Saudi Higher Education System Research Articles

Institutionalism in Higher Education: Indicators and Enactment from the Swiss and Saudi Prospective

Background: The Saudi higher education system is going through continuous reforms to achieve the goals set by the kingdom’s Vision 2030. To support these reforms, we research the concept of institutionalism by looking into its indicators comparatively between the Swiss and the Saudi higher education systems. Methods: A thematic analysis was performed to identify institutional indicators in organizational practices. A qualitative meta-synthesis approach was then used to identify contributions of these indicators using the PRISMA method. Results: 20 institutional indicators were identified. The contribution of these indicators was narratively synthesized from 199 studies and categorized into 7 main themes. Enactment of these indicators was present in the Swiss Federal Act in a ratio of 17:20, in comparison to a ratio of 5:20 in the Saudi higher education Order. Conclusion: Institutionalism was not found to be strongly built in the Saudi Higher Education Order.

Digital Learning, Life Satisfaction, and Perceived Stress Due to COVID-19 Emergency: Case Study Among Female Saudi University Students.

The paper explores the impact of the corona virus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic on the Saudi higher education system. The research focuses on the relationship between digital learning in COVID-19 time, life satisfaction, and stress among female students. The study discusses measures, practices, defense mechanisms, and coping strategies to face challenges. Using an online survey based on psychological effects and its role in defense mechanisms and coping strategies, findings show that digital learning provides flexibility in terms of time and offers resources at a lower cost compared to traditional learning. In addition, results show that the coping strategy perception is higher in obtaining a good score and succeeding than to get over the pandemic and recovering from the illness itself. Finally, results confirm that a positive attitude influences positively life satisfaction.

The Leadership of Women in the Saudi Higher Education System

This research aims to identify how Saudi Arabian women attain their bargaining power and leadership in educational institutions in leadership positions, and identify the challenges and methodologies used to overcome issues faced by female leaders in higher education (HE) institutions. This study also aims to identify the obstructions faced by Saudi women that prevent them from achieving their career goals; the advice offered to female aspirants of HE leaders from female leaders and finally, determine the steps most likely to be taken to empower women in HE institutions. This research adopts the qualitative study method by reviewing existing data, as well as conducting small-scale research involving women working in academic and administrative positions in Saudi higher-education institutions. The women were chosen from three Saudi HE institutions that were characterized by gender-based segregation. The selected women were interviewed through video conferencing. The results of this study found that Saudi Arabian women experience workplace problems, disrespect, and insubordination. Institutions in Saudi Arabia did not offer the necessary support for female education leaders. Thus, women lack the empowerment and esteem required to successfully discharge their responsibilities. However, Saudi Arabia is taking steps to remedy the situation and has made relatively good progress in recent years.

Blockchain Technicality to Improve Management Experience in Higher Education System: The Case of Qassim University, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT This research aims to conduct a predictive study for determining the technological and systematic returns of applying blockchain technicality to improve management experience sharing at Qassim University. The study is quantitative in nature and uses descriptive research design. The population consists of teaching staff members and administrative employees at Qassim University in 2019-2020. The research sample is selected using the random sampling method to achieve the targeted sample size of 100 individuals. The study is quantitative in nature and uses descriptive research design. Results show a huge technological return of applying blockchain technicality to improve management experience sharing in the higher education system at Qassim University. Applying blockchain technicality is recommended because of its vast technological and systematic returns in improving management experience sharing in the Saudi higher education system in general and Qassim University in particular.

Predictive Validity of Saudi Admission Criteria for Freshmen Students’ English Performance: Experience of King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences

This study examines the relationship and correlation between initial admission criteria and English performance of first year students at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. The performance of 1,595 English language students was compared to the initial academic admission criteria to determine if a correlation exists between academic achievement pre and post admission. Admission criteria include high school grades, General Aptitude Test score (GAT), and Scholastic Achievement Admission Test scores (SAAT). Deep statistical analyses, including independent t tests and multiple linear regression reveal a correlation between pre and post admission performance. For this student population, GAT score was more predictive of English performance than SAAT scores, while the high school grade had no significant relationship to performance on the course. Furthermore, GAT had a higher predictive weight of 7% when compared individually with other admission criteria. However, in a combined model, all of the admission tests cumulatively predicted 17.3% of English performance. Such power is relatively low and requires additional variables to accurately predict a student’s final English score. This study provides unique analyses of performance within the Saudi higher education system and provides insight for those teaching or studying English as a second language. This study is therefore relevant for educators in universities using English for the instruction of non-English, native students and raises questions as to the value of current admission criteria.

