Running Head: FEMALE FACULTY MEMBERS USE OF TECHNOLOGY 1

Female Faculty Members Use of Technologies at Princes Norah University

Moan Alenezi

Northern Illinois University

ETR52
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Female Faculty Members Use of Technologies at Princes Norah University

Introduction

Technology has played a vital role in the current world. As a result of technology,

innovations have been made making digitalization to transpire. Through definition, technology is

accepted as the incorporation of various skills and techniques to accomplish particular

objectives. To accomplish the desire of technology, Saudi Arabia saw it was necessary that the

idea of technology become introduced in their specific various learning institutions. The reason

is that only through this system would the plan be well elaborated in the young generation who

hold tomorrows future. In Saudi Arabia, the influence of technology is therefore attributed to

the higher education school institutions. Higher education organizations are merely organizations

that engage in the providence of advanced education in a specific sector that determines one's

particular career. Therefore, it becomes true to admit that in the absence of higher education,

Saudi Arabia would long to understand and enjoy the benefits that come with technology. In

terms of education, the integration of ICT in education provides several benefits, including but

not limited to, increasing access to education by offering different options for educational

implementation (Hawkins, 2002), potentially improved equity in education (Robinson, 2008),

and potentially improved quality of instruction (Sanyal, 2001). The use of instructional

technology helps achieve educational goals, thrill students, draw their attention to the lesson,

bring the subject closer to their level of awareness, and improve their orientation towards the

subject of the lesson. The integration of ICT in higher education plays significant roles for the

implication of constructivism for learning and teaching (Nanjappa & Grant, 2003).
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Prince Norah University is an essential institution regarding technology in Saudi Arabia.

Prince Norah is a public university within the university that is offering higher education for

girls. The fact that the school is a university offering various courses proves that the university

provides higher education. The integration of instructional technology at Princess Norah

University is a slow but emerging process. This is due to the slow growth of technology in Saudi

Arabia as a whole and the low level of technological use in the rural areas of Saudi Arabia,

where many Princess Norah University students reside. The purpose of this qualitative study is to

investigate female faculty members use of technologies in their teaching at Princes Norah

University.

Literature Review

Technology has long been defined as the incorporation of individual skills and techniques

to accomplish a specific objective. Although the technology was first to initiate in the European

nations its impacts are today felt in the African and Arabian countries. To be precise, the Saudi

Arabia is significantly incorporating the use of technology in their country. As a result of this,

they have been able to advance their technology. The reason is because without advancement of

their technology, it would be difficult to understand technology and the different uses of

information and telecommunication. In order the emergence of technology in Saudi Arabia, it is

vital to examine the preliminary studies to get a glimpse of the currents state of technology,

higher education and Information and telecommunication in Saudi Arabia.

Technology in Saudi Arabia

According to an article by Al Emram (2015), most of the achievement in Saudi Arabia is

as a result of technology. In the article, the arguments championing this statement are the present
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of good infrastructure within the region. As a result of adequately built infrastructure,

developments have emerged since people become interested in establishing their areas within the

region. However, the article highlights that the success would be impossible if technological

knowledge and devices would not be endorsed in the buildings (Al Emram, 2015). The

technological tools include machinery that is digitalized such as the mobile phone and the

tractors. With the tractors, the buildings take place efficiently, and with the mobile phone

technology, the interaction is influenced making Saudi Arabia one of the countries that have

gone global.

The reason is that phones that are digitalized as a result of the advanced technology

provide a platform where people can transact their business online and interact individually on

other issues. In addition to this, the author states that the presence of technology in Saudi Arabia

has influenced the development of higher education systems for better utilization of the different

technologies present within the region. Regardless of this fact, it remains difficult to understand

how useful the higher education is in Saudi Arabia about technology without understanding the

concept of the higher education.

Higher education in Saudi Arabia

In the previous literature review, it was evident that understanding of technology requires

the knowledge of higher education. The reason is that only through the higher education system

do the students learn to make new technological discovered and the society how to use the

existing technologies. In his article, Jamjoom (2013) defines higher education as learning at an

advanced level that is mostly availed to students at the university. According to this report, the

education system in Saudi Arabia was not as beneficial as it is in this new generation.

Influencing this was the absence of higher education evident by the presence of universities.
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However, with the recognition of the role of the schools in advancing technology, Saudi Arabia

saw it necessary to establish higher learning education systems.

