Rationale and Focus of the Research
- This study intends to understand the collaborative learning in Saudi Arabia high schools. Several studies, carried out elsewhere, shows this system of learning to be common, but the system is new in Saudi Arabia. The aim will be to see incorporation of the system, the opportunities, and the challenges faced while using Virtual Learning Environment.
- The literature talks of the need to incorporate e-learning in schools to ensure smooth, global learning. This study seeks to find out the level of incorporation of e-learning in Saudi Arabia. People’s attitude towards e-learning will also be evaluated, and ways to improve e-learning must be suggested.
Literature review
Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs)
Virtual Learning Environment is a common term in education and is currently part of the teaching process. Some other countries such as Saudi Arabia and Australia use different terms for Virtual Learning Environment. These terms include Learning Management Systems (LMS), Online Learning Centers (OLC), Course Management Systems (CMS), and Learning Platforms (LP). However, most people fail to differentiate between VLEs and MLEs, yet they are two different systems.
MLEs cover a wide area as compared to VLEs. It covers an entire organization, learning, and administration whereas VLEs refer to educational facilities. Virtual Learning Environment refers to an online system of learning, which offers interactive activities. It takes place between the instructors and students (Barnawi, 2009, p. 56).
Other support tools are also in place to ensure the students’ progress. The system, initially designed to support distance learning seems common in learning institutions including secondary and high schools. It has now been possible for many people to access education who could not have accessed it were it, not for e-learning. Education systems have been transformed and many institutes are incorporating these technological changes.
Collaborative learning environments are supported by asynchronous communication. This happens by offering emails, announcements, discussion boards, and forums. Users of Virtual Learning Environments include the administrator, student or the instructor. Each of these users has different functions in using VLEs. Those institutions that have successfully used VLEs fully enjoy the benefits that come along with the systems. Adaptation is also easy in that most users adapt easily to using VLEs.
Incorporation of Virtual Learning Environments
Global education is quickly embracing technology use in order to access many people across the globe. A number of institutions fully embrace Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) in delivering educational materials. However, Virtual Learning Environments in Saudi Arabia is considered new. In fact, many colleges in Saudi Arabia are yet to incorporate Virtual Learning Environment for distance learning programs.
The reason for this is that it would be too expensive for the high schools to obtain licenses, maintain technical support, and customize the programs. There is an immediate need to incorporate VLEs in Saudi Arabia to replace the classroom learning. Virtual Learning Environment has proved to demand much time and programming skills in the developing countries (Baskerville & Robb, 2005, p. 139).
Moodle could be the only cheap source software since it is free. High schools should, therefore, focus on Moodle as it would create opportunities for online communities, teachers, and students. Eventually this leads to the creation of social knowledge management in high schools within Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, values such as social harmony, authority and respect to the elders as well as teachers still exist in the academic settings.
They believe that this will lead to success. Limited interaction exists between the two groups due to the gap between the old and the young. Debates occur rarely, and this has significantly affected students since they cannot assess themselves properly and cannot monitor their language skills. They also have little motivation to learn outside the classrooms (Dillenbourg, 2007, p. 11).
Moodle
Moodle offers effective e-learning as it emphasizes on social constructionist educational approach. The system is flexible, and administrators can easily incorporate it in their classrooms depending on their cultural, social, political, and linguistic needs. This system also transforms the traditional pedagogy, which was teacher centered to a different pedagogy, dialogic learner centered. All learning resources are also available in Moodle learning system. It also allows for joint research projects among different institutions.
This system offers reliable, quality, accountable, accurate, and greater communication to the users; hence maintaining standards. However, the system poses certain challenges. For example, some issues are quite technical and usually require a high level of computer skills, which most teachers do not possess. Teachers also fear facing these challenges, and this could be yet another reason as to why they do not incorporate Virtual Learning Environment (Stephen, 2004,p 31).
Moodle can be used by the teachers, to prepare lessons, assignments, among others. Passwords would be necessary to avoid manipulation of their work. Moodle ensures that the teachers are updated on when the students upload their assignments and the duration taken by a student to complete an assignment.
This is possible because Moodle keeps automatic reports. It would also be possible to restrict assignment access when the deadline passes. Students can also check how they perform on an excel sheet once the teacher has marked the assignment. This system increases effectiveness, reliability and accuracy for both students and teachers. Teachers can choose any resource materials to use when using Moodle in passing instructions.
For example, they can decide to use PowerPoint, flash applications, video, audio, graphics, and text, among others. All these can be obtained from the internet. Schools should, therefore, be encouraged to join Moodle online community. The users remain updated through interacting, participating, sharing of experiences, interests and needs. An advantage occurs in that this interaction helps an individual to think both locally and globally leading to success (Carla, 2002, p. 303).
