A New Model for Enhancing Student Portal Usage in Saudi Arabia Universities
Received: 13 March 2021 | Revised: 4 April 2021 | Accepted: 13 April 2021 | Online: 12 June 2021
Corresponding author: S. S. T. Alatawi
Abstract
Portals are gateways that provide users with the information they need from different sources and display it on a single page. It is important to see that universities utilize the resources and services provided by their student portals. With the rapid development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia aims to develop and improve student portals by providing high-quality teaching services through the university portal systems. This paper discusses the importance of student portal usage in Saudi Arabian universities and investigates the factors that influence the utilization of student portals as perceived by the students of the Saudi universities. Based on these factors, a model is proposed which identifies students’ expectations about the Saudi university portals. A quantitative methodology was employed to develop the model. The results revealed that 8 out of 10 factors of the model are significant and positively affect student portal usage. The enhancement of student portals based on the identified significant factors will assist the universities to increase their utilization and their provided services.
Keywords:
university portal, higher education, e-services, e-learning, quality of service, utilization of student portals, ICTDownloads
References
N. Nasirun, S. M. Noor, Z. M. Nor, H. Ahmat, and Z. Ahmad, "Perceived Web Service Quality for Students’ Portal in Higher Learning Institution," in International Proceedings of Economics Development and Research, 2012, vol. 56, pp. 52–56.
H. Al-Dossari, "A Heuristic Based Approach for Usability Evaluation of Academic Portals," International Journal of Computer Science & Information Technology, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 15–30, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5121/ijcsit.2017.9302
M. Mansourvar and N. M. Yasin, "Web portal As A Knowledge Management System In The Universities," World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, vol. 70, pp. 968–974, 2010.
N. Thomas-Alvarez and L. Mahdjoubi, "Testing the effectiveness of a web-based portal system for the building control sector," Automation in Construction, vol. 29, pp. 196–204, Jan. 2013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2012.02.018
A. Altameem, "What drives successful e-learning? An empirical investigation of the key technical issues in Saudi Arabian universities," Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, vol. 53, no. 1, pp. 63–70, 2013.
S. M. Al-Turki, "Assessment of information technology awareness and usage in higher education in Saudi Arabia: sample study in Jazan and King Faisal University KSA," International Journal of Advanced Research in IT and Engineering, vol. 3, no. 9, pp. 1–17, 2014.
M. Althonayan and A. Papazafeiropoulou, "Evaluating the Performance of ERP Systems in Saudi Arabian Higher Education: A Stakeholders’ Perspective," in 2nd International Conference on Information Management and Evaluation, London, UK, Apr. 2011, pp. 473–482.
K. A. Al‐Busaidi, "The payoff of corporate portal usage in an academic institution," Campus-Wide Information Systems, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 368–379, Jan. 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/10650741211275125
H. Gul, S. Z. Iqbal, and M. Saqib, "Usability Evaluation of an Educational Website in Saudi Arabia," VAWKUM Transactions on Computer Sciences, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 84–92, Dec. 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21015/vtcs.v8i2.382
M. Benaida, A. Namoun, and A. Taleb, "Evaluation of the Impact of Usability in Arabic University Websites: Comparison between Saudi Arabia and the UK," International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, vol. 9, no. 8, pp. 365–375, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2018.090848
K. Al-Omar, "Evaluating the Internal and External Usability Attributes of E-Learning Websites in Saudi Arabia," Advanced Computing: An International Journal, vol. 8, no. 3/4, pp. 1–12, Jul. 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5121/acij.2017.8401
NaifJabli, H. Alghamdi, and F. Demir, "The Usability Of King Khalid University Website: Assessing Effectiveness, Efficiency, And Satisfaction," International Journal of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, vol. 3, no. 7, pp. 10–16, 2018.
Y. F. Hassan, "Cellular Automata For Adaptive Web Portal Structure In Egyptian Universities," International Journal of Engineering Sciences & Emerging Technologies, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 133–141, 2013.
