An Investigation into Stakeholders’ Perception of Smart Campus Criteria: The American University of Sharjah as a Case Study

Abstract

In recent times, smart cities and sustainable development have drawn significant research attention. Among developed and developing countries, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been at the forefront in becoming an incubator for smart cities; in particular, it has placed some efforts in the education sector by transforming the traditional campus into a Smart Campus. As the term Smart Campus attracts professionals and academics from multiple disciplines, and the technology keeps intervening in every aspect of life, it becomes inevitable for the Smart Campus to take place and deploy the future vision of smart cities. As a first step to achieve this vision, it is very important to develop a clear understanding of what is a Smart Campus. To date, there is still no clear perception of what a Smart Campus would look like, or what are the main components that can form a Smart Campus. Therefore, the objective of this research is to use the set of comprehensive criteria to identify what it is perceived to be a Smart Campus and evaluate these criteria from the stakeholders’ perception. The main criteria are defined from the literature review, and a case study is conducted on the American University of Sharjah campus stakeholders (faculty, students, management, and Information Technology (IT)) to assess the designated criteria. This exploratory research relies on both qualitative and quantitative methods to perform the analysis, taking into consideration the perceptions of students, faculty, and IT service providers. Finally, having defined and evaluated the criteria that underpin the Smart Campus framework, a set of recommendations are drawn to guide the utilization of a Smart Campus within higher education settings. This research opens the doors for future studies to gain a deeper insight into the type of decisions that need to be made to transform a traditional campus to a Smart Campus.

Implications of COVID-19 on the Labor Market of Saudi Arabia: The Role of Universities for a Sustainable Workforce

“…It is generally believed that in the current scenario, quick transformation is vital for educational sustainability, but Valverde observed that numerous risks are also associated with digital learning [17]. On the other hand, Vian et al proposed the idea of a smart campus to harness the integration of information and communications technology (ICT) applications with adaptive learning [18]. Conversely, Di Pietro found that students with overseas study experience had a better chance of gaining employment due to better adaptability, multicultural experience, bilingual skills and dealing with unexpected situations [19].…”

Facilitating Successful Smart Campus Transitions: A Systems Thinking-SWOT Analysis Approach

“…Consequently, the outcome of each archetype described in the subsection below can be transferred to many campuses in developing countries where holistic Smart Campus transitions are at embryonic phases due to lack of awareness and knowledge. This challenge is further exacerbated by the lack of relevant literature detailing the evidence of successful holistic Smart Campus transitions and/or guidelines for achieving same, globally [23]. This is a gap where this study seeks to make a salient contribution towards bridging.…”

“…Although these transitions are on-going, there is little evidence to show that the views of the users are being incorporated during the decision-making processes which govern its conceptualization, design, and implementation stages [23]. Scholars have observed the unidirectional nature of the Smart City implementation programs [24,25].…”

A Survey on Smart Campus Implementation in Malaysia

“…Precision teaching based on big data applications and artificial intelligence technology is used as a vital standard to measure the education's efficiency and as a guideline to create interactive and productive learning in classrooms [9]. Smart learning could encourage innovative talents among students [10] and boost their learning quality by creating time-efficient, interactive, sustainable, userfriendly, and cooperative surroundings [11]. The campus with a conducive learning environment will provide lecturers multitude of resources to deliver their knowledge to the students.…”