PRIVACY CONCERNS DURING REMOTE EMERGENCY LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN QATAR

The cultural norms involving privacy and online privacy in Qatar and the Persian (Arabian) Gulf are complex, based on both Sharia law and local Bedouin customs. Adding to the complexity of the topic is the demographic structure of Qatar: over 90% of Qatar’s population consists of non-citizen expatriate workers and their families primarily from Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East comprising both Muslim-majority and non-Muslim-majority countries. The following chapter presents results, with a specific focus on privacy, of a mixed-methods longitudinal study on virtual learning environments in higher education in Qatar conducted from December 2020 to the time of writing. The goal of this research was to develop hypotheses and models about online privacy behaviors and attitudes in Qatar to assist instructors in understanding and respecting local privacy norms (the majority of higher education instructors in Qatar are non-Qatari), and to improve online student engagement and learning outcomes. Qualitative analysis of student focus group transcripts (n=95; 22 groups), expert faculty and student opinion, and a review of the current research literature revealed that: 1) privacy is a significant and pervasive concern in Gulf online educational contexts, especially for Muslim women, with an unexpected ‘privacy paradox’ 2) studying at home during government-enforced lockdown created novel privacy concerns (outsiders viewing the home and seeing and hearing other family members; and negotiation of private study / communal spaces within the home); 3) camera on/off policies and behaviors for synchronous learning precipitated complex and novel student behaviors; 4) dressing properly (modesty, hijab) for online classes was a concern specifically for Muslim women students; and 5) recording of lectures was a privacy concern for both faculty and students due to photography taboos in the Gulf related to tribal/family honor.