Higher and Vocational Education and its Funding in Germany and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (A Comparative Study)

The study aimed at being familiar with the reality of the higher education system in Germany and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the vocational and technical education, scientific research, funding of higher education) and having a thorough knowledge of the powers and factors which affect the higher education system in Germany and Saudi and revealing the aspects of similarity and difference between the German and Saudi higher education system, and then developing proposed mechanisms to take advantage of the German higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To meet the goals of study: The two researchers used the comparative descriptive methodology using the introduction of George Bereday in comparative studies. The study concluded several conclusions, notably: There is total reliance in funding the Saudi higher education, and there is also deficiency in linking the technical and vocational education to the needs of labor market and this is as a result of not linking it to higher education and scientific research. Also, there is a deficiency in the programs of linking between scientific research and needs of labor market. This is as a result of the lack of cooperation of university with the gigantic industrial institutions and the lack of partnerships among them in employing scientific research for the service of community and needs of labor market, leading to the increase of gap among the deliverables of university and needs of Saudi labor market, on the contrary of comparison country (Germany) which is concerned with all sides of the programs which serve scientific research and community service, and meet the needs of labor market. The two researchers provided proposed mechanisms used in the comparison country: adopting the concept of productive university which is based on the basis of production and production through providing the educational and consulting services and community partnerships with the governmental and national institutions through: Adopting the applied researches in developing and augmenting the quality of companies' products, and holding partnership with companies or institutions to provide programs serving these institutions to take part in its goals, pay its costs, employ its deliverables, and activate the cooperative education in universities to take advantage of companies and institutions in training students and qualifying them for the labor market, and establish consulting centers that render services and its revenues will be for the university and scientific research, and establish business centers in universities, and annex the vocational and technical education to universities to realize the vision of 2030 and to keep pace with the requirements of labor market.

Larry Smith and Abdulrahman Aboummoh (eds): Higher education in Saudi Arabia: Achievements, challenges and opportunities

This book provides the audience with a detailed overview of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia. It joins a very small club of books written in the English language that seeks to enhance our understanding of higher education in Saudi Arabia. What separates this study from its predecessors is that it prescribes a remedy for the Kingdom’s inability to produce a significant level of knowledge workers. The book covers major aspects of the Saudi higher education system including its history, structure, governance, approach, teaching and learning methods, research output, quality and accreditation, development towards internationalisation, female education and private higher education in the Kingdom. The book consists of 17 chapters by 32 authors. 17 of whom are Saudi (53 %) from the Ministry itself and other local higher education institutions and 15 non-Saudi academics (47 %) from Australia, Ireland, South Korea, UK and USA. This in turn provides internal and also external perspectives on all issues discussed. In the initial chapters, chapters one to four, a general overview of the system is discussed. The glaring issue in this section seems to be an incessant focus on the inability of Saudi universities to attain ‘world class’ standards. The lack of realistic understanding is troubling, particularly when we realise that in order for the Saudi university sector to be considered ‘world class’ it would have to undergo a complete overhaul of the present system, an overhaul that would touch matters of governance leadership and public disquiet. Aleasa (2012) highlights these matters showing that the main issues are ‘autonomy and flexibility in decision-making’. This is because education is fully funded by the state, thus government influence remains an important factor. In the following chapters, chapters five to eight, the authors discuss some of the internal aspects of higher education. The quality of teaching and learning, we are told is a responsibility shared between academics, department chairs, college deans, university

A matter of degrees: The introduction of clinical doctorates to the Saudi higher education system and a comparative prospective from the American model

Recent unprecedented growth in Saudi population challenged its infrastructure and intensified demand for higher education and healthcare. In response, both the government and the private sector founded numerous colleges and universities, increasing the overall number from 8 to 49 institutions of higher education. A significant portion of the expansion has been in the health professions higher education, which also included the establishment of new teaching hospitals and other medical training facilities. As part of this growth, practice (clinical) doctorates have conspicuously made their presence felt in Saudi Arabia. The doctor of pharmacy is the first clinical doctorate that has been formally adopted as the terminal professional degree in the field. Others are in the works. Results are presented using descriptive methods. Data were collected from reviews of the literature and individual institutional websites of Saudi colleges, universities and salient governmental regulatory and national accrediting agencies. This article will introduce clinical doctorates, their status and state of implementation in the American health professions higher education system as a possible model. The article will review the current status of clinical doctorates’ implementation in Saudi Arabia. It will conclude with a recommendation for concerned stake holders, including policy makers, educators, and practitioners.