Research article

THE IMPACT OF THE CORONA PANDEMIC ON THE EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

Rehab Tharwat Abd ElGhani Abo Bakr1, Sabrin Abdelaty Labib Abdelaty2, Nashwa A. Younis3, Huda R. Alsaeed4, Ahmed Osman Ibrahim Ahmed5, Anas Satti Satti Mohammed6, Adel Ismael Hamza Mohamed7, Sherin Hamdino Salim8, Eman Obeid Abdalla9, Somaia Osman Mohamed Abdelgadir10

Online First: November 21, 2022


The research aimed to assess the educational digital transformation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the period of the Corona pandemic. By identifying the concept of digital transformation, analyzing the foundations and mechanisms to achieve educational digital transformation, the extent to which a qualified technological infrastructure exists, and analyzing digital transformation strategies in university institutions in the Kingdom. The quantitative analytical approach was used to examine the importance of the relationship between the readiness of the technological infrastructure and the mechanisms of the digital transformation of the educational environment. To achieve the research objectives, the questionnaire was used to collect data from the research community, which is represented by faculty members from Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal University, one of the educational institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The results showed that the Kingdom has a technological infrastructure capable of absorbing the digital educational transformation, as the digital educational transformation in the Kingdom during the Corona period has achieved effective results. There was also a significant relationship between the readiness of the technological infrastructure in the Kingdom and the implementation of the educational digital transformation strategy. The research revealed that there are significant differences in favor of the categories (Females - Doctorates - High Experience), towards the readiness of the infrastructure in the educational field capable of accommodating the educational digital transformation. We recommend adequate privacy and security measures to ensure that the learning process is fully digital.

Keywords

Education Technology, Digital Transformation, Digital Infrastructure, Education Sector, Educational Institutions, Corona Pandemic.