ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Higher Education
This article is part of the Research TopicReimagining Higher Education: Responding Proactively to 21st Century Global ShiftsView all 42 articles
Higher Education 4.0: Capturing the Voices of Faculty Members
Provisionally accepted
- Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
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The rapid emergence of Education 4.0 has created significant challenges for higher education institutions in the Arab States, including the need to align curricula with evolving industry requirements, integrate advanced technologies, and address ethical and professional development considerations. Despite its growing importance, there is limited empirical evidence on how faculty members perceive and navigate these changes in the region. To address this gap, this study explored university faculty members' perceptions of Education 4.0 in higher education, using semi-structured interviews with a sample of 12 participants from six Arab countries. A thematic analysis of the data highlights the transformative role of Education 4.0 in aligning curricula with industry needs, democratizing access to knowledge, and promoting differentiated instruction. At the same time, the findings emphasize the ongoing need for ethical considerations and innovative professional development to shape the future of higher education. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the impact, challenges, and opportunities presented by this paradigm shift, while also underscoring the importance of continuous reflection and adaptation in higher education systems.
Keywords: Higher education 4.0, artificial intelligence, Educational innovation, Faculty perceptions, Transformative higher education
Received: 10 May 2025; Accepted: 15 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Shal, Ghamrawi, Abu-Tineh and Alshaboul. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Tarek Shal
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