Research questions
- Does this high school effectively use Visual Learning Environment (VLE)?
- Should visual Learning Environment be limited to distance learning?
- What are the opportunities of using VLE in high schools?
- What are the challenges of using VLE in high schools?
- What do students think of Visual Learning Environment?
Methodology
Ontology and Epistemology
The approach here will be that the world is rapidly changing, and the use of e-learning has become increasingly influential. Many countries have embraced this form of learning, but Saudi Arabia is lagging behind in incorporating system such as Virtual Learning Environments.
In a country like UK, most schools, in fact, 68% of the schools use Virtual Learning Environments systems. It would be necessary if the same happened to developing countries such as Saudi Arabia. In this country, the system is only being applied in a few institutions of higher learning with the rest sticking to the old classroom teaching.
The culture of Saudi Arabia could be contributing substantially to this in that they believe in having an adult directing the students. This needs to change so that Saudi Arabia as a country is not left behind in terms of technology use. School administrators must understand the importance of technology and encourage their students to use it in classrooms as well as outside the classrooms.
The researcher shall visit one of Saudi Arabia’s high schools in order to collect data. The researcher will take a period of 4 weeks to carry out this research. He will take an objective stance towards this social research. The research will be a positive one in that the researcher will gather facts that will help him draw a conclusion. The researcher will carry out the research with certain ideas in his mind and expectations of what to find out.
He will base his research on research that has been carried out previously by other researchers. He will also base his research on the knowledge he has as regards Saudi Arabia’s learning system. He will, however, avoid importing his thoughts to other people. Therefore, qualitative data will be obtained by use of semi-structured interviews.
This will help him obtain original data from the respondents. He will also understand how students and teachers view Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The research will end by the researcher asking open-ended questions on people’s perception of VLE. The researcher will take a more interpretive approach.
Purpose
This study aims at investigating and determining the collaborative learning in Saudi’s Arabia High School of Virtual Learning Environment. The data collected will help in understanding the level of incorporation of Virtual Learning Environment in Saudi Arabia’s high schools. The advantages and disadvantages of Virtual Learning Environment shall also be discovered from the teachers and students.
Finally, the researcher shall come up with conclusion and recommendations at the end, which could help improve the level of incorporation of Virtual Learning Environment in Saudi Arabia’s high schools. The country needs to accept e-learning as it has proved beneficial in other countries. That is why the researcher has found it necessary to investigate on this matter.
Design
This study shall investigate the collaborative learning in Saudi Arabia high school of Virtual Learning Environment. It will include 15 participants, 2 administrators, 8 teachers and 5 students from the high school. The fifteen participants will be included sufficiently in this research, and their ideas shall be taken seriously since they will have been informed on the importance of this research. This research can be done in several institutions, but for personal and convenience reasons, I have chosen this high school.
Having some understanding of Saudi Arabia high school, I am confident that I will get the required information. This high school is one of the few high schools in Saudi Arabia, which have incorporated e-learning in their system of education. These people will be chosen randomly, which will help avoid bias.
Other people will also be interviewed in order to triangulate the collected data, a very important thing in any case study. Semi structured interviews, as well as observations, shall be used. Students will be interviewed to get to know their level of understanding in Virtual Learning Environment.
The researcher shall observe the school activities, which shall include the use of technology in learning within the high school. This will also help collect primary data and facts. Indeed, observation method would lead to a more reliable data as the researcher observes what is on the ground.
Associations and patterns will also be observed. This will help know the similarities and differences, which will form the basis for exploratory aspect of research purpose. The researcher will also try to understand the advantages and disadvantages of Visual Learning Environment from the teachers, and students’ perspective. A deeper case study could be necessitated in case some of the respondents prove engaging in any reason.
Strategy
The researcher will use qualitative and quantitative strategies. Empirical methods will also be applied. Collaborative learning in Saudi Arabia high school of Virtual Learning Environment will be thoroughly evaluated. Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle) will be considered as well, being the most adaptable and flexible system in learning management. Listening to teachers and students through the interview will be beneficial in coming to a conclusion.
Qualitative assessment of both teachers and students will also be useful. Questionnaires will be distributed to the participating students. On the other hand, teachers will be given semi structured interviews to determine their stand on collaborative learning in Virtual Learning Environment. Assessments will also be administered to the students to determine their level of knowledge, and understanding of Virtual Learning Environment. This will help show if there will be any correlation with what the teachers will have told us (Youn, 2007, p. 63).
Methods
This research will be conducted using different methods.
