ABSTRACT
People's life has been significantly affected due to the COVID-19 epidemic. This includes society, business, health, economic, and education fields. The purpose of this research is to investigate the use of mobile learning (m-learning) based on perceptions of higher education students in Saudi Arabia. The study analyzed the views on m-learning technologies and the utilization patterns of handheld devices for teaching and learning. It also considered the influence of demographic factors namely, gender, age, subject specialization, and the average smartphone usage. The challenges and obstacles hindering access to e-learning content have also been investigated. The study adopts a quantitative research design. The research questionnaire was administrated randomly to a sample of students comprised of males and females and from different departments across a public university in Saudi Arabia. Overall, the findings show the significant impact of smart devices on the educational process, but there are still many barriers that prevent the successful application of such technologies. The analysis provided valuable insights to design, pilot, and deploy future large-scale m-learning projects in higher education institutions in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern nations. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
At the end of 2019, a new crisis emerged in the world - COVID-19 - which literally devastated the tourism industry worldwide. In order to try to minimise the spread of COVID-19, the government implemented a strict national lockdown, but this unfortunately had a negative impact on many sectors within the tourism industry. In the light of this, many scholars argued that technology such as virtual reality (VR), would contribute to the recovery of tourism. This article considers this phenomenon by filling a gap in the literature regarding the role of VR in the tourism industry in the global South by focusing on South Africa. The key question that arises, namely can VR save tourism in South Africa in the wake of COVID-19? To address this question, the study uses three methodological approaches: case studies, a conceptual research method and open-ended interviews. The results from the study showed that VR offers tourism numerous benefits, but at the same time poses a threat to the industry. Despite this, the study concludes that VR cannot save the tourism industry in South Africa currently as it faces certain critical obstacles in this context. © 2022. AJHTL /Author(s) ;Open Access – Online @ www.ajhtl.com