The reality of the Digital Skills Diploma Program at the College of Education at Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University through SWAT analysis

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the reality of the Digital Skills Diploma Program at the College of Education at Princess Nourah University through SWAT analysis. To achieve this objective, the descriptive analytical approach was applied. The study used an assessment card of four dimensions: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges. It was applied to the faculty members of the College of Education who taught the program, where 17 responses were collected. The study concluded that the participants agree on all points. The highest strengths of the Digital Skills Diploma Program were that the program is free of charge, develops modern teaching strategies, and is supervised by specialized faculty members. Among the most prominent weaknesses agreed on by the participants were the lack of full-time female teachers and the varying levels of participation in the Digital Skills Diploma Program. Also, off-specialization teachers are assigned to teach courses. In addition, it was found that the Digital Skills Diploma program has a great chance of achieving success, as it is in line with the vision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, it provides participants with technical and technological skills and experience, simulates their needs, and promotes procedures for change and continuous improvement. Further, it was found that the program may face some challenges; most notably that evaluating its quality may require a long time. Also, it requires continuous renewal, constant changes in curricula, individual differences between participants, and the large discrepancy between the participants' experiences. The study presented a set of recommendations to improve the program, the most important is the comprehensive and integrated coordination between the Ministry of Education and the colleges of education to ensure that the program runs according to plan.

Keywords: Digital Skills Diploma Program- SWAT analysis - Perfect Investment Project - colleges of education