Abstract—E-learning is nowadaysan essential teaching and
learning setting to both faculty members and students in a
digital and connected 21st Century. Despite the attempts and the
claims that many higher education institutes make in regards to
e-learning, a number of barriers retard many faculty members
to progress from the state of appreciating and acknowledging
e-learning to the state of actually adopting and implementing it.
Saudi higher education institutes and Saudi faculty members
are no exception in facing such barriers. This paper investigated
the challenges to adopting e-learning in higher education by
focusing on one of the recently established Saudi universities as
a case study. Quantitative data were collected through 214
questionnaires. Findings from quantitative data analysis
revealed a number of barriers which challenge the effective
implementation of e-learning at the targeted Saudi university.
This paper found that barriers towards e-learning are
gender-related. In addition, this paper reports that the most
cited barriers were external sources barriers which suggests
that strategic policies need to be in place to overcome such
resources barriers. Once external sources barriers are
overcome, focus can shift on the pedagogical opportunities that
e-learning creates and makes possible. As e-learning is a
developing field of interest in Saudi higher education institutes,
this paper adds to the little literature conducted so far in a
Saudi context. In addition, findings from this paper contribute
to the global literature on e-learning in a globalised and
connected world.
Index Terms—E-learning, Saudi Arabia, faculty members,
and perceived barriers.
M. A. Al Gamdi is with Victoria University, Australia (e-mail:
mohammadali.algamdi@live.vu.edu.au).
A. Samarji is with College of Education, Victoria University, Australia
(e-mail: ahmad.samarji@vu.edu.au, ahmad.samarji@live.vu.edu.au).
Cite: M. A. Al Gamdi and A. Samarji, "Perceived Barriers towards e-Learning by Faculty Members at a Recently Established University in Saudi Arabia," International Journal of Information and Education Technology vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 23-28, 2016.