Proceedings of The 6th World Conference on Teaching and Education
Year: 2023
DOI:
[PDF]
The Challenges facing the Saudi Electronic university leadership and their implications)
Dr. Sulaiman Alshathri
ABSTRACT:
The use of distance learning in institutions of higher learning in Saudi Arabia is increasing. However, there are a number of challenges that distance learning faces in many universities. This study has combined comprehensive research of literature and collected information through qualitative methods. Many Universities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia use traditional methods of teaching and recently a move to adopt distance learning has started gaining popularity, though the start has been shaky. The Saudi Electronic University (SEU),
which is the first government-run e-university in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has faced challenges in leadership and this has had several implications in its organizational change. The main challenges are the education policy in Saudi Arabia, inadequate modern study materials, low student enrolment and slow transition to distance education. Distance education leaders are in a complicated situation as a result of the dominance of the Ministry of Higher Education when it comes to decision-making. This paper not only focuses on the challenges, but also on the possible solutions and recommendations. Leadership is a key component in an organization. It is the core of the management structure and keeps the functions of the organization running smoothly. SEU has many administrators who form the leadership of the university. In this research, leaders of SEU form the main target group for participation of this study. This study uses interviews and administrators from the SEU are selected to participate.
keywords: Leadership, distance learning