Without hesitation, the universities began to be established in the Saudi Arabia. Among

the first universities to be built was the King Saudi University which remains relevant today. The

university started in the year 1957 with minimal students (Jaamjoom, 2013). However, as the

years progressed more students enrolled in the King Saudi campus welcoming the need of more

universities in the area. Regardless of the fact that other schools and colleges were established,

the higher education systems still encountered a lot of challenges.

One of the challenges the higher education systems of Saudi Arabia was the issue of

equality of gender. Whereas the majority of the boys were allowed in the universities only a few

of the females were allowed to enroll in the studies. However, the article states that with time,

this idea diminished in value and institutions like the Prince Norah University which is solely for

girl emerged. The foundation besides championing equality in the higher education of Saudi

Arabia played a vital role in using and advancing technology.

Uses of ICT in Saudi Arabia higher education

According to the article by Srivastava and colleges, technology has resulted in the

invention and transpiration of the information and telecommunication (ICT) systems. Based on the

article, the ICT is the technologies that enable vital information to become transferred to people as

well as communication in general. The transmission of the education is enabling through various

signals for the system to work in the desired manner. With the advancement of technology,

information and telecommunication emerged. In as much as the systems are widely used within

the various institution of Saudi Arabia, they are commonly utilized by the students especially the

higher education students of Prince Norah University.

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In this article, Srivastava and colleagues admit that in the absence of the ICT system, it

would be challenging for the admission and registration to take place within the higher learning

organization. The reason is that though the various signals, the computerized devices within the

school can key in the names of the students within the school along with their information

(Srivastava, 2014). Through this, it becomes easy for students to make any clarification concerning

their details within a short time given their vast number.

Additionally, through the ICT, systems are created that ensure that every student had a

school nation identification card. Construction of these school identification cards of every student

would be complicated if manual means were the one to be solely applied. Agreeing with the ideas

in this journal is the journal titled Feminization in Saudi by Parveen. Through this article, it is clear

that the ICT is indeed utilized in the higher education systems. Therefore, the more top education

systems can barely do without these technology-based systems.

In an article by Aleibakan &Troudi ,2015), technologies have necessitated communication

in the Saudi Arabia institution. In learning, the disclosure is necessary whether it is performed

within a class or outside of class. In the article, a total of 93% use the technologies for

communication purposes. Influencing the high rate of communication through technological

strategies is the use of technical devices by the students. Such methods include the mobile phones

which the students use to communicate concerning classes and other vital information with regards

to their studies.

Further to this, the students along with the entire faculty employ the technology in

advancing their institution. The advancement is regarding infrastructure such as buildings and road

that make up the school. The buildings and roads within the school are advanced. The fact that the

structures are advanced in nature is a sign that the organization employs proper use of technology.
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In the absence of the use of technology, the infrastructure within the institution would not have

been in good shape (Aleibakan &Troudi, 2015). As a result of this, one can derive an impact of

technology on the advanced technology. Therefore, the use of the technology in infrastructure by

the university confirms the endorsement and value of technology within the organization.

By the journal by Hussein (2011), one cannot help but realize the incorporation of

international students within the university. In addition to this, e-learning is offered within the

institution to enable it to capture a lot of students hence their substantial profit. One of the

significant components of e-learning is the incorporation of highly advanced technology and

information telecommunications. Through information and telecommunication, the university can

use various platforms to ensure that the international students or students from foreign countries

access their facilities.

This would not be possible in the absence of the internet and the relevant machinery

effected through technology. As a result of this, there is no denying that the school utilizes the

technologies for learning purposes. To be precise for the e-learning services present in education

since the transpiration of global learning or rather still globalization (Hussein, 2011). Scholars

have defined e-learning as the act of proving learning services through the internet and available

stable network. Therefore, the University of Prince Norah uses technology to affect their functions

of global education through e-learning platforms and strategies.

According to Al-khalifa (2009), university students although mature can be quiet

challenging to handle. Such is the case when the students feel that their needs are not being

provided to them desirably. When such ideas emerge in the mind of the students, they may engage

in dangerous acts including planning strikes. As an institution, the administration must ensure that
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activities like strike do not occur within the school premises. However, it is challenging for the

university to control this if they do not use advanced technology means.

