Abstract:

This research focuses on studying the status of higher education as in terms of the possibility of applying cloud computing in higher education institutions in Saudi Arabia. Also, it focuses on finding how much their teaching staff members elevated about cloud computing and its advantages and disadvantages of their use in education. Furthermore, it will analyze the extent of using cloud computing tools by the teaching staff, in teaching and learning, proposing a plan for establishing educational cloud for the ministry of higher education institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The study followed a descriptive analysis methodology. Its sample included 200 members at King Saud University randomly selected. Questionnaires were used as a research tool to collect data. The arithmetic mean and standard were used for the purpose of statistical analysis.
The findings of the study show that more than half of the study sample (56.7 %) are familiar with the concept of cloud computing. While there are 6.7 % of the total sample who are neutral on the concept of cloud computing, 3.3 % of the sample are strongly familiar with the concept of cloud computing. There is an agreement among the entire sample with the concept of cloud computing represented in providing access to applications from anywhere at any time. Furthermore, they agree on the fact that cloud computing contributes to easy use, low maintenance and environment protection. The research findings show that there is agreement among the members of the study sample on the key role of cloud computing in education in terms of improving self-learning among students as well as training students’ cooperative learning skills, as well as to give students a strong motivation for learning. Using cloud Computing is training students in using critical thinking skills. Moreover, facilitates student's process of guidance.
The findings of this study show that there is an agreement among the teaching staff on the disadvantages of cloud computing in terms of concerns about data storage in other servers. As well as that the access to the Educational Cloud requires Internet network connection. Many of the sample are concerned about publishing policy and property rights, as well as the work of all applications on the cloud. Findings revealed the constraints on the stability and security of essential data of the first rank among the word to the use of cloud computing, followed by administrative and infrastructure constraints and the financial constraints as the fourth and last of the constraints of Cloud computing application. The research findings show that the vast majority of the members of the study sample (96.7 %) agree that the idea of cloud computing education is certainly a huge step towards the development of Higher Education system in Saudi Arabia.

Keywords:

cloud computing, higher education, teaching and learning, technology.