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The purpose of this study is to explore how teachers in Saudi Arabia have responded to online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, it aims to investigate teachers' acceptance, readiness, and perceived effectiveness of online teaching and whether teachers' prior training and experience with online instruction affect their perceptions of effectiveness. An online survey consisting of twenty-five items was randomly distributed to 584 teachers who taught K-12 students online during COVID-19, measuring (a) attitudes toward online instruction, (b) perceived readiness to implement online instruction, (c) perceived effectiveness of online instruction, and (d) the effects of previous training and experience on teachers' perceived effectiveness. The results indicate that Saudi teachers had a generally positive attitude toward online instruction and readiness to implement it despite a lack of training and experience. However, they expressed some uncertainty about its effectiveness compared to in-person instruction. Those with prior training and experience in online instruction tended to view it as more effective. Implications and recommendations were proposed based on the results of the study, in addition to suggestions for future research regarding online instruction in K-12 settings in Saudi Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online distance learning became a lifeline for many universities and schools worldwide during the COVID-19 lockdown. However, developing countries have had several obstacles to transform education into online learning. This study presents an investigation of the transformation from traditional learning (face-to-face learning) to online learning at Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University (IAFU). This paper aims to study the online learning structure which has been adopted by the College of Education at IAFU during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need to investigate the online distance learning transformation phase to provide a better understanding of the adopted framework, applications which are in use, and challenges. A quantitative approach was adopted as the research methodology, with data via two online questionnaires. There were ninety-seven responses from the faculty and 250 responses from students. This research addressed the gap in knowledge on online learning for higher education in Saudi Arabia. The study showed growing interest among both the faculty and students in completing their learning online. About eighty percent of the responses preferred to use Zoom software as the main software platform for online learning. The results include reports of several challenges which students faced such as: poor internet connections and accessibility; the need to have a personal computer; lack of online support; and lack of online learning skills and awareness. The study's results include significant differences between students regarding whether they had experience with e-learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global spread of COVID-19 has caused disruptions in many aspects of our lives. Education systems worldwide have changed dramatically. Numerous countries have encouraged schools to shift to e-learning and, as a result, parental involvement in their children's education has changed. This study focused on parental involvement in children's education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study applied a qualitative phenomenological approach following a constructive social framework, whereby the researcher pursued an understanding of the world in which she lives and works. The primary tool employed to collect relevant data was in-depth interviews with six parents who voluntarily participated in the study in the western province of Saudi Arabia. Thematic analysis is applied to analyse the collected data. The study found that parental involvement in children's schooling has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the interviews revealed that parents would prefer to keep to their chosen role rather than fulfil the teaching role imposed on them by COVID-19. This paper contributes to the application of Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's model of parental involvement in children's schooling, illustrating that an external force drives parental involvement. More specifically, many parents have been forced to change the form of their participation due to the unforeseen shift to e-learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology has invaded all spheres of life, including education and providing a lot of facilities. It has played a great role in managing education during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis. However, technology might prove detrimental if there is too much of it which may negatively affect its users in some way. This study aimed to investigate final-year students’ technology fatigue in distance project-based learning environments during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study employed an online survey approach to collect data from 86 final-year students. The results showed that technology does not highly fatigue final-year students in distance project-based learning environments. Still, the study reported some factors that contribute to increasing and decreasing final-year students’ technology fatigue level, which may inform project supervisors and decision makers on the best practice for implementing distance project-based learning without putting students under great pressure and fatigue resulting from technology. This study adds to a limited yet growing body of literature on a very important topic, technology fatigue, that has recently arisen in the academic sector especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when technology was the quickest and most ideal response to the global lockdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a sudden shift to distance learning. For many nursing students, distance learning is a new experience and an essential requirement if they hope to complete their programs. Two challenges that nursing students could face during e-learning are the lack of social presence and low satisfaction. This study aimed to