Reference no: EM131005709

The researchers remained confident that information provided on both positive as well as negative attitudes towards Saudis' perception of long-distance learning are sufficient and - indeed-fully justify perhaps a doctoral thesis. Enumeration of negative perceptions / attitudes is especially important so that they may gradually and systematically be removed from Saudi educationists' mindset.

The applicability of certain previous studies in gathering data and then inferring concrete results may not be quite fully applicable to Saudi Arabia, as these studies have been largely carried out in Western cultures. Saudi Arabia is generally categorized amongst the still developing and non-industrialized nations. Further to that, Saudi Arabia has a culture diametrically opposed to Western cultural systems, in that women and men work in segregated environments, and this segregation also holds true in the educational institutions.

The problem identification and the challenge addressed to a large part are to place value on "on-line" education among teaching and administrative faculties, who are products of and also operate within a unique cultural system.

The needfor this - and these types of - study is, therefore, paramount, real, and concrete, for it begins to access the viability of distance learning in the unique parameters that define Saudi Arabia, its culture, its geography, and its demographics, to name a few variables.

In a somewhat commercialized way of thought, Western as well as Middle Easterneducationists have been seeking information on Saudi attitudes towards distance learning, and since much information does not exist yet, this study may become a pioneer in assessing large-scale commercial opportunities.

Despite the explosive growth in theuse of distance learning methods among business schools in recent years, it is important to recognize that this pedagogical approach has been in use for nearly two centuries, dating back to correspondence courses offered in several European countries in the early 1800s (Edelson and Pittman, 2008).

Globally, business schools are among the most active participants in the use of distance learning methods. It is estimated that over one-third of all business schools worldwide offer fully online business degree programs and that the number of credit hours taken by business students exceeds that of other fields, such as engineering, science and the arts (Allen and Seaman, 2011).

Distance learning can becategorized as a form of "disruptive innovation" (Christensen et al., 2010) which challenges the classical views of how education should be delivered.

Application of that knowledge arises. Distance learning allows the just-in-time delivery of educational content to meet the evolving and immediate needs of business professionals as their learning needs and industry demands transition over time.

The adoption of distance learning methods in business education is further fueled by the unique work style of business students, who are often self-driven, entrepreneurial and time-deprived. The aging of the population of business students, the uncertainties of the job market, and the need for greater flexibility in scheduling classes make distance learning an attractive choice for business students, at undergraduate, graduate and executive levels, as well as in non-degree programs.

Third, in KSA's higher education, men and women receive their instruction in separate classes,for cultural and religious reasons. This puts further strains on the limited facilities and human resources available. It has been observed, accordingly, that women are often among the strongest supporters of eLearning, which potentially facilitates their access to higher education.

"Most of the students are good users of application software and tools butthey do not have independent learning ability and community needs in the higher education sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia". The student's response to the new technology increased their confidence in their abilities. This in part is the spontaneously receptive attitude that a large number of them adopt toward any activity in which technology played a role.

the Saudi National Centre for E-Learning and Distance Learning and King KhalidUniversity. The theme of the conference was "Development and Share ability in E-Learning" and brought together e-learning deans from universities across Saudi Arabia and around the world. Leading international experts in education technology discussed the latest innovations in digital education, and how they can be leveraged to improve the learning outcomes of Saudi tertiary students.

Dr Borden believes that entrenching a culture of e-learning in higher education is also critical to the Saudi Government's goal of achieving a diversified, knowledge based economy.

By embracing e-learning solutions, Saudi universities are thereforecontributing to the long-term prosperity of the country as a whole."

Environmental impacts of campus and distance learning systems

- Distance learning HE courses involve 87 per cent less energy and 85 per cent lower CO2emissions than the full-time campus-based courses. Part-time campus HE courses reduce energy andCO2 emissions by 65 and 61 per cent, respectively, compared with full-time campus courses. The lowerimpacts of part-time and distance compared with full-time campus courses is mainly due to a reductionin student travel and elimination of much energy consumption of students' housing, plus economies incampus site utilisation. E-learning appears to offer only relatively small energy and emissionsreductions (20 and 12 per cent, respectively) compared with mainly print-based distance learningcourses, mainly because online learning requires more energy for computing and paper for printing.

Particular attention is directed to learners' perceptions ofthe advantages and disadvantages of online communication.

"The participants indicated thatonline education helped them to challenge some cultural norms, enhance their learning culture, and improve their communication skills."

The Reciprocal and Correlative RelationshipBetween Learning Culture and Online Education: A Case from Saudi Arabia. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 2014;15(1):313-340. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning can be contacted at: Athabasca Univ Press, 1 University Dr, Athabasca, Ab T9S 3A3, Canada.