Using mobile learning in blended learning environments in higher education: perceptions and acceptance among students and lecturers at Qassim university, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

In Saudi Arabia, learning methods, such as blended learning and mobile learning, have become more important than ever. However, to successfully implement such type of learning methods in higher education settings, determining the perceptions of students and lecturers is vital. Therefore, this qualitative study aims to determine students’ and lecturers’ understanding, acceptance, and barriers of using mobile learning in blended learning environments, using semi-structured interviews, open-ended surveys, and responses to the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Overall, 108 participants were included in the study, of which 12 students attended the interview and 24 lecturers and 72 students participated in the open-ended survey. The results show that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, habit, academic social influence, and conditions facilitating academics are the core determinants of behavioural intention, which have direct effects on the user behaviour of students and lecturers. To our knowledge, this is the first study that has investigated blended mobile learning acceptance in Saudi higher education settings. The findings can be generalised to the most of Saudi universities and some universities in the Arabian Gulf that exhibit the same conditions.