Perceptions and Barriers to the Adoption  of Blended Learning at a Research-Based  University in the United Arab Emirates

Thabet, Rawy; Hill, Christopher; Gaad, Eman

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Perceptions and Barriers to the Adoption of Blended Learning at a Research-Based University in the United Arab Emirates

Date

2021

Authors

Thabet, Rawy

Hill, Christopher

Gaad, Eman

Publisher

Springer, Cham

Abstract

This study investigates the academic staff’s perception of blended learn ing adoption in higher education (tertiary level) as well as the barriers to this adop tion. To this end, 6 academic staff, joining the faculty of education, in one of the research-based universities in the UAE, completed a self-administered survey. A mixed methods approach was used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. The results suggest that the academic staff are fully aware of the importance of inte grating blended learning. They are also ready to adopt any innovation that would help students advance in their study provided that the adoption and provision of these technologies are accompanied by professional training. The results also show that the only barrier that inhibits the adoption of technology is the lack of a clear policy on this integration and also the lack of blended learning-enabling software. This research paves the way for more research on the integration of blended learn ing at the tertiary level. It also raises some recommendation to the management of the university, where the study was conducted, to adopt more advanced features of Blackboard such as Blackboard collaborate.

Citation

Thabet R., Hill C. and Gaad E. (2021) “Perceptions and Barriers to the Adoption of Blended Learning at a Research-Based University in the United Arab Emirates,” Studies in Systems, Decision and Control, 295, pp. 277–294.