Once the Princes Norah University discovered this, they decided to purchase the CCTV

cameras that make monitoring of the students easy. The devices are not only used for tracking but

offering maximum security to all within the school (Al-khalaifa, 2009). Therefore, the female

university in Saudi Arabia uses technologies to guard and monitor all the happenings taking place

within the school. The step is a significant step because it assures the parents, students and the

tutors of safety which is the right of every human being.

Far from the journals applied above confirming the use of technologies within the Prince Norah

University is the report by Mills (2009). In his journal Mills does not only agree that the university

used technology but provided instances of how they use it to justify his arguments. According to

the researcher, meetings and conferences are necessities of every school including the Princes

Norah University. In this particular college, students and the administration use the technologies

to hold their meetings and various conferences effectively. In the meeting, communication and

interaction are significant.

For the interaction and communication to be conveyed efficiently the university uses high

technology materials such as the speakers and the microphones. In the absence of the use of

technology, the institution would not have managed to hold any meetings and relevant conferences

(Mills, 2009). Championed by the frequent meetings and conferences, the university uses highly

advanced technologies which are beneficial to everyone attending the meeting. The journal further

states that the school uses the technologies to avail examinations to the students and to offer

registration services to the students. About tests, the university employs the use of printers to

produce and reproduces examination papers.

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The examination papers once printed allow for the students to sit for their specific

examinations without straining. With regards to registration, identification of the students is a

prime responsibility in the institution (Mills, 2009). In the absence of a record, it becomes

difficult to recognize matters pertaining school fees and or any other rising issue of the students.

About this, the organization employed the computers to register their students to know the exact

number of students within the body and their fields of study.

Based on the information above, there is no denying that the Princes Norah University is

highly technological. Influencing these arguments is the numerous use of technology in running

the organization. The purpose of the technology has however made the university to become

recognized and accommodate many students within a short period. As a result of this the future

of technology about the Saudi Arabia is bright because of the students in the university are Saudi

Arabians, and because of the ICT courses, they gain knowledge which is useful in making Saudi

Arabia highly advanced about technology.

Theoretical Framework

This study will draw on Rogers well-known model of diffusion theory. Rogers model

(2003) discusses diffusion of innovation for individuals and organizations. Pursuant to this

theory, 'Diffusion refers to the process through which innovation is communicated across

different channels over time to members of a certain social fabric' (Rogers, 1995, p.5). This

model defines five crucial elements that determine the extent to which an innovation is adopted:

Features of the Innovation: Innovation can be described as any practice, object, or idea

that is viewed as novel by a social system. The features of an innovation refer to its

constituent functionalities which market it.

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Type of the Innovation: Admittedly, not all innovations are the same. The problems that a

new innovation seeks to solve determine whether it is suitable for a particular society or

not. A suitable and practical innovation is likely to be better adopted.

Communication/Transmission Channel: According to Rogers (1995, p. 17),

communication refers to the process through which information is created and then

shared among participants so as to come to a mutual understanding. Communication

Channel is the means through which this information is transmitted within the social

framework. The communication channels can be categorized between interpersonal

channel and mass media (Rogers, 1995).

Composition of the Social System: The type of individuals in a given society determine

whether new technology shall be adopted and if so, how fast. As it shall be discussed

later, there are five categories of adopter categories. Adopter categories are just a

classification of individuals depending on how fast they adopt new technology.

Extend of Promotion by the Change Agent (Ellsworth, 2000). Every new technology

requires plenty of marketing and advertisement to make people aware of its existence.

Subsequently, innovations that are marketed and widely advertised are more likely to

enjoy a wider adoption.

In the next section, the research findings shall be discussed. These findings shall also be

discussed in light of Rogers diffusion theory.

Methodology

This section addresses with research questions, methods of data collection. It also

provides a description of potential study participants, an overview of conducting data analysis.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate female faculty members use of
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technologies in their teaching at Princes Norah University. The questions for this

research are as follows:

What types of technologies do female faculty members use in teaching at Princes Norah

University?

How do female faculty members use technologies in lesson preparation and teaching at

Princes Norah University?

From The female faculty members perspectives, what are the factors that encourage the

use of technologies tools in teaching?

From the female faculty members perspectives, what are the factors that limit the use of

technologies tools in teaching?

Description of site and participants:

The official name of Saudi Arabia is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is an Arab

Islamic state that occupies the greater part of the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia is the most

gender-segregated country. Saudi Arabia is located in the southwestern corner of Asia.

