The Use of Cloud Computing in Higher Education: Reality, Expectation and Challenges.

1. The Use of Cloud Computing in Higher
Education:
Reality, Expectation and Challenges.
By:
Dr. Ibraheem Alzahrani. Al-Baha University
KSA
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assistant Professor in the College of Education
Department of Educational Technology
Chair of IT dept, Expert of e-learning at Al-Baha University
https://soton.academia.edu/IbraheemAlzahrani

2. The aims of the study
 To find out the reality and the expectation of applying cloud computing in
learning in Al-Baha University.
 To identify the obstacles and barriers that may be hindering the use of cloud
computing.
 To find solutions and recommendations that would help the teachers to use
cloud computing in learning in higher education.
 Knowing the infrastructure needs in clouds
used in higher education.

3. Definition of the key terms
The Reality:
in general reality means that the quality or state of being actual or true. With
regard to the present study the reality means the actual and current status of
using cloud computing among students at Al-Baha University.
Expectations:
The term expectation has been defined by Gorard et al, 2012, which refers to
what an individual beliefs about what might happen in the future. The
expectations in the present study is what we think, expect and hope of the use of
cloud computing as a learning tool after the students use it in this study.

4. Challenges:
Challenges can be defined as all barriers and obstacles that may face
students during their use of clouds as a learning tool. These challenges are
linked with the term infrastructures as shown in the figure below.

5. Implementation search strategy
Students have been asked to build their own account with any provider of cloud computing
they prefer to give them full freedom to choose any of: Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive,
iCloud.etc.
During the past three months, students used cloud computing as a tool to upload multiple
types of files such text, images, tables, etc. and to share this files with peers.
Several meeting were held among students in the class during the study period in order to
discuss any issue faced by them during using clouds.
At the end of the study period, students were asked to participate in answering the study
instrument (closed-ended questionnaire)
The data have been collected and analyzed in order to know the results and the
recommendations are written in the light of the results obtained.

6. For the results and to understand
Experience in using clouds mean that,
 Students have or have no idea about clouds in terms of:
 The meaning of the clouds,
 What the clouds contains of,
 How to use it in learning,
 What the basic requirements to use it, and what clouds looks like as a learning
technology.

7. I have good
experience
I have medium
experience
I have somewhat
experience
I have no
experience
Statements
19118Responses
3.4%31%37.9%27.5%Percentage
Results:
Measuring the reality of using cloud computing in students' academic life
Came from the information that students have about their previous experiences
about clouds in terms of:
Level of knowledge, ideas about how the clouds work and how to use the clouds in
learning.

8. Results:
Question two sought to identify to what degree students are satisfied to use
clouds in learning. The data collected for this question came as a result of
students' use of clouds in their learning during the first semester of 2015.
Not very usefulNeutral
(usefulness
not clear)
Somewhat
Useful
Extremely
useful
To what extent you convinced by the
usefulness of this technique in your study
34418Responses
10.3%13.7%13.7%56%Percentage
WeakGoodVery goodExcellentHow do you evaluate your achievements
in studying the cloud computing
10622Responses
3.4%0%20.6%57.8%Percentage
WeakGoodVery goodExcellentIn total: How do you evaluate yourself in
using the clouds after using it
10325Responses
3.4%0%10.3%86.2%Percentage

9. Results:
The third question sought to find out the main barriers and obstacles that may
face students during using clouds in learning.
Students asked to select a problem or obstacles that faced them during the
period of using clouds in learning.
The Internet and Computer, previous experience, Trust and finally Storage.
StorageTrustPrevious
experience
The internet
and
computer
What are the main problems
faced you during using cloud
computing
231014Responses
6.8%10.3%34.4%48.2%Percentage

10. Conclusion and recommendations:
 The majority of students have the desire to learn via cloud computing if they
can overcome on the barriers and the obstacles that may face applying this
technique (requirements of use and infrastructure).
 Most of students haven't enough experience to deal with clouds in terms of
uploading and sharing the documents and multiple files.
 The lack of students' experiences directly effects on students' desire to learn
via clouds and consuming the effort and time of the teacher when he or she
using the clouds in learning.
 The most challenges facing students during using clouds is that the level of
equipping the classroom was very weak and not suitable to use.
 The internet service is not available in most of time which makes students
postpone their work until they back home or accessing the internet with
others.

11. Conclusion and recommendations:
 The present study recommending students, teachers and decision makers in
Al-Baha University to take into account the importance of using cloud
computing in teaching and learning.
 The teachers have to concentrate their efforts on providing students with the
information and experiences about clouds in terms of how to use it and what
are their uses.

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