Journalism and Media Curricula in Arab Universities

The study aims to reveal the consistency of the types of courses in the study plans of the bachelor’s programs and specializations in journalism and media in Arab universities, along with the classification of the UNESCO model curriculum courses on teaching journalism in developing countries. It adopted three types of courses that need to be included in any curriculum in the field of journalism teaching: Professional Training Courses (47%), Journalism Courses (10%), and arts and other sciences courses (43%). This model was applied to academic plans of journalism and media programs and specializations in nine Arab public universities covering the three Arab regions: The Levant and Iraq, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Maghreb and North Africa. In addition, the study adopted the descriptive approach by analyzing and describing the components of the study plans in terms of form and content. The study results showed that the faculties and departments of communication and media in the selected sample of Arab Universities offer different programs more in teaching journalism and media disciplines. In contrast, communication studies are almost limited to public relations programs. As for the content level of the three courses (vocational training courses, journalistic studies courses, and courses from other arts and sciences) included in their study plans in different proportions, some of them are compatible with the estimates of the UNESCO model curriculum, while some are far away from these estimates. Also, there is a methodological and scientific gap between the practical and theoretical aspects in most of the selected sample of programs and disciplines. KEYWORDS University education in Arab countries, ideal journalistic competence, teaching methods, courses, vocational training, journalism and media studies

Developing Smart Learning Environments in Line with the Future Requirements of Artificial Intelligence: Saudi Universities

The current study aims to develop smart learning environments in Saudi universities in line with the future requirements of artificial intelligence. To achieve this goal, a systematic review was conducted on studies published on Scopus and Google Scholar databases from 1990 until 2021 on the development of e-learning in the light of artificial intelligence (in addition to the relevant Arab studies). First, a list of challenges and opportunities for developing smart learning environments according to the future requirements of artificial intelligence was composed. Then, a questionnaire was prepared and reviewed by several academic experts in educational technology in Saudi universities. The study results include many challenges expected to be encountered in the smart learning environments in Saudi universities concerning the future preconditions for artificial intelligence. It also presented a number of opportunities and procedures for facing such challenges and exploiting the opportunities. Finally, some recommendations and suggestions were presented.

Educational Services and Women’s Education: Saudi Arabia

This study sought to identify the impact of current educational services on women’s education in Saudi universities. The study community focused on female students from Northern Border University, which has higher education services in relation to the target group environment of (n=775). Drawing on the perspectives of female students at the university, the study analyzed relationships between the educational and academic services provided (education services, health services, sports clubs and kindergartens) and individual education satisfaction and attainment. A questionnaire was designed to collect data from the study sample using a survey analysis methodology. Findings showed that higher quality academic and educational services had a positive impact on female students’ satisfaction and education, and played a positive role in raising the level of the education of Saudi women. There is a need to strengthen and improve academic curriculum services and the competencies of teaching staff, together with the continuous improvement of kindergarten and nursery services, in order to motivate female students academically and maintain a reasonable level of satisfaction with these services. The study recommends that the impact of health and sports services on the academic achievement of female students be examined in depth.

Public Relations Departments and their Use of Social Media During the Coronavirus Pandemic

The study aimed to investigate the methods used by public relations departments on social media during the coronavirus pandemic and explain the type of persuasive methods and media language used in the official account of the Sudanese Ministry of Health on Facebook and the most common public relations strategies that were used during the pandemic. The study analysed the Facebook account by preparing a content analysis form for the period from 01/02/2021 to 30/04/2021. The study concluded that 47% of the publications were written in standard Arabic, 56% were concerned with publishing the epidemiological situation and 35% followed logical persuasion methods by focusing on statistics and numbers. The study found that there is a need to develop a comprehensive national media strategy that deals with health crises professionally and controls the speed of information transmission through various media, while working to implement joint media activities between the Ministry of Health and media institutions. Moreover, the media message of public relations should be diverse and consider the different cultures and habits of social media users through communication activities, such as theatres and seminars, to reinforce the media message.

Identity and Participation Among the New Saudis

An exploratory study was conducted examining the problem of identity and participation among Saudi youth in light of social transformations. The project combined the quantitative and the qualitative curricula and relied on a field study using an electronic questionnaire with a sample of 1318 male and female students from the University of Hail and the participation of 120 students in focus groups during the beginning of the 2020/2021 academic year. The research was based on a number of international and local studies and surveys, and its conclusions were compared with their outcomes. The study outlined a set of indicators that showed the growing expression of the national belonging of the Saudi state in the context of an Arab–Islamic civilisation, a moderate view of the West, a balanced vision of reconciling conservatism with a move towards more openness, and a sense of confidence in the state and in the self. The research also found that the low rate of social participation is matched by a full awareness of its importance and a desire to practise it. The study recommended strengthening the gains of young people and developing areas of participation in proportion to the aspirations of those individuals.

Gamification as a Strategy for Enhancing Participation in e-Learning Environments

The study aimed to explore the effects of a proposed gamification strategy in eLearning environments through integrating roles of school community members (school principal, educational supervisor, teacher, student, and parent) in order to improve their levels of participation in eLearning. A mixed methods research approach was used: Quantitative data were collected by means of a questionnaire distributed to a sample of 41 faculty members specializing in educational technology in Saudi public universities, while qualitative data were collected through interviews with eight experts in the same field. The results showed that all factors had a medium impact, except for the impact of student performance on teacher performance, which showed the highest average impact, and the impact of student performance on the performance of the school principal, which showed the lowest average impact. Additionally, the results of the interviews were discussed as interpretation of the quantitative data, which confirmed—from the points of view of both the experts and the questionnaire recipients—the effectiveness of the proposed gamification strategy in improving the level of participation of all school community members. Based on the results, the study recommended the use of the proposed gamification strategy.