Saudi Arabia has paid great attention to the higher education. The Ministry of Higher

Education was established by Royal Decree in 1975 and given responsibility for overseeing the

planning and coordination of the needs of the Kingdom in the field of higher education to

provide the nation with human capital specialized in a variety of areas to serve national

development objectives (Ministry of Higher Education, 2012).

In Saudi Arabia, there are 21 government universities, six private universities, and eighteen

private colleges, which offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in various fields. In 1997, the

Council of Ministers approved the private sectors creation of non-profit educational

institutions on the basis of administrative, scientific, economic, and financial grounds to

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contribute to the development needs, complementing the role played by public universities

(Ministry of Higher Education, 2012).

Princess Norah bent Abdulrahman University is located in Riyadh city and is considered the

first university in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia especially for girls. The University was

established in 2008, and is the largest female university in the world. The number Faculty

members in Education college at Princess Norah University is 22 members. Princess Nora

University is the largest female university in the world. The university now has 15 colleges that

together educate more than 40,00 students each year. This qualitative case study will utilize a

purposeful sample of four participants from Princes Norah University. The focus of this research

will be on female faculty members at Princes Norah University.

Participants

The participants in this study are female faculty members who teach in Princess Nora

University in Saudi Arabia. I interviewed only four female teacher-educators currently teaching

at the University of Princess Norah. Two of them have ten years or more experience in education

in higher education. And two of them have less than ten years experience in education in

higher education. The study took place in the females Teachers Education College at the

University of Princess Nora University in Saudi Arabia. The language of instruction at the

college is the Arabic language.

Data collection procedures

This study is a qualitative study that involves the used interviews via Skype software. An

invitation email sent to each participant to ask for their participation. The consent form will also

state that the interview questions would be provided to the participants before the interview and

that the participants could decline to answer any question that made them feel uncomfortable.
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Each participant I interviewed on an individual basis. Each interviewed last between 45 to 60

minutes. Each interviewed audio recorded after receiving the participants permission. For this

study, I provided the participants with an explanatory statement that state the purpose of the

research and the time required of the participants, expected inconvenience. I provided the

participants with a consent form that made it clear that participation in this study is voluntary and

that the participant is under no obligation to be involved in the effort. Also, I was provided with a

finding report of the study. In order, I got permission from the gatekeeper at Princes Norah

University, an explanation letter about the aim and data collection was provided to the

gatekeeper. In an attempt to build the relationship between the researcher and participants,

interviews began with background questions.

I conducted in-depth and open interviews with four females teacher educators at the

Faculty of Education at Princess Nora University. Every participant was interviewed on an

individual basis. The three types of data collection in qualitative methods include in-depth and

open interviews, observation, and written documents (Patton,2003). I selected interviews as the

essential source of data collection because "open questions and fields give in-depth answers to

people's experiences, perceptions, opinions, feelings, and knowledge." The data consists of literal

quotations with sufficient context to be interpretable (Patton, 2003, p.2).

Data analysis

According to Ary, Jacobs, Sorensen, and Razavi (2010), data analysis has been subjected

to three stages (i.e., organization and definition; coding and reduction; interpretation and

representation). At the stage of organization and definition, I became familiar with the data
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collected by listening to interviews recorded on the tape. Then I copied the interviews recorded

in the tape and took reflective notes on the data. After that, I organized the data according to the

source. In the coding and reduction phase, I sorted the data for each participant in the meaning

units, where I encoded or labeled each unit with a meaningful title. All units are placed with the

same code in one class. Once categories are established, I did link similar categories and related

topics. Then I merge categories and topics of each participant together.

The final stage of the analysis of the data was explained and represented the stages in

which the researcher derived the meaning, relations, and visions from the data. Also, the

researcher reported the main findings and implications of the study. The process I used in coding

for Participants is that I highlighted commonalities within the dialogue, then I counted each word

or phrase to find the major themes. I then created concepts based on the major themes then I

created subcategories from the within the themes. I counted the subcategories then listed them in

numerical order to determine how often each word or phrase was mentioned. I used these codes

to determine commonalities among the use of technology at Princess Norah University

Researcher role

The researcher was a teacher assistant at Princes Norah university, the researcher noticed

that there was some weak knowledge of the importance of the use of ICT among some

department heads, and a lack of persuasion among faculty members regarding the use of

technologies and e-learning, as some considered it to be a fad. The administrative constraints

included a lack of adequate support from the administration and the high resistance of some

faculty members to any change or development in the academic departments. The researcher

wants to know Do faculty members at the Prince's University consider the use of technology

education necessary.
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Result

Findings

In general, the research findings demonstrated similarities and divergences in the extent

to which the teaching staff incorporated technology in the classroom. Evidently, whether to

integrate technology into teaching is a conscious decision made by the staff members. In

light of this, this section shall begin by providing insight into the research outcomes. These

shall then be compared against Rogers Diffusion model of Diffusion theory.