- Semi structured interviews will be administered to the high school teachers and administrators. This will help to determine the incorporation and understanding of Virtual Learning Environment in Saudi Arabia High Schools. Opportunities and challenges of using Moodle will also be determined.
- A follow up questionnaire will also be used by the researcher. This is where he will be recording, on a scale, the key factors’ weighting.
- There will also be another questionnaire to evaluate the administrators and teachers’ assessment of Virtual Learning Environment in the high school.
- Secondary research will also be necessary to see how students perform and participate in visual learning environment, during the period by which I will be carrying out this research. This will help the researcher to know the quality of this learning.
- Semi structured interviews with the students will also be a different method to be used by the researcher. The researcher will, therefore, be able to determine students’ perspective of this learning.
The researcher will later transcribe the semi structured interviews, and analyze them by use of content analysis. This will help the researcher to be systematic and at the same time objective in order to produce data, which is quantitative. Analysis will also be done by use of SPSS in order to get any correlation or connections. In order for the researcher to obtain connections, he will apply cross tabulation.
Questions that could raise eye brows will be avoided by the researcher as this could affect the way they respond to the questions in the questionnaires. He intends that the interview will be open so that the content will come from the participants themselves. Interviews will be conducted first, followed by the questionnaires (Lepori, 2003, p. 62).
Validity and reliability
The researcher intends to have several evidence sources. He will also have experts who will review the draft of his case study. He will try his best to ensure validity of the data. To do this, the researcher will use reasons proposed by other researchers regarding choice, external appearance and nearness. He will assess them by use of enough evidence. Generalization will be limited to the case study as much as possible in order to ensure external validity. Hence, this research speaks about Virtual Leaning Environment in Saudi Arabia high schools.
The researcher intends to document all the procedure that will be followed in the case study. This will help ensure reliability of the data. He also intends to listen carefully to the respondents. Another way to ensure reliability will be avoiding his personal interpretations of what the respondents will be telling him. He will avoid any kind of bias and will look at any evidence, which could be contradictory. Finally, the researcher will be objective while looking and interpreting the data (Miller, Vandome & McBrewster, 2010, p. 34).
Ethics
BERA guidelines will be used by the researcher which includes having an informed consent and ensuring voluntary participation of the respondents. Before starting the research, he will tell the participants the reasons as to why they are participating and the aim of the research he will be conducting. Confidentiality and privacy of the respondents will also be maintained at all costs. The researcher will also avoid subterfuge or deception.
He will also respect the right of the participants to withdraw from participating in the case study any time they wish. Participants will also be informed of this right. To ensure good ethics, the researcher does not intend to use incentives as this could be problematic, and could create bias. Some researchers have been found to use incentives such as alcohol and cigarettes, with the intention of making the youth participate in the research. This is why the researcher has decided not to use any kind of incentives (Goba, 2004, p. 76).
Outcomes
The researcher expects certain outcomes by the end of this case study. He expects to know the level of Virtual Learning Environments in Saudi Arabia High schools. Other outcomes shall include the advantages and disadvantages of using Virtual Learning Environments in learning.
He will also understand the perspective of the administrators, students, and teachers when it comes to using VLEs. This study will eventually help to come up with a VLE system that will fit Saudi’s needs. Expectations are that VLEs are beneficial, but teachers and students face several challenges while learning using VLEs. A system that will overcome these challenges will be put in place to ensure smooth e-learning.
Limitations
Limitations will be experienced given that this is a case study involving some aspects of survey. The results obtained from this high school shall be generalized to represent all the high schools in Saudi Arabia. Generalization may not be accurate since some other schools could be holding different views regarding Virtual Learning Environments. The challenges faced by one school may not be the challenges faced by the other high schools in Saudi Arabia.
References
Barnawi, O 2009, The Internet and EFL Instruction: A Small-Scale Study of EFL College Teachers’ Reactions, International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 9(12), 47-64.
Baskerville, B & Robb, T 2005, Using Moodle for teaching business English in a CALL environment, Pac ALL Journal, 5(3), 138-151.
Carla, M 2000, Technology and Second Language Learning, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Dillenbourg, P 2007, Flexibility in Micro Scripts for Computer Supported Collaborative Learning, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Goba, S 2004, Online Course Material Interoperability and tutorial Module for Moodle, Cape Town: University of Cape Town.
Lepori, B 2003, The introduction of e-Learning in European universities: models and strategies, New York: Duisburg.
Miller, F, Vandome, A, & McBrewster, J 2010, Virtual Learning Environment, New York: VDM Publishing House Ltd.
Stephen, R 2004, The Study of Discourse beyond Language and Culture, Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.
Youn, E 2007, The effectiveness of a virtual learning environment on student learning about clinical skills, New York: ProQuest.