S. Bahaj, K. Aljaaidi, and T. Ahmed, "Using TAM model to empirically examine students’ attitudes towards e-services in college of business administration," Management Science Letters, vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 651–660, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2019.2.006
M. Al Harbi, "Faculty Attitudes Toward and Motivation for Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) for Language Studies: A Cross-National Study in Saudi Arabian Universities," Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Science, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 100–114, 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15640/jpbs.v4n2a9
A. Ahmed and S. Al-Reyaee, "Knowledge and Use of Electronic Information Resources by Medical Students at Al-Jouf University in Saudi Arabia," Library Philosophy and Practice, vol. 1524, Mar. 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12816/0038790
A. Alhabeeb and J. Rowley, "Critical success factors for eLearning in Saudi Arabian universities," International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 131–147, Jan. 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-01-2016-0006
M. Alshamari, "Usability Factors Assessment in Health Information System," Intelligent Information Management, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 170–180, Nov. 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/iim.2016.86012
A. M. Elsayed, "Web content strategy in higher education institutions: The case of King Abdulaziz University," Information Development, vol. 33, no. 5, pp. 479–494, Nov. 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0266666916671387
N. J. H. Al-Mashaqba, "Use of Blackboard Collaborate at Qassim University: Evaluating Teachers’ Perceptions," Sino-US English Teaching, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 76–85, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17265/1539-8072/2017.02.002
S. M. Almahamid, A. F. Tweiqat, and M. S. Almanaseer, "University website quality characteristics and success: lecturers’ perspective," International Journal of Business Information Systems, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 41–61, Jan. 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1504/IJBIS.2016.075717
L. Alkahtani, "The Attitudes of Princess Nora University Students Towards Using Electronic Information Resources of the Library," Proceedings from the Document Academy, vol. 3, no. 2, Dec. 2016, Art. no. 8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.35492/docam/3/2/8
A. Badwelan, S. Drew, and A. A. Bahaddad, "Towards Acceptance M-Learning Approach in Higher Education in Saudi Arabia," International Journal of Business and Managemen, vol. 11, no. 8, pp. 12–30, 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v11n8p12
S S. Alkhalaf, "Evaluating m-learning in Saudi Arabian higher education: a case study," arXiv:1510.03189 [cs], Oct. 2015, [Online]. Available: http://arxiv.org/abs/1510.03189.
M. Y. Wu, H. P. Chou, Y. C. Weng, and Y. H. Huang, "TAM-2 based study of website user behavior-using web 2.0 websites as an example," WSEAS Transactions on Business and Economics, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 133–151, 2011.
A. Benlian, "Web Personalization Cues and Their Differential Effects on User Assessments of Website Value," Journal of Management Information Systems, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 225–260, Jan. 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2015.1029394
V. Venkatesh, M. G. Morris, G. B. Davis, and F. D. Davis, "User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view," MIS Quarterly: Management Information Systems, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 425–478, Sep. 2003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/30036540
Y.-H. Chen and I. Chengalur-Smith, "Factors influencing students’ use of a library Web portal: Applying course-integrated information literacy instruction as an intervention," The Internet and Higher Education, vol. 26, pp. 42–55, Jul. 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2015.04.005
W. H. DeLone and E. R. McLean, "Information Systems Success: The Quest for the Dependent Variable," Information Systems Research, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 60–95, Mar. 1992. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.3.1.60
P. Longinidis and K. Gotzamani, "ERP user satisfaction issues: insights from a Greek industrial giant," Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 109, no. 5, pp. 628–645, Jan. 2009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/02635570910957623
P. T. Kotler and K. L. Keller, Marketing Management, 14th edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA: Pearson, 2011.
A. Tella and M. T. Bashorun, "Undergraduate Students’ Satisfaction with the Use of Web Portals," International Journal of Web Portals, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 56–73, Apr. 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/jwp.2012040104
V. McKinney, K. Yoon, and F. "Mariam" Zahedi, "The Measurement of Web-Customer Satisfaction: An Expectation and Disconfirmation Approach," Information Systems Research, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 296–315, Sep. 2002. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.13.3.296.76
L. C. Schaupp, "Web Site Success: Antecedents of Web Site Satisfaction and Re-use," Journal of Internet Commerce, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 42–64, Jun. 2010. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15332861.2010.487414
S. Thuseethan, S. Achchuthan, and S. Kuhanesan, "Usability Evaluation of Learning Management Systems in Sri Lankan Universities," arXiv:1412.0197 [cs], Feb. 2015, [Online]. Available: http://arxiv.org/abs/1412.0197.
