Introduction
Challenging traditional, face-to-face methods of teaching and moving towards innovative, student-centered approaches are crucial trends in contemporary education. Online education in particular is emerging as an important feature of higher education in all fields. Over the last decade, educational programs worldwide have begun to employ online learning as an essential part of the delivery of courses and even of entire programs, to the extent that it is now part of the higher education mainstream in many countries. “Students are demanding more courses and programs to be offered online. Yet, in light of the growing population of learners from various cultural backgrounds engaged in online education…” (Wang & Reeves, 2007, p. 1), there is an urgent need to understand how culture affects online education and, conversely, how online education affects learning culture.
Culture, as defined by Hofstede (2005), is “the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from others” (p. 4). These differences in programming largely account for differences across cultures. It is clear that cultures and cultural values around the globe are changing in unprecedented ways as a result of the exponential growth of communication-exchange channels, an important aspect of which is the increasing ease of access to online courses, programs, and information. “Learning culture” is a concept that overlaps with “culture” but is also distinct. Learning culture can be defined as the ways in which students perceive their educational materials, their class discussions (whether in-person or virtual), their teachers/professors as knowledge providers or facilitators, and the meaning and purpose of education (as being either a means to a specific objective like a particular career or an end in itself). The culture of learning is currently undergoing a rapid transition worldwide, including in the Middle East. Saudi Arabian students, for example, have begun to participate in this communications exchange and, in consequence, their culture of learning is changing in ways that could not have been anticipated even two or three years ago. These students, both female and male, are now able to access learning resources such as journals, magazines, periodicals, and intercultural communication forums that would not be available to them but for their connection to the Internet. The unprecedented openness to new educational resources and cultural perspectives is leading Saudi Arabia’s younger generation to become less traditional and strict in their views. Other Saudi scholars such as Alenezi (2012) and Al Seghayer (2013) have indicated that online learning is opening new opportunities for Saudi students to question traditional assumptions of what learning is. The implications of this process for the Saudi culture as a whole are reinforced by the fact that the youth component of the Saudi population (i.e., those under age 35) currently stands at 65% of the total.
This paper aims to explore the ways in which Saudi students’ culture of learning is changing as a result of the introduction of various modes of online learning. It also aims to explore the ways in which culture and cultural values affect the application and
The Reciprocal and Correlative Relationship Between Learning Culture and Online Education : A Case from
Saudi Arabia
Hamdan
Vol 15 | No 1 Feb/14
311
success of online-learning strategies. Particular attention is directed to learners’ perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of online communication. This research analysis is based on observations of two groups of Saudi female university students as they began to integrate online-learning systems into their studies. The analysis also draws on the key literature relating to online learning.
This paper submits that online education and culture have a reciprocal and correlative relationship. In this paper I explore how the culture of learning has changed for Saudi students as a result of using online learning and how online learning and teaching, notwithstanding their structural issues and obvious infrastructural weaknesses, have helped students change their perceptions. This paper explores the emergence of online education globally and in Saudi Arabia; issues, controversies, and problems; traditional education as the backdrop to Saudi online learning; and, finally, the findings of an empirical study on the same.
Research
Introduction
Challenging traditional, face-to-face methods of teaching and moving towards innovative, student-centered approaches are crucial trends in contemporary education. Online education in particular is emerging as an important feature of higher education in all fields. Over the last decade, educational programs worldwide have begun to employ online learning as an essential part of the delivery of courses and even of entire programs, to the extent that it is now part of the higher education mainstream in many countries. “Students are demanding more courses and programs to be offered online. Yet, in light of the growing population of learners from various cultural backgrounds engaged in online education…” (Wang & Reeves, 2007, p. 1), there is an urgent need to understand how culture affects online education and, conversely, how online education affects learning culture.
Culture, as defined by Hofstede (2005), is “the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from others” (p. 4). These differences in programming largely account for differences across cultures. It is clear that cultures and cultural values around the globe are changing in unprecedented ways as a result of the exponential growth of communication-exchange channels, an important aspect of which is the increasing ease of access to online courses, programs, and information. “Learning culture” is a concept that overlaps with “culture” but is also distinct. Learning culture can be defined as the ways in which students perceive their educational materials, their class discussions (whether in-person or virtual), their teachers/professors as knowledge providers or facilitators, and the meaning and purpose of education (as being either a means to a specific objective like a particular career or an end in itself). The culture of learning is currently undergoing a rapid transition worldwide, including in the Middle East. Saudi Arabian students, for example, have begun to participate in this communications exchange and, in consequence, their culture of learning is changing in ways that could not have been anticipated even two or three years ago. These students, both female and male, are now able to access learning resources such as journals, magazines, periodicals, and intercultural communication forums that would not be available to them but for their connection to the Internet. The unprecedented openness to new educational resources and cultural perspectives is leading Saudi Arabia’s younger generation to become less traditional and strict in their views. Other Saudi scholars such as Alenezi (2012) and Al Seghayer (2013) have indicated that online learning is opening new opportunities for Saudi students to question traditional assumptions of what learning is. The implications of this process for the Saudi culture as a whole are reinforced by the fact that the youth component of the Saudi population (i.e., those under age 35) currently stands at 65% of the total.
This paper aims to explore the ways in which Saudi students’ culture of learning is changing as a result of the introduction of various modes of online learning. It also aims to explore the ways in which culture and cultural values affect the application and
The Reciprocal and Correlative Relationship Between Learning Culture and Online Education : A Case from
Saudi Arabia
Hamdan
Vol 15 | No 1 Feb/14
311
success of online-learning strategies. Particular attention is directed to learners’ perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of online communication. This research analysis is based on observations of two groups of Saudi female university students as they began to integrate online-learning systems into their studies. The analysis also draws on the key literature relating to online learning.
This paper submits that online education and culture have a reciprocal and correlative relationship. In this paper I explore how the culture of learning has changed for Saudi students as a result of using online learning and how online learning and teaching, notwithstanding their structural issues and obvious infrastructural weaknesses, have helped students change their perceptions. This paper explores the emergence of online education globally and in Saudi Arabia; issues, controversies, and problems; traditional education as the backdrop to Saudi online learning; and, finally, the findings of an empirical study on the same.
Research
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Introduction
Challenging traditional face-to-face methods, of teaching and moving, towards innovative student-centered. Approaches are crucial trends in contemporary education. Online education in particular is emerging as an important feature. Of higher education in all fields. Over the, last decadeEducational programs worldwide have begun to employ online learning as an essential part of the delivery of courses and. Even of, entire programs to the extent that it is now part of the higher education mainstream in many countries. "Students. Are demanding more courses and programs to be offered, Yet online.In light of the growing population of learners from various cultural backgrounds engaged in online education... "(Wang &. ,, Reeves 2007 P. 1), there is an urgent need to understand how culture affects online education and conversely how online,,, Education affects learning culture.
Culture as defined, by Hofstede (2005),Is "the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from others." (P. 4). These differences in programming largely account for differences across cultures. It is clear that cultures and. Cultural values around the globe are changing in unprecedented ways as a result of the exponential growth of Communication-Exchange. Channels.
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