WEB ACCESSIBILITY COMPLIANCE TO WCAG 2.0 STANDARD: A CASE OF A MALAYSIAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITY

Most universities now communicate, exchange pertinent information, and facilitate transactions among their stakeholders through their websites. Website accessibility is, therefore, essential to ensure equal access to information from the institution regardless of their physical limitations and other potential restrictions. Based on ACHECKER and WAVE, the objective was to present the features of non-compliance to WCAG 2.0 standard and ways to overcome for a Malaysian public university homepage. The study found a low degree of compliance with the WCAG 2.0, respectively.  Parsing, labels or instruction, headings and labels, link purpose, resize text and information and relationship are some of the aspects that require rapid attention. It is possible to further improve issues with navigation, adaptability, input assistance, compatibility, empty links, and empty headings. An expert’s insights indicated that without proper monitoring from the higher authority of the government body like MAMPU, the web accessibility would remain partially or completely inaccessible to certain sectors of the population. Overall, this study provides insightful information, especially to web designers who can better adhere to the standards when creating their websites. Keywords: ACHECKER, WAVE, a Malaysian public university, WCAG 2.0, web accessibility

What is revealed about disability services and how they are communicated to autistic students in higher education institutions in the UK and Saudi Arabia through the medium of the university website: A documentary analysis

Disability services in higher education (HE) settings broadly focus on removing barriers to learning and enhancing students’ learning and development. This research focuses on understanding how disability services are presented to students with autism in the websites of Saudi and UK HE institutions. University websites are especially important for students with disabilities, including students with autism, as these are likely to be the first medium they encounter regarding how a university views them and responds to their needs. However, little, if any, research seems to have previously been conducted in this area. A clear need therefore exists to understand how the disability services presented to this population are mediated via such websites. The research project reported in this thesis was conducted in three stages. The first stage involved identifying the types of services that seem to be offered to university students with autism in the websites of 153 UK and 58 Saudi Arabian universities, as well as manually evaluating the visibility and navigability of these websites using a set of criteria. Identifying the types of services that seem to be offered in HE institutions’ websites helped develop a better understanding of these services and facilitated the second stage of this research. The second stage involved a sample of 15 Saudi and UK HE institutions’ websites that seemed to offer autism-specific services rather than just generic services, which were examined through in-depth discourse analysis and thematic analysis. This stage closely evaluated how HE institutions communicated their autism-specific provisions to the visitors of their websites. The third stage involved content analysis and thematic analysis of the websites of four universities—two from Saudi Arabia and two from the UK—as well as a comparison of these universities in terms of the influences that seemed to shape the organisation of their disability services. This stage aimed to understand the differences between the UK and Saudi contexts in the disability services offered to autistic students. The findings of this research show the nature of the provision offered according to the websites of Saudi and UK universities and the way this provision is communicated. The results of this study may benefit students on the autism spectrum, as well as professionals in the field, by revealing how disability service centres seem to understand the needs of university students with autism, as portrayed through their websites

Developing and Assessing a Social Networking Framework for Universities in Saudi Arabia

The interactive capacities of social networking have unleashed the potential for enhancing teaching and learning in the higher education sector. This research focuses on Saudi Arabia in order to determine the factors that must be considered for developing a social networking framework for the use in universities. The main research outcome is a social networking framework for higher education in Saudi Arabia which can be used by a range of stakeholders within higher educatio

Exploring Views of Teachers, Teacher Trainees and Educational Experts about E-Learning-based Teacher Training Programs in Saudi Arabia: An Empirical Study

Technological developments have led to changes in teacher training processes globally. In Saudi Arabia, a variety of e-learning platforms and processes have been adapted in education and within teacher training processes. However, there is lack of knowledge and understanding of what types of e-learning teacher training programs exist in the country. This research aims to identify and explore the existing systems and to recommend the features that should be included in the future platforms for Saudi Arabia. To accomplish the study adopts a mixed-methods research design consisting the use of literature review, questionnaire, semi-structured interviews to identify and analyse the existing e-learning systems. The study sample included 432 teachers and educational experts randomly selected among the wider population of teachers, trainee teachers and educational experts. 216 teachers, teacher trainees, and professionals/experts working within teacher training were interviewed while another 216 experts in e- learning and use of technology in training and education were also included in the study. The main data was analyzed through the use of statistical package program (SPSS). The central results indicate no statistically significant differences in the respondents’ views and that the existing teacher training system in Saudi Arabia are diverse, generic and generally lack any focus in teacher training. The research concluded that further investigations should be carried out to analyse the existing teacher training approaches and how technology is used in this process. It calls for development of a strategic plan by the government and those involved in teacher training on how technology can be adapted and used in improving teacher training by working with all parties involved. Finally, it outlines a summary of features to be included in future e-learning teacher training programmes based on the findings of this research