assess students' sense of community and satisfaction during e-learning and determine their impacts on academic achievement. This cross-sectional descriptive study used convenience sampling to collect data via a student satisfaction survey and a classroom community scale. There was a positive and significant correlation between the sense of community, total satisfaction with elearning (p < .001), and academic achievement (p < .001). Academic achievement was positively and strongly correlated with satisfaction with teaching (p < .001), assessment (p < .001), generic skills and learning experiences (p < .001), and total satisfaction with e-learning (p < .001). Students who worked collaboratively with their classmates and were more engaged in their learning were more satisfied with elearning and had higher academic achievement (p < .01). Female participants reported a strong sense of community and satisfaction with e-learning and greater academic achievement than males. Junior students perceived higher satisfaction scores and greater academic achievement (p < .01) than senior students. The findings of this study suggest that failing to meet student expectations can lead to low levels of student involvement. Students' engagement and satisfaction are good indicators of the quality and effectiveness of online programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many research has been conducted to examine the acceptance factors to use mobile learning (m-learning) for regular students. During the COVID-19 most of the higher education institutions around the world were converted to m-learning especially for regular students, in order to continue supporting the educational stage for these students. This situation, allow researches to tested the use of m-learning for regular students while they are studying in distance learning environment. However, limited researches, especially in developing countries, have been tested the acceptance factors to use m-leaning for distance learning students. In this study the behavioral intention to use mobile learning (m-learning) were examined as well as the m-learning factors that affecting its acceptance amongst the distance learning students were outlined. The study framework was depended on the model of Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). A quantitative approach was used to analyze the data that collected from a random sample of 154 male and female participants from Saudi universities. The results indicated that significant factors influencing distance learning students' behavioral intention include quality of service, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, gender, educational level, and type of device. The regulations governing distance learning programs and the implementation of mobile learning by Saudi universities under the direction of the Ministry of Higher Education are having a good impact and encouraging widespread use of m-learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim was to assess Saudi students' satisfaction with two methods of lecture delivery used during coronavirus pandemic, namely live online sessions (LOS) and recorded online lectures (ROL), and students' perspectives regarding distance and traditional education. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 600 Saudi students from 22 Saudi universities during December 2020. A questionnaire, formed of both multiple choices and open-ended questions, was designed at the Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and distributed via social media applications. Collected data were statistically analyzed. Results: Participants were satisfied with both methods and recommended to implement both of them. They had better outcomes with ROL, felt it more appropriate for preparation for exams, and for enhancement of focus ability. Students of health and sciences colleges had more preference of LOS regarding satisfaction and implementation, and of ROL for preparation for examinations and enhancement of focus ability. Students of humanities colleges preferred ROL in all aspects. Being time saving and giving more flexibility for learners, students suggested implementation of distance learning for selected theoretical courses. Using better technologies for communication and training teachers and students on ways to use educational programs is recommended. Traditional practical classes should be small, more interactive, recorded, and available on website. Conclusion: Students were satisfied with both methods with more preference of one of them in some aspects and suggested continuous innovation in learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted English teaching to online platforms, such as Blackboard Collaborate, but whether online platforms affect the acquisition of core English language skills like speaking has yet to be studied extensively in the Saudi context. This study addressed and analyzed the perceptions of English as a foreign language instructors and students at the University of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia concerning the use of Blackboard Collaborate to develop speaking skills through an explanatory sequential mixed-method design. In the first phase, participants completed an online cross-sectional questionnaire for the quantitative approach. Data analysis revealed positive perceptions of speaking skill development through Blackboard Collaborate among both students and instructors. Female students and less experienced instructors reported more satisfaction with learning English through Blackboard Collaborate than male students and experienced instructors, respectively. In Phase 2, the researcher conducted in-person interviews with 10 instructors and 10 students, focusing on three areas: the Blackboard Collaborate user experience, instructors' and students' beliefs, and the challenges of and suggested improvements for Blackboard Collaborate. Instructors and students were fully aware of how to use the platform, and their motivation to use it was very high. This study further uncovered how Saudi students have shifted their learning style from passive to active learning following the student-centered approach. It also highlights the benefits Saudi women gained, as they were more comfortable practicing conversation