Summary of Findings

The first interview D, subject has experience of less than a decade in higher education.

She uses technology tools such as Internet, e-mail and conferencing mainly for professional

reasons. E-Mail is, for instance, used for administrative purposes and the internet is used to

search for information and social networking. On the other hand, she never uses publishing

software tools such as In-Design and Page Maker in both academic and personal life.

Evidently, the adoption of technology is guided by its suitability in her day-to-day activities.

Thus, since she has never encountered circumstances which call for the usage of publishing

tools, she never makes any effort to learn them. In a typical lecture, however, she uses tools

such as power point, MS-Word and hardware such as laptops and projectors to create an

effective lesson. The electronic library is, however, probably the most important program for

educational purposes. She further adds that the adoption of technology is beneficial as it

helps students learn better and comprehend the subject matter more. It also saves a lot of

time. Nevertheless, she asserts that there are still some faculty members who do not

understand these benefits and continue using conventional means such as markers. She,
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however, asserts that one disadvantage of technology is the lack of ability to verify the

veracity of information and filter out credible information.

The second interview subject A, also uses technology. Her usage of technology is driven by

her needs and the applicability of this technology in her studies and career. For instance, she uses

Skype and voice conferencing for communication with colleagues in different geographical

locations and emails for communication with other students and the professors. In addition, she

draws upon search engines and tools like Google Scholar to access crucial academic information.

Furthermore, the SPSS software is indispensable in conducting statistical analysis of data.

Nevertheless, she believes that the digital camera shall not be used extensively in the current

academic year because the current projects do not require it. Similarly the nature of her course

does not warrant the usage of publishing tools such as page maker. She admits that her adoption

of technology is informed by the fact that it provides room for flexibility and it is easy to use.

Her only problem is that some technologies have excessive and superfluous functionalities which

are not necessary.

For the third interview subject B, the usage of internet and e-mails is pivotal in the day-to-

day affairs of his profession. In addition to academic purposes, this interview subject also uses

technology in her personal life for activities like designing magazines and books. Her interest

was initially piqued out of curiosity. Over the years, however, her adoption of new technologies

has been guided by its feasibility in her career. For instance, she is now learning the Java

programming language because she views it as a qualification for future career opportunities.

Her leadership qualities are further evinced by the fact that she designs her own web pages and

online electronic questionnaires without employing the services of a computer engineer.

According to her, the costs associated to technology are not high. Moreover, she is always
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conscious of presenting a perfect lecture, which is often facilitated by technology such as digital

cameras and word processors. However, if she feels that certain technology is not necessary, she

avoids it. In this regard, she uses social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter sparingly

during work but more frequently while on holiday. Her greatest fear of using technology,

however, is electrical or technological failure that may occur while presenting a lecture. For

instance, in this year, she lost the translation of two entire chapters of a book that she was

writing.

The fourth interview subject C, has just four years of experience in the profession. Similar to

the others, the internet, emails and the electronic library are the three most frequently used

technology tools. Publishing tools and digital cameras are also not extensively used due to a lack

of need. She also asserts that she is not afraid to face any technological challenge. The internet

abounds with enough resources and tutorials. At the same time, she rarely uses databases such as

Eric and Pro Quest. Compared to the other interview subjects, this one seems to take time before

adopting new technologies. In light of these results, the next section measures these findings

against the Rogerss Model of Diffusion Theories.

Applications of Rogers Diffusion Theories

Rogers Decision Making Process

As already alluded to, the divergence in technological adoption among different

individuals is best explained using Roger's model on the decision-making process. According to

this model, the decision-making process on whether or not to adopt a new technology comprises

5 key stages: Knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation and confirmation.