E. Sung and R. E. Mayer, "Affective impact of navigational and signaling aids to e-learning," Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 473–483, Mar. 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.10.019
M. Bajec, "Educational Portals: A Way to Get an Integrated, User-Centric University Information System," in Web Portals: The New Gateways to Internet Information and Services, Melbourne, Australia: Idea Group, 2005, pp. 252–269. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-59140-438-5.ch012
A. M. Shaltoni, H. Khraim, A. Abuhamad, and M. Amer, "Exploring students’ satisfaction with universities’ portals in developing countries: A cultural perspective," The International Journal of Information and Learning Technology, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 82–93, Jan. 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJILT-12-2012-0042
S. Petter, W. DeLone, and E. McLean, "Measuring information systems success: models, dimensions, measures, and interrelationships," European Journal of Information Systems, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 236–263, Jun. 2008. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2008.15
A. H. R. Zaied, "An Integrated Success Model for Evaluating Information System in Public Sectors," Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences, vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 814–825, 2012.
S. Lee, "Academic Library E-Service User Motivation: A Korean Case Study," Libri, vol. 62, no. 3, pp. 233–247, Sep. 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/libri-2012-0019
X. Zhang and V. R. Prybutok, "A consumer perspective of E-service quality," IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, vol. 52, no. 4, pp. 461–477, Nov. 2005. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2005.856568
S. Vairamuthu and S. M. Anouncia, "Reconnoitering Students’ Satisfaction of an Online Based Assessment System to Improve Usability using PSO: An Examination into a Problem Solving and Programming Course," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 6, no. 5, pp. 1207–1211, Oct. 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.800
K. P. Asiimwe, D. Machuve, and M. A. Dida, "Usability Testing of a Web Portal for Ornamental Plants and Flowers in Arusha, Tanzania," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 5627–5631, Jun. 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.3412
C. Liu and K. P. Arnett, "Exploring the factors associated with Web site success in the context of electronic commerce," Information & Management, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 23–33, Oct. 2000. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7206(00)00049-5
L. Cobus, V. F. Dent, and A. Ondrusek, "How Twenty-Eight Users Helped Redesign an Academic Library Web Site: A Usability Study," Reference & User Services Quarterly, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 232–246, 2005.
A. Aggarwal, Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies: Opportunities and Challenges: Opportunities and Challenges. London, UK: Idea Group, 1999. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-87828-960-5
J. M. Pearson and A. M. Pearson, "An Exploratory Study into Determining the Relative Importance of Key Criteria in Web Usability: A Multi-Criteria Approach," Journal of Computer Information Systems, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 115–127, Jun. 2008.
P. N. Sindhuja and S. G. Dastidar, "Impact of the Factors Influencing Website Usability on User Satisfaction," IUP Journal of Management Research, vol. 8, no. 12, pp. 54–66, Dec. 2009.
D. U. Bolliger, "Key Factors for Determining Student Satisfaction in Online Courses," International Journal on E-Learning, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 61–67, 2004.
R. Aziz and B. Shahzad, "Factors for Measurement of ITES Quality for Higher Education Institutions in Saudi Arabia," Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology, vol. 15, no. 3, May 2015.
A. Bandura, Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA: Prentice-Hall, 1986.
A. Bandura, Self-efficacy: the exercise of control. New York, NY, USA: W.H. Freeman and Company, 1997.
W. Liu et al., "Internet-Enabled User Interfaces for Distance Learning," International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 51–77, Jan. 2009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/jthi.2009010105
P. R. Warshaw and F. D. Davis, "Disentangling behavioral intention and behavioral expectation," Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 213–228, May 1985. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1031(85)90017-4
M. A. Mahmood, L. Hall, and D. L. Swanberg, "Factors Affecting Information Technology Usage: A Meta-Analysis of the Empirical Literature," Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 107–130, Jun. 2001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327744JOCE1102_02
V. Venkatesh and F. D. Davis, "A Theoretical Extension of the Technology Acceptance Model: Four Longitudinal Field Studies," Management Science, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 186–204, Feb. 2000. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.46.2.186.11926
M. Turner, B. Kitchenham, P. Brereton, S. Charters, and D. Budgen, "Does the technology acceptance model predict actual use? A systematic literature review," Information and Software Technology, vol. 52, no. 5, pp. 463–479, May 2010. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2009.11.005
Y. Haliso, "Factors Affecting Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) Use by Academic Librarians in Southwestern Nigeria," Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal), Apr. 2011, [Online]. Available: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/571.