through Blackboard Collaborate and the avoidance of cultural barriers. Studying the effects of culture on language learning through technology is a necessary direction for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zarqa Journal for Research & Studies in Humanities is the property of Zarqa Journal for Research & Studies in Humanities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Smart mobile learning (M-learning) applications have shown several new benefits for higher educational institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which such applications were used to support distance learning. Therefore, this study aims to examine the most important drivers influencing the adoption of M-learning by using the technology acceptance model (TAM). The structural equation modelling (SEM) method was used to test the hypotheses in the proposed model. Data were collected via online questionnaires from 520 undergraduate and postgraduate students at four universities in Saudi Arabia. Partial least squares (PLS)–SEM was used to analyse the data. The findings indicated that M-learning acceptance is influenced by three main factors, namely, awareness, IT infrastructure (ITI), and top management support. This research contributes to the body of knowledge on M-learning acceptance practices. Likewise, it may help to facilitate and promote the acceptance of M-learning among students in Saudi universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Saudi Arabia, some e-learning initiatives such as the Future Gate Project (FGP) and Madrasati (MySchool) have been in place since 2018 and 2020, respectively. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, they were used as a means of distance learning for students across the country. This paper investigates the willingness of students to use the e-learning platforms and whether it varies across different sex and age group. Primary data in the form of a survey of 265 secondary school students across the Makkah region was analysed with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) by using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a theoretical framework. We found that students' self-efficacy, which is strongly influenced by their previous experience with the underlying technology used in the e-learning platforms, has a positive effect for older students in high school, yet surprisingly, a negative one for younger students in middle school. We also found that perceived ease of use and social influence to be the most important factors behind the students' acceptance of e-learning platforms and that the effects are stronger for female students than for male students. While this study was conducted in Saudi Arabia, the findings from this study provide a first-hand insight that can help ensure the continuity of the e-learning platforms if they are to be implemented permanently as distance learning platforms even after the end of the pandemic that is also applicable to any other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overall purpose of this paper is to explore the adverse effect of COVID-19 on the learning environment in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Considering that the impact of the coronavirus on education was abrupt, there was no contingency plan to mitigate the effect other than to shift to remote learning. The research addresses the question whether online/distance learning classes were effective. To deal with the research questions, the authors elicited teachers' and students' perceptions of regarding the challenges they faced amidst COVID-19 in learning via virtual mode-the only alternative e-learning strategy available at the time of social distancing. Hence it is important to mention that King Abdulaziz University (KAU) has been using elearning/blended learning for more than a decade under the umbrella of the deanship of distance learning of KAU, however, in a different scenario. Data was collected from teachers and students through two questionnaires (adapted). The results reported that the majority of the participants had positive attitudes towards E-learning. It was also found that students were prepared to shift to online mode to avoid any academic loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Scientific Journal of King Faisal University, Humanities & Management Sciences is the property of Association of Arab Universities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. In response to the pandemic, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Education announced the suspension of educational activities. The pandemic has challenged universities worldwide to provide education virtually as an immediate response to prolonged lockdown periods. This article highlights the College of Medicine's experience at King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, in managing undergraduate medical education in response to the pandemic situation. We describe the process of implementing the curriculum's delivery online during the lockdown and the decisions regarding the final assessment for all years. Furthermore, we highlight the steps taken to prepare for the new academic year 2020-2021 as a blended learning approach in light of the COVID-19 situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pandemic of 2020 was a watershed moment for all educators worldwide as schools and universities were forced to close their doors to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Thus, a new movement towards widespread e-learning emerged with unknown consequences for learners and educators alike. The situation in Saudi Arabia was no exception. The purpose of this study is to explore how English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching and learning at the tertiary level in Saudi Arabia was impacted negatively and positively by the move to online learning. It reviews research published since the onset of the pandemic, with a specific focus on English language teaching at Saudi universities, to analyze the challenges faced by Saudi EFL teachers and learners since the shift to e-learning. One of the biggest challenges observed was students’ lack of motivation, which upon further review was found to be linked to other contributing factors, such as technological issues, inapt