Opportunities and Challenges using VLEs: A Case Study of Universities in Saudi Arabia
Maashi, Mashael S. . 2009
Nowadays, the global education system is moving towards using
technology as a prime factor in the learning process. The United Kingdom
is the one of the pioneer countries, is concerned with e-learning and using
Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs). This project aimed to explore the
experience of British universities with use of VLEs, in particular Moodle.
The purpose of this project is not only to investigate the use of VLEs in
educational institutions in the UK, but also to investigate the use of VLEs
in Saudi Arabia and adapt this experience in Saudi higher educational
institutions. This adaptation is considered an educational system
requirement in Saudi universities. An online course entitled Comp101 has
been developed using Moodle to make use of VLEs in Saudi Arabia. The
Comp101 Moodle has been developed according to Saudi educational
requirements. Furthermore, some criteria have been considered to
evaluate the developed system by students and teachers to ensure the
effectiveness of the course. As result of the evaluation, the Comp101
Moodle might be a usable tool to deliver the Comp101 lessons online.
The wide range of learning strategies used in the Comp101 Moodle help
students to learn effectively according to their own learning styles. In
addition, integrating the Comp101 Moodle into the classroom or virtual
classroom could boost the learning process and increase the
effectiveness of the system.
