Aspectual Analysis of Digital Transformation and New Academic Professionals

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are currently developing a significant research interest in transferring from traditional to novel practices in teaching and learning through the use of modern technological tools and platforms. The integration of digital technologies in higher education has tended to focus on improving academic professionals in developing countries like Saudi Arabia. This chapter was driven by a desire to understand ICT implementation in higher education institutions (HEIs) by professionals using digital transformation in Saudi Arabia. This chapter discusses the implementation of digital transformation in teaching and learning at HEIs in Saudi Arabia. This aim is achieved throughout several objectives, beginning by reviewing the related literature and presenting theoretical frameworks. The literature review will provide the possibility of identifying the focal trends related to the topic.

Opportunities and Challenges of Adopting Artificial Intelligence for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education

This chapter provides a sense of what artificial intelligence is, its benefits, and integration to higher education. Seeing through the lens of the literature, this chapter will also explore the emergence of artificial intelligence and its attendant use for learning and teaching in higher education institutions. It begins with an overview of artificial intelligence and proceeds to discuss practical applications of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence on the manner in which students learn as well as how higher education institutions teach and develop. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the challenges of artificial intelligence on higher education.

Exploring the Impact of Digital Learning Platforms on Distance Learning Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

Higher education has been shifting to learning management systems (LMS) for decades. Some universities, like the Open University, have managed to gain international recognition by providing undergraduate degrees to students in different countries. However, in moments of emergency and international disruption higher education institutions need to adapt at unprecedented speed. This chapter focuses on the use of technology in moments of extreme internationalised interference. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a ground for change, students enrolled in presential courses in Spain, Malta, and the United Kingdom were interviewed in order to understand how they are coping with having contact with their academic life exclusively online. The students' impressions, LMS software, and results (assignments and exams) were also discussed. Finally, the chapter analyses the solutions provided by lecturers and students.

Emerging EdTechs Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

The role of information technology (IT) transforming higher education (HE) institutions is flourishing. Students, lecturers, and faculty staff adopt overarching platforms and applications that are driven by ubiquitous technology such as big data and cloud computing to support their teaching and learning activities. In this chapter, the authors analysed cases of EdTechs (apps) used in the higher education institutions (HEIs) and their impact on teaching and learning processes. They draw the benefits, challenges, and appropriate cases pertaining to the apps used in HEIs in supporting such processes. They find that EdTechs have a high potential to provide better education for students, easier teaching process for lecturers, and clearer managerial process for administrators and faculty members. The chapter concludes that while EdTechs used during the pandemic can provide an alternative learning experience, it still lacks in providing optimal learning engagement.

Exploring Datafication for Teaching and Learning Development

The scale, magnitude, and diversity of higher education teaching/learning and higher education institutions (HEIs) have resulted in corresponding diverse datafication representations. Contrary to conventional datafication, where the objective is profitability (e.g., adopting facial recognition for improved policing), the datafication of HEIs should be analysed, understood, and interpreted for its unique diversity, practice, and consequences. The result of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced a paradigm shift from conventional/traditional classroom-based teaching to online teaching, which has resulted in enhanced data collection. Taking a post-digital perspective on modern practices in higher education literature, this chapter argues for an organic view, in which the datafication must consider the aspects of teaching, learning, and educational context that are absent in digital data. The findings from the discussion lead to the conclusion that datafication can complement expert judgement in HEIs when informed by the unification of pedagogy and technology.

Bibliographical Analysis of Artificial Intelligence Learning in Higher Education

This chapter provides an overview of research on AI applications in higher education using a systematic review approach. There were 146 articles included for further analysis, based on explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria. The findings show that Computer Science and STEM make up the majority of disciplines involved in AI education literature and that quantitative methods were the most frequently used in empirical studies. Four areas of AI education applications in academic support services and institutional and administrative services were revealed, including profiling and prediction, assessment and evaluation, adaptive systems and personalisation, and intelligent tutoring systems. This chapter reflects on the challenges and risks of AI education, the lack of association between theoretical pedagogical perspectives, and the need for additional exploration of pedagogical, ethical, social, cultural, and economic dimensions of AI education.

Gamification Tools to Facilitate Student Learning Engagement in Higher Education

Gamification is a novel technology that can potentially motivate student learning. This chapter reflects on the implementation of a gamified application to support students' learning in terms of learning important facts concerning their study program. The scope of the chapter refers to two design features in which tests were conducted on the different configurations in a field experiment among UK university students. The initial feature identified was feedback, where it was anticipated that engagement would increase, with tailored feedback having a greater impact than generic feedback. The next feature identified was circumventing users from binge gaming through session limits, as this may potentially prevent deep learning. The findings suggest that tailored feedback was less effective than generic feedback, contradicting the initial anticipation. Session limits were found to not circumvent binging without a reduction in sessions. The findings suggest that gaming properties of gamified applications could impact sustaining and encouraging play.

Internet of Things (IoT) to Foster Communication and Information Sharing

IoT is a rapidly emerging technology in education that attracts researchers, students, and administrators. This chapter reviews the opportunities and challenges of the IoT to determine whether there are potential communication and information sharing cultures in higher education institutions (HEIs). Despite the findings revealing stakeholders' demand for a better collaborative learning environment and better information sharing capabilities, IoT has various security and interoperability concerns that present an unattractive prospect for HE stakeholders to embrace IoT. IoT has the potential to meet HEIs system expectations, though stakeholders remain distant toward embracing IoTs. This indicates that stakeholders are not ready to embrace IoTs, thus prompting the need to study why stakeholders are resistant towards the IoT.

Enhancing Student Engagement in Online Learning Environments Post-COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected all sectors of human endeavour worldwide. This has forced a paradigm shift by disrupting ‘normal' human life, introducing what is now seen as a ‘new normal', which can also be seen as an opportunity rather than a threat. HEIs have equally been affected by this situation, which has forced conventional delivery of teaching and learning to be replaced by distance, online, or blended learning styles. Prior to the pandemic, only slightly over 25% of all students in UK HEIs received teaching and learning online. This statistic has now grown to 85%. This concerns learners' engagement with online learning. Unlike traditional classroom teaching/learning, online learning faces challenges of ensuring the engagement of learners. This chapter aims to explore and discuss measures to enhance student engagement in online learning settings within HEIs. The main objectives are two-fold. First, the study describes what measures exist to enhance student engagement and, second, presents an enhanced framework in online learning in HEIs.

Future Teaching and Learning Applications in the Smart Campus

As the population of cities rise, environmental concerns become a greater issue owing to the exponential increase in the use of natural resources. This raises further issues regarding the sustainability of environments wherein individuals perform different activities. ICT, for example, plays a key role in the sustainability of resources, which presents an obstacle for large areas of a city and its societal structure. University campuses and cities can easily be compared in terms of size and represent environments that are challenging to replicate in another ecosystem. The idea is conceived by transforming a conventional campus into a smart campus based on a smart city model, where the incorporation of technologies or innovative developments meets individual needs (e.g., teaching and learning) with power over resource use. This chapter explores prospective applications for teaching and learning in a scaled environment or university campus.