The Opportunities and Challenges of using Electronic Information Resources in Higher Education Teaching and Learning: A Case Study

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the usage patterns of the electronic information resources in Sur University College to highlight the importance of these resources in the higher education environment. The descriptive research methodology was adopted using the questionnaire technique; a total number of 232 valid questionnaires were analyzed based on Kronbach Alpha test to measure the stability of the questionnaire content (α = 0.817) using SPSS. The study revealed the high impact of the e-resources in the teaching and learning process among SUC community. There is an overall satisfaction of the e-resources and the related services; the users are generally satisfied with the library support; however, the study outlined some of the challenges that may affect the effective use, such as the insufficient number of e-resources in Arabic, user preference of print form, the complexity of the search techniques and interfaces. The study recommends the library staff to conduct more workshops using innovative learning techniques, such as the gaming technique, to motivate the users to utilize the e-resources in the coursework and research extensively and to enhance their information literacy skills in dealing with them.