readiness for Online Learning Measure (TROLM) of an 18 item scale has been explored in four factors: Communication self-efficacy, institutional support, self-directed learning, and learning-transfer self-efficacy. The findings of this study are instrumental in implementing successful e-learning resources (strategies) in Higher Education Institutions and will also benefit e-learning initiatives in similar institutions in other regions of Saudi Arabia and beyond. The Study demonstrated the supportive e-learning strategies Blackboard system that facilitated faculty members' readiness to teach university students during the sudden transition from traditional methods to the e-learning platforms.