Knowledge: When one comes across a new technology, one does not have much information

on the technology. Thus, one does not care about it at all in the initial stages. At this point, one
 FEMALE FACULTY MEMBERS USE OF TECHNOLOGY 18

can either opt to acquire more information on this new technology or not. If one opts to learn

more about this technology, then one is able to make a conscious and better informed decision on

whether to adopt it or not.

Persuasion: In this stage, one has gained enough interest in the new technology to decide

whether to use it or not. All that is left to confirm adoption is persuasion. There are different

ways through which individuals are persuaded to adopt technology. Peer pressure and the need to

connect with friends is, for instance, enough reason to persuade one to join a social networking

site; the teacher requirements to use certain software to complete a task or assignment also

persuades students to learn how the software functions.

Decision: In this stage, the individual should make the decision on whether to adopt the

technology or not. If the individual has been persuaded enough, then he or she adopts the

technology.

Implementation and Confirmation: Once the technology has been adopted, the individual

begins using the technology and making assessments. If satisfied, the individual confirms the

adoption by continuing to extensively use the technology (see Appendix B for a graphical

representation of these five stages)

Rogers Technology Adopted Categories

In addition, the swiftness with which the individual educators adopt the new technology

can be explained by Roger's assertions on the 5 adopter categories. Rogers (2003) postulates that

the characteristics of a population with regards to how it embraces innovations can be divided

into the five so-called adopter categories. These are:

Innovators: these are individuals that are at the forefront when it comes to trying out new

innovations. In many cases, these individuals are adventurous and exhibit great interest in
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testing novel ideas. They are ready to take risks, whether calculated or not. At the same

time, they are pioneers when it comes to developing new ideas.

Early Adopters: These individuals play leadership roles in steering the opinions of others.

They embrace change easily because they are already aware of its necessity. They take

self-initiative and just need guidance in adopting new technologies through media such as

information sheets and how-to manuals.

Early Majority: Although they rarely lead, these individuals adopt new ideas relatively

fast compared to the average person. They, however, have to see empirical evidence of

the benefits of the innovation before adopting it. Thus, success stories of these

innovations are the most effective way of convincing these individuals into adopting this

innovation.

Late Majority: These individuals exhibit a rather high level of skepticism which is only

abated after the early majority has adopted the new technology.

Laggards: This category comprises conservative individuals that are bound by traditions.

Their level of criticism is much higher than that of the late majority and it is thus even

more difficult to convince them to adopt innovations (Please see appendix B for a

graphical representation of these five adopter categories).

Theoretical Application of the Findings

From these findings, it is clear how the Rogers decision making model is applicable to the

incorporation of technology into the lessons. First, the staff members are made knowledgeable

about the technologies through training and provision of the necessary hardware tools such as

laptops. Through the university policies and the expectations from the management to

incorporate technology in teaching, they are persuaded to integrate the technology in lesson
 FEMALE FACULTY MEMBERS USE OF TECHNOLOGY 20

planning. Each staff member has then to make conscious decisions on what technologies to

employ in the classroom. This may be challenging in the first phases. However, if successful,

then the implementation and confirmation stages follow.

With regards to adopter categories, it can be safely asserted that the first staff members are

early adopters. The fourth interview subject C, may be categorized as a late majority. She takes

time and needs a lot of persuasion before adopting a new technology. Not only do all these staff

members effectively incorporate technology in their profession, but also use it extensively in

their personal lives. Some have further taken the initiative of teaching themselves programming

languages in preparation for future opportunities. This is an indicator of leadership. At the same

time, it was also noted that the adoption of technology by all the interview subjects was guided

by its practicability in their professions. These are also indicators of early adopters.

These findings have a number of ramifications. First, a culture of innovation has to be

inculcated among the teaching staff so that they increasingly incorporate technology into their

practice. At the same time, however, different strategies need to be employed to pique the

interest of the different adopter categories. For instance, the second interview subject

acknowledges that the banner system enjoys very little usage among the university professors

and students particularly because they are not well trained to use it. At the same time, there is a

language barrier because while the banner system is predominantly in the English language, a

great majority of the students have poor command of this language.

Moreover, the university should continue providing the staff members with equipment

such as laptops to ensure that they continue using technology. This shall in turn boost the

performance of the students and boost the university standing in society.

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Answer to the Research Question

What types of technologies do female faculty members use in teaching at Princes Norah

University?