F. Alturise and B. Alojaiman, "Benefits and challenges of using ICT in Saudi Arabia universities: A literature review," in International Conference on Advanced in Computing, Engineering and Learning Technologies, 2013, vol. 2.
M. Verbree, E. Horlings, P. Groenewegen, I. Van der Weijden, and P. van den Besselaar, "Organizational factors influencing scholarly performance: a multivariate study of biomedical research groups," Scientometrics, vol. 102, no. 1, pp. 25–49, Jan. 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-014-1437-x
U. Sekaran and R. Bougie, Research Methods For Business: A Skill Building Approach, 7th edition. Chichester, WS, UK: Wiley, 2016.
R. G. Netemeyer, W. O. Bearden, and S. Sharma, Scaling Procedures: Issues and Applications, 1st edition. Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: SAGE, 2003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412985772
D. F. Polit and C. T. Beck, "The content validity index: Are you sure you know what’s being reported? critique and recommendations," Research in Nursing & Health, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 489–497, 2006. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20147
M.-C. Boudreau, D. Gefen, and D. W. Straub, "Validation in Information Systems Research: A State-of-the-Art Assessment," MIS Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 1–16, 2001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3250956
V. Zamanzadeh, A. Ghahramanian, M. Rassouli, A. Abbaszadeh, H. Alavi-Majd, and A.-R. Nikanfar, "Design and Implementation Content Validity Study: Development of an instrument for measuring Patient-Centered Communication," Journal of Caring Sciences, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 165–178, Jun. 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15171/jcs.2015.017
J. Hair, G. T. M. Hult, C. M. Ringle, and M. Sarstedt, A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling, 2nd edition. Los Angeles, CA, USA: SAGE, 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15358/9783800653614
J. F. Hair Jr, M. Sarstedt, L. Hopkins, and V. G. Kuppelwieser, "Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM): An emerging tool in business research," European Business Review, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 106–121, Jan. 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-10-2013-0128
S. B. MacKenzie, P. M. Podsakoff, and N. P. Podsakoff, "Construct Measurement and Validation Procedures in MIS and Behavioral Research: Integrating New and Existing Techniques," MIS Quarterly, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 293–334, 2011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/23044045
M. Tenenhaus, V. E. Vinzi, Y.-M. Chatelin, and C. Lauro, "PLS path modeling," Computational Statistics & Data Analysis, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 159–205, Jan. 2005. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csda.2004.03.005
J. Henseler and M. Sarstedt, "Goodness-of-fit indices for partial least squares path modeling," Computational Statistics, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 565–580, Apr. 2013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00180-012-0317-1
M. Wetzels, G. Odekerken-Schroder, and C. van Oppen, "Using PLS Path Modeling for Assessing Hierarchical Construct Models: Guidelines and Empirical Illustration," MIS Quarterly, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 177–195, 2009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/20650284
M. Zviran, C. Glezer, and I. Avni, "User satisfaction from commercial web sites: The effect of design and use," Information & Management, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 157–178, Mar. 2006. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2005.04.002
"Learner-Centered Psychological Principles: Guidelines for School Redesign and Reform," American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, USA, Jan. 1993.
S. M. Abdulhamid and I. Idris, "Design Evaluation of Some Nigerian University Portals: A Programmer’s Point of View," arXiv:1402.1241 [cs], Feb. 2014, [Online]. Available: http://arxiv.org/abs/1402.1241.
K. M. Alsharif, "Towards quality teacher education : productive pedagogies as a framework for Saudi pre-service teachers’ training in Mathematics education," Ph.D. dissertation, Curtin University, Perth, Australia, 2011.
F. O. Oliha, "Web Portal Usability among Nigerian University Students: A Case Study of University Of Benin, Nigeria," Nigerian Journal of Technology, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 199–206, Apr. 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/njt.v33i2.9
J. C. Roca, C.-M. Chiu, and F. J. Martinez, "Understanding e-learning continuance intention: An extension of the Technology Acceptance Model," International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, vol. 64, no. 8, pp. 683–696, Aug. 2006. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2006.01.003
Downloads
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) after its publication in ETASR with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
