I am committed to advancing the use of technology in teaching and learning in school and university settings, as well as conventional and e-learning settings through research. My research interests include e-learning strategies in higher education, multimedia as a way for improving student engagement, and the effectiveness of social networks and cloud computing in student learning.  I am also committed to advancing educational technology through developing theory-based practical solutions and products.

Current Research

Students’ Perceived Usefulness of Online Video Lectures: A Content Analysis of YouTube Comments

SUMMARY
Video is growing in popularity as a powerful communication and instructional medium in higher education. Using video, universities can deliver instruction that is difficult to convey using other channels.  A review of video production guides and university YouTube channels revealed that that online video lectures are produced using different methods. The quality and benefits of these videos depend on the method used for capturing the video (Veeramani & Bradley, 2008), which can be classified into one of two broad approaches: inside the classroom and outside the classroom.

Start: 1 March 2016
End: 30 July 2016
Funding: Self
Status: Ongoing
Publication:

Students’ Acceptance of File Storage Systems as a Tool for Sharing Course Materials: The Case of Google Drive

ABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to explore how Google Drive is accepted as a system for handling course materials and find the factors that influencing and contributing to students’ intention to use. The research approach is based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The participants for this study were 119 students at Sultan Qaboos University. The Students’ Acceptance of Google Drive Questionnaire was developed based on TAM. The results indicated that students perceived Google Drive as easy to use and useful system for storing and sharing course materials, and favored its use in university teaching. The results of multiple regression analysis confirmed that students’ prior experience with Google Drive is a good predictor of students’ perceived ease of use and usefulness. In addition, perceived ease of use and usefulness significantly influenced attitude towards the system and behavioral intention to use Google Drive.

Start: 1 February 2016
End: 30 June 2016
Funding: Self
Status: Completed
Publication: Accepted for publication in Education and Information Technologies journal (October 2016).