The result of the qualitative data indicated that participants use ICT as tools of

communication, presentation, management, information collection, and data analysis. However,

the participants use ICT for both personal and educational purposes. For personal purposes, the

most popular uses of ICT were communication purposes. Participants indicated that they use

synchronous and asynchronous communication tools. The most popular asynchronous

communication tools were e-mail and social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. Among the

synchronous communication tools, participants reported that they use audio and video

conferencing such as Skype. Sometimes, the personal use of conferencing systems turned out to

be for educational purposes. For instance, D pointed that he might accidentally meet students on

Skype who might ask some education-related questions. In addition, D reported that he uses

advanced software and programming languages related to website design and image possessing

for personal purposes. Some participants reported using digital cameras for personal purposes.

How do female faculty members use technologies in lesson preparation and teaching at

Princes Norah University?

All the participants reported using technologies for different purposes. For example,

participants reported that they use technologies in teaching students and conducting research. For

example, faculty members use technology to present educational material, communicate with

student by email, share educational content, looking for academic studies, preparing lectures.
 FEMALE FACULTY MEMBERS USE OF TECHNOLOGY 22

From The female faculty members perspectives, what are the factors that

encourage the use of technologies tools in teaching?

One of the perceived factors that promote the use of technologies is related to personal

interest and desire. For instance, A,B,C,D mentioned that the motivation that one of the reason

she like to use technology is self- desire. She indicated that this is the main motivation for using

technology in her life. Another reason was mentioned by the participants is that the availability

of the required technologies in their work place would encourage them to use it for teaching and

persons research. In addition to that, participants reported that, providing training and workshop

in using emerging technology in teaching would help them to use it in their academic work. For

instance, A, B, C, D reported that universities should work on how to make faculty be motivated

and desire to teach using technologies.

From the female faculty members perspectives, what are the factors that limit the use of

technologies tools in teaching?

Regarding the factors that limit the use of technologies in teaching, all participants reported

that the lack of the required technology is a main factor that limit them to use technology in

teaching. For example, A, B, C, D, stated that there is a lack of periodic maintenance of the

equipment inside the lecture rooms, sometimes the professor come ready to provide his lecture

then he would find the projector is broken or the cable is not good. Another factor was

mentioned by the participants is that students technology proficiency in technology. Participants

reported that some student do not know how to use some technology or they do not have it.
 FEMALE FACULTY MEMBERS USE OF TECHNOLOGY 23

Discussion

As has been sufficiently shown, the integration of technology in the teaching practice at

the university is not only expected but has also been widely adopted. All the interview subjects

concur in the view that technology is vital in conducting an effective and efficient lesson. The

benefits are enjoyed by both the students and the staff members. Despite the few challenges such

as language barrier, electrical and technology challenges, the associated benefits far outweigh the

setbacks. This adoption has, in fact, facilitated student comprehension of the subjects and made

the lessons more interactive.

This study, though limited to a single institution, has a broader significance to higher

education in general. The universitys success is a clear indicator that education institutions

ought to leverage on technology to both streamline their operations as well as to boost their

performance. In addition, these institutions should invest heavily in training in order to enhance

the adoption and usage of these technologies. The challenges and setbacks mentioned in the

research findings should be taken into consideration while making such decisions.

Subsequently, all educational stakeholders and policies are impacted in one way or

another. Teachers are, for instance, expected to learn at least two technologies that they shall

integrate into their lessons. In order to enforce this, amendments shall have to be made to the

educational policies in which the expectations, procedures of technology selection and

ramifications of failing to meet these standards are outlined.

The findings of this research have demonstrated that further research needs to be

conducted into student performance among institutions that rely heavily on technology and those

that do not. Many assertions have been made that students in East Asian educational institutions

which employ technology only sparingly tend to perform better than their counterparts in
 FEMALE FACULTY MEMBERS USE OF TECHNOLOGY 24

developed economies. A comprehensive comparison needs to be drawn between these categories

of institutions and the extent to which technology should be integrated into education also ought

to be determined. Nevertheless, this paper draws the conclusion that incorporation of technology

in teaching is extremely vital.

 FEMALE FACULTY MEMBERS USE OF TECHNOLOGY 25

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APPENDICES

APPENDIX A
Adopter Categories
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APPENDIX B
APPENDIX B

Five Stages in the Decision Innovation Process