learning environments, and students’ mental health. This paper also examines the unforeseen positive outcomes resulting from the digital transformation, including the benefits of the flexibility of place and time and promotion of particular language skills. The current research synthesis will help contribute to the knowledge of online English teaching in the Saudi context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The coronavirus COVID-19 has had very serious impacts on many aspects of people's lives worldwide, including the negative effect on the educational system that disturbed the normal functions of medical faculties. Understanding the experiences of medical faculty members will help to better prepare for making improvements in similar future crises. Moreover, to our extended knowledge, there is no study on e-learning in the field of medical university education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how online learning was applied at Taif University after the total transformation from traditional education to Blackboard during the COVID-19 crisis and how it can be improved. Methods: The study used a descriptive qualitative study design. Staff from four medical colleges at Taif University, Saudi Arabia were invited to participate in a semi-structured interview. Eight Saudi lecturers participated, and data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: This study revealed four themes: Blackboard is professionally well designed; obstacles to the use of Blackboard; the need for Blackboard training; and student behavior through Blackboard. Conclusion: The use of the Blackboard has its advantages and disadvantages, and the education sector needs to do more research to find out that issues and work to improve it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Like many international universities and institutions of higher education that have shifted the entire educational system from the traditional face-to-face education model to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, universities in Saudi Arabia have expended great effort to change the behavior of educators and students to accommodate the transition. This rapid shift has had a significant impact on students, especially in programs such as interior design, in which different practical courses are taught along with the theoretical ones. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the benefits and challenges senior interior design students experienced while taking their classes online. Design and Methods: The current paper has adopted a qualitative approach for assessing the data obtained. Semi-structured interview was used to collect all the needed information regarding participants' opinions about distance learning. Results: Increased time to spend on assignments, reduction of costs to the student, and improvement in achievement of learning outcomes were the three main benefits students reported in their experience of distance learning. On the other hand, technical issues, changes in grade distribution, and changes in project types were identified as student concerns. Although students found many advantages in communicating with others remotely, some issues arose. Conclusions: Students expressed a preference for the hybrid learning method, or at least for having their exams, juries, and presentations on campus in person, not remotely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The colleges and institutes sector Royal Commission Jubail (JCIS) represents four higher educational institutes namely, Jubail University College (JUC) for male and for female, Jubail Industrial College (JIC), and Jubail Technical Institute (JTI). All of the institutions are under one patronage General Manager of JCIS. Several courses are very similar in content and delivery offered at all institutes. ELearning is the ideal form of delivery for higher education students in JCIS. This study aims to explore the specific factors affecting successful implementation of eLearning as major barriers at JCIS. This research will extend the existing theoretical model Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and develop an extended model of eLearning for successful implementation and adoption of eLearning solutions at colleges and institutes sector of Royal Commission Jubail. The study will attempt to investigate the various barriers those affect the successful implementation of eLearning in the sector. It is also expected that this research study will provide strategies for academicians in the development and implementation of online courses. In this research study, quantitative research approach would be applied which may utilize instrument survey questionnaire (for students, teachers, and management) from all colleges and institutes of the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-learning has revolutionised the way we acquire knowledge, be it education or business. It has enabled provision of knowledge and education in situations where we had never imagined before. Some countries were quick to realise the opportunity and began experimentation of Elearning at its inception while others took their time to catch up with the paradigm shift. E-learning is a by-product of internet, which became usable in the 1990s. Many governments were quick to realise the great benefits of internet and hence did everything possible to make it available to their citizens and businesses. As usual, internet provision in its inception was costly and had a very slow speed, which hampered its propagation into the developing countries until it became viable. Saudi Arabia, the largest oil exporter of the world, didn't waste too much time to enact policies governing with the internet and soon initiated Elearning, which has been developing at a steady rate and is providing education to a large segment of disadvantaged sections of the society. In this article we study the extent of benefits and impact of E-learning in Saudi Arabia. We draw our conclusions based on a survey that we have conducted of selected groups of people on the west coast of Saudi Arabia. The conclusions are drawn after analysing our survey and these conclusions may also be valid for other societies, especially the West Asian and Gulf countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the considerable potential for e-learning to improve learning outcomes, particularly for female students and students who need to rely on distance learning, feedback from current users of e-learning systems in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) suggests a relatively low level of satisfaction. