A New Model for Enhancing Student Portal Usage in Saudi Arabia Universities

S S T Alatawi,N S Abdullah,I Alfadli,F Saeed,F Ghabban,O Ameerbakhsh,S Miskon

doi:10.48084/etasr.4132

Abstract

Portals are gateways that provide users with the information they need from different sources and display it on a single page. It is important to see that universities utilize the resources and services provided by their student portals. With the rapid development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia aims to develop and improve student portals by providing high-quality teaching services through the university portal systems. This paper discusses the importance of student portal usage in Saudi Arabian universities and investigates the factors that influence the utilization of student portals as perceived by the students of the Saudi universities. Based on these factors, a model is proposed which identifies students’ expectations about the Saudi university portals. A quantitative methodology was employed to develop the model. The results revealed that 8 out of 10 factors of the model are significant and positively affect student portal usage. The enhancement of student portals based on the identified significant factors will assist the universities to increase their utilization and their provided services.

Highlights

High-quality web portals are critical to commercial and non-commercial organizations [1, 2]
This study examines the importance of student portal usage in Saudi universities by examining the most important factors affecting students’ use of these portals
WORK This study studied the importance of student portals by investigating the most important factors that attract undergraduate students in Saudi universities to use them

Summary

Introduction

High-quality web portals are critical to commercial and non-commercial organizations [1, 2]. To build a university portal that is updated regularly with the latest information and can accommodate additional services is a significant challenge [4]. Despite the good Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure in Saudi universities, the usage of university student portals remains low [5]. According to [6], a big challenge that Saudi universities face is the lack of awareness regarding the use of ICT among students, faculty members, and administrative staff. Many universities in Saudi Arabia spend generously on ICT, but this expenditure does not lead to significant improvements in the usage of ICT services. Universities in developed countries, are heavily involved in portals which have become an essential tool for service delivery and communication between faculty members, administrative staff, and, most important, students [8]

Methods

Results

Conclusion