Arabic localisation: key case studies for translation studies

This thesis investigates the practices of Arabic localisation as it presents a neglected area of localisation research, localising to a developing market. The thesis aims to establish a connection between localisation and Translation Studies, by exploring the ways in which this area can be theorised starting from the approaches developed by Lawrence Venuti (in particular the notions of foreignisation and domestication), and Christiane Nord (translation as interpersonal activity). Creating a theoretical framework which marries the cultural turn and functionalist approaches helps address the dynamics of Arabic localisation on both micro and macro levels. The thesis also aims to provide a holistic view of Arabic localisation, by considering translation processes and outcomes, and by attempting to understand how Arabic localisation is perceived by its target audience. In order to achieve these goals, the thesis presents three case studies devoted, respectively, to the FIFA 15 video game, the Knorr website and the educational platform Blackboard Learn. It follows a mixed method approach to answer about the unique nature of each case study. This includes text analysis which covers each medium’s localisation literature, the Arabic translated content of the selected products and related business articles. In addition, relevant online materials, such as gaming fora and Youtube gaming channels, are analysed to assess the response of the FIFA and Knorr target audience to the translation they receive. Due to the privacy of Blackboard Learn’s content and users, access to a student’s and an instructor’s accounts were sought from an Arabic university, and a questionnaire was developed to assess quantitatively and qualitatively the Arabic users’ response to the platform’s Arabic localisation. The significance of this thesis lies in its methodology and findings. Employing strategies from a range of backgrounds, academic, professional and social, produces a novel methodology for translation research and for addressing the complexity of the discipline of localisation, as well as understanding the effect of its technical and commercial aspects on translation practices and outcomes. By approaching localisation from a Translation Studies perspective, the thesis contributes to both disciplines. The thesis highlights the ways in which localising to a developing market is different from many of the practices discussed in the localisation literature. In addition, the context of Arabic localisation proves to be a fertile ground where Venuti’s theory of foreignisation and domestication can be relocated, and the debate about it acquires new nuances

Parental Influences on the Internet Use by Children in Saudi Arabia

The advancement in technology has undoubtedly enriched the world, both socially and culturally, leading to concerns and unintended consequences surrounding both accessibility and its usage. The concerns of parents on their children’s internet usage have been one of the main reasons behind identifying ways and means to mediate children’s internet access and usage effectively. Even though it is recognised that internet usage has many positive influences on children, there are also concerns about the possible negative impact. For parents in Saudi Arabia (SA), mediating children’s internet usage is a significant concern due to the increasingly easy access to the internet and the likely negative impact on the children. These concerns and existing literature formed the basis for this research which sought to investigate the parental mediation of children’s internet usage in Saudi Arabia. Specifically, the research questions ask what the intensity of children’s participation in internet activities is and how effective is parental mediation in controlling usage is? In what way do social and cultural factors motivate parents to practice regulative and restrictive mediation of their child’s internet usage. Furthermore, does excessive internet usage result in negative or inappropriate consequences regarding children’s behaviour? This research adopted a multiple paradigm approach which utilised both qualitative and quantitative approaches to collect and analyse data. Data collection for this research was through a questionnaire survey (involving 700 children and 465 parents) randomly selected, and semi-structured interviews involving 23 parents. Analysis of the data suggested that parental mediation of children’s internet usage in Saudi Arabia is a major issue. The key findings from this research indicate a very high level of internet use among children in Saudi Arabia. Approximately, 64% of the respondents indicated that they use the internet on a daily basis spending between 2 to 6 hours on the internet. Video sharing was identified to be the most common use of the internet by the children. The main drivers for parental mediation of children’s internet usage in SA were identified as the need to ensure children were trained to adhere to Islamic teachings and social values, the security of children and misinformation of children. Mediation strategies adopted by parents ranged from controlling the amount of times children spent on the internet; restricting children’s access to potentially dangerous websites, and advising children on safety issues on the internet. The implications of the research results and recommendations for ensuring effective mediation of children’s internet usage in SA are discussed in the study.Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Saudi Arabi

