Textbooks are generally deemed to be an integral part of the education system, with the textbook often being a principal source of information in a university syllabus. In the Saudi Arabian university system, the university textbook is considered part of the educational policy and is therefore something that both teachers and students must follow, meaning that it is one of the most important tools for the introduction of knowledge and skills. This means that the university textbook needs to guide students to go beyond the university to give them attention to current developments including the ambitions and challenges that may arise from achieving the Saudi vision 2030. Accordingly, it may be better to review and evaluate the educational textbook, since this may lead to positive changes and amendments. In Saudi Arabia, higher education is based only on one reference as a principal reference, one textbook for one course. On the one hand, the Saudi system with its shared text meets one of the conditions necessary for an educated public, but crucially, students are not, on the other hand, encouraged to interact with this text. They are mostly expected merely to know it and memorize it. Nor are they encouraged to read different texts as texts need to be read against each other if they are not to be misread. This paper seeks to provide insights into university teachers and the textbook writers about the mechanisms of preparing and designing the university textbook, especially at the pertain to university textbook of religious education. It can be said, at the educational system that focuses on the textbook, the university textbook needs to be built in a particular way and improved, it by being designed for teaching and learning purposes. Authors and designers of this kind of textbook need to understand how to do that appropriately for students in the educational field.

Author: Adel Abubaker Bawazeer

Published in: London International Conference on Education (LICE-2023)

• Date of Conference: 13-15 November 2023
• DOI: 10.20533/LICE.2023.0010
• ISBN: 978-1-913572-66-2
• Conference Location: St Anne’s College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK