Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction / Rosemary Talab / The purpose of this study was to examine student motivation in a blended learning digital literacy course and its relation to student characteristics. The study consisted of 136 student participants enrolled in a blended learning digital literacy course at a Midwestern university. The Keller ARCS Motivation Model was the theoretical framework. The Course Interest Survey was used in the study, which was designed to measure motivation using Keller ARCS categories. Data was collected through the Course Interest Survey to voluntary student participants and through data obtained from the research setting. The study examined the following research questions: Research Question 1: Do statistically significant relationships exist between non-performance student characteristics and the Keller ARCS Course Interest Survey student motivation scores in a blended digital literacy course? Research Question 2: Do statistically significant relationships exist between pre-course performance student characteristics and the Keller ARCS Course Interest Survey scores in a blended digital literacy course? Research Question 3: Do statistically significant relationships exist between post-course performance student characteristics and the Keller ARCS Course Interest Survey student motivation scores in a blended digital literacy course? To examine these relationships, the study utilized MANOVAs to analyze the student characteristics on the four categories of the Keller ARCS Motivation Model. One significant relationship was found for Confidence within Academic Rank (p < .05), between Seniors and Freshmen. Seniors reported a .4799 higher Confidence score, on average, than Freshmen. Other characteristics did not have significant relationships. The mean change in pretest and posttest scores in digital literacy on the ALTSA assessment was 6.64. Recommendations for the research setting included the use of student focus groups to better understand and increase Freshmen confidence and the Freshmen experience, a review of course design and delivery methods, an exploration of variations of blended learning models, an examination of current test-out procedures, and adjustment of the scale used in this study to provide a wider range of motivation responses. Recommendations for future studies included a qualitative study of student performance characteristics, a mixed methods study of different learning models for course delivery, and an exploratory study aimed at expanding student characteristics.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction / Rosemary Talab / The purpose of this study was to investigate concerns regarding the adoption of online teaching as expressed by faculty and instructors in six departments in the College of Arts and Humanities at King Abdulaziz University. Additionally, it investigated faculty professional development needs in adopting online teaching. The data in this study were obtained from 147 faculty members (response rate 63.9%). A non-experimental, cross-sectional survey design was used, incorporating the Stages of Concern Questionnaire. The data were analyzed using quantitative measures (descriptive data analysis and inferential analysis). This study utilized the Concerns Based Adoption Model as its theoretical framework. King Abdulaziz University faculty Stages of Concerns findings showed a mean score percentile of 87% of them as Unconcerned. The Informational stage showed a mean score percentile of 72%, and the Personal stage was the third highest with a mean score percentile of 70%. Refocusing, Collaboration, and Management were the fourth, fifth, and sixth highest stages of concern. The Consequence stage was the lowest stage of concern. The Stages of Concern Questionnaire had concerns that were generally aligned to nonusers or users who sometimes implement parts of online teaching. The data analysis regarding the participants’ personal characteristics indicated that their concerns in adopting online teaching were not influenced by their age, country of graduation, or years of teaching experience. A statistically significant difference was found in the participant concerns in adopting online teaching by gender, p<.05. The significance differences were found in stage one (Informational) (p<.05), stage two (Personal) (p<.01), and stage six (Refocusing) (p<.001). Likewise, the data analysis regarding the participants’ contextual characteristics indicated that their concerns in adopting online teaching were not influenced by their department or academic rank. A statistically significant difference was found in the participants’ concerns in adopting online teaching based on administrative support, p<.05. The significances were found in stages zero (Unconcerned) (p<.05) and three (Management) (p<.01). The data analysis regarding the technographic characteristics also indicated a statistically significant influence of participants' prior instructional technology use and technology-related professional development on their use of technology in teaching. The significance values were .000, .006, .009, and .030. The study concludes with recommendations for King Abdulaziz University regarding faculty adoption of online teaching and recommendations for future studies focused on professional development programs and the adoption of online teaching in King Abdulaziz University as well as in other Saudi universities.