A framework of mobile transaction use: the user’s perspective

The remarkable advances of mobile technologies and the prevalence of mobile devices have profoundly transformed telephony systems. They provide functionalities which surpass telephony needs, and which motivate the development of value-added mobile services and functions. The number of mobile phones in use far exceeds any other technical devices that could be used to market, sell, produce, or deliver products and services to consumers. These developments open lucrative opportunities to retailers and service providers. The literature highlights the fact that mobile transactions (m-transactions) are one of the most critical incentives for successful mobile commerce (m-commerce). However, the successfulness of m-transaction systems in Saudi Arabia requires a strong acceptance of the Saudi consumers. The importance of this study is accentuated by the fact that mobile commerce and its services are still in their infancy and there is still an apparent lack of acceptance of mobile transactions amongst Saudi users. Research needs to address the issue of acceptance of m-transactions from the user’s perspective, particularly within developing countries as they suffer from a noticeable lack of studies in this field. This research initially starts with a comprehensive literature review about the critical factors affecting the acceptance and use of electronic commerce (e-commerce), m-commerce and focuses on m-transactions, including different technology acceptance models and theories, helping to investigate whether there exists an effective comprehensive framework for adopting m-transactions within the context of Saudi Arabia and, more specifically, from a consumer’s perspective. Furthermore, to emphasize the true value measure of m-transaction, we must comprehend and evaluate the potency and limitations of mobile purchasing and the key factors affecting the m-transaction use decision. M-transactions hold a huge potential for online business and sales, but merely having an m-transaction service “hosted” on the World Wide Web (WWW) should not lead us to believe that customers will rush into mobile commercial websites for their desired products. Recognising that fact and realizing that there are different important factors and concerns over m-transactions playing a significant role, highlight the need for investigating and developing a framework that encompasses the critical factors affecting the intention to use m-transaction within the context of a Saudi consumer’s perspective. In order to achieve this goal, this study evolved in several stages aiming to reach a satisfactory level of maturity. These stages can be divided into three main phases: (1) exploratory phase which contains three exploratory studies which helped to add the cultural qualities as a further dimension that would play a significant role in such a unique cultural region. Consequently, a holistic framework is integrated that includes the key factors affecting the intention to use m-transactions. This framework is empirically validated in (2) a further study using a statistically representative sample size of 1008 Saudi users from different demographic backgrounds. The empirical analysis revealed that security, ease of use, usefulness, social influence, navigational structure, telecommunication infrastructure, individualism, masculinity, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and visual appeal have a significant impact on the intention to use m-transactions. Amongst those factors, ease of use was the most significant influential factor. Therefore, this led to (3) another study aiming to empirically investigate the level of ease of use (usability) of conducting m-transactions within the Saudi context. In total, this research comprised five different empirical studies to extend our understanding of the phenomenon of m-transactions. The ultimate product of this research is to develop a consolidated framework for the intention to use m-transactions, combined with a set of recommendations for mobile websites and application developers, designers, government, and other organizations that intend to extend their business in the mobile commerce area, and this should eventually benefit the users

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SOCIAL NETWORK IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN SAUDI ARABIA: ACTION RESEARCH TO DEVELOP AN E-LEARNING CONCEPTUAL MODEL BASED ON BLOG TOOLS

During the last two decades, there has been great interest in integrating computers and technology in higher education. Currently web tool services for learning have attracted researchers in the field of education technology to integrate eLearning within the learning environment. In particular, the Internet has become an increasingly important and novel feature of the modern learning environment. Amongst the innovations, a certain tool has become extremely popular worldwide. It is known as web 2.0. It is a read/write web. Blogs (web logs) are one its fastest growing features. The researcher investigated the exciting prospect of developing an eLearning environment by utilizing and applying effective blogs. To date there has been little use of blogs as online tools in higher education, especially in Saudi Arabia. This study concerned the disclosure of more understanding of the use of web 2.0 applications in higher education in Saudi universities. The first purpose of this study was to develop an eLearning model for web 2.0. Its second purpose was to examine learners’ perceptions and attitudes toward web 2.0 applications, i.e. blog tools by exploring the relationship between learners’ attitudes toward blog tool instructions and factors identified as potentially influencing these attitudes. This research adopted an approach based on an interpretive philosophical paradigm accompanied by a qualitative methodology coupled with action research methods. Learning theories were considered as a theoretical framework. The learning theories considered was Behaviorism, Cognitive and Constructivism with Bloom’s Taxonomy and Boud’s Model. Data was collected qualitatively and analyzed thematically. Triangulation was conducted upon the outcomes of the questionnaires, interviews, observations and blog content analysis. This research made four main contributions. First, it identified the factors that influenced learner acceptance for the use of blog tools in higher education. Second, it investigated the relationship between learners’ attitudes and their acceptance of the utilization of blog tools within their learning environment. Third, it responded to calls from the literature review to investigate blog utilization by conducting an in-depth investigation that utilized qualitative methodology with action research. Lastly, it provided further insight and a better understanding of blog usage with respect to structured/ unstructured learning environments.Minister of Higher Education, Saudi Arabi