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach in investigating the underlying reasons for this situation. Results indicate that students are not unhappy with the information technology infrastructure or with other technical aspects. However, many students report a low level of interaction between them and their fellow students. When interactions do occur, students indicate overwhelmingly that they find such interactions useful. Together, these findings suggest that greater student interaction, which could be fostered through the use of collaborative learning, is likely to be both popular with students and beneficial to their learning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of distance education course offerings is an indication of its importance to students. The purpose of this study is to investigate learners' satisfaction toward online e-learning implemented in the College of Applied Studies and Community Service, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In the meantime, also, this study was conducted to assess whether substitution of conventional learning with e-learning can improve the educational standard and knowledge of people especially in this information world. The target group consists of 201 university students (female) from the College of Applied Studies and Community Service. The results of the statistical analysis demonstrate that students' satisfaction has been very positive toward e-learning as a teaching assisted tool, and provides more benefits than conventional learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus has caused significant disruption to people's everyday lives, altering how people live, work, and study. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) reacted very quickly to suppress the spread of the virus even before the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the country. In the education sector, all face-to-face activities at public and private schools and universities were suspended, as they switched from traditional to distance learning for the entire 2020 academic year. This study collected 1,846,285 tweets to analyze the public's dynamic opinions towards distance education in the KSA during the 2020 academic year. Several classical machine-learning models and deep-learning models, including ensemble random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), adaptive boosting (AdaBoost), multinomial naïve Bayes (MNB), convolutional neural network (CNN), and long short-term memory (LSTM), were tested on this data, and the best-performing models were selected to analyze the public stance towards distance education. Additionally, I correlated my analysis with the major events that were announced by the Ministry of Education (MOE). I observed that people in the KSA took some time to react and express their stances at the start of the academic year. Regarding the news, I observed that any exam-related topic attracted high engagement. In-favor stances increased when news headlines covered the topic of exams compared to other topics. The results show that the primary Saudi public stance favored distance education during the 2020 academic year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the normal life of people worldwide. One of the most noticeable impacts is the enforcement of social distancing to reduce the spread of the virus. The Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia implemented social distancing measures by enforcing distance learning at all educational stages. This measure brought about new experiences and challenges to students, parents, and teachers. This research measures the acceptance rate of this way of learning by analysing people's tweets regarding distance learning in Saudi Arabia. All the tweets analysed were written in Arabic and collected within the boundary of Saudi Arabia. They date back to the day that the distance learning announcement was made. The tweets were pre-processed, and labelled positive, or negative. Machine learning classifiers with different features and extraction techniques were then built to analyse the sentiment. The accuracy results for the different models were then compared. The best accuracy achieved (0.899) resulted from the Logistic regression classifier with unigram and Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency as a feature extraction approach. This model was then applied on a new unlabelled dataset and classified to different educational stages; results demonstrated generally positive opinions regarding distance learning for general education stages (kindergarten, intermediate, and high schools), and negative opinions for the university stage. Further analysis was applied to identify the main topics related to the positive and negative sentiment. This result can be used by the Ministry of Education to further improve the distance learning educational system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The educational process in different medical schools has been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. As a part of the Saudi government's attempts to contain the spread of the virus, schools' and universities' educational activities and face-to-face lectures have been modified to virtual classrooms. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of the faculty and the students of an electronic objective structured clinical examination (E-OSCE) activity that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic in the oldest medical school in Saudi Arabia. Methods: An e-OSCE style examination was designed for the final-year medical students by the pediatrics department, College of Medicine at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The examination was administered by Zoom™ video conferencing where both students and faculty participated through their laptop or desktop computers. In order to explore the students' and the faculty's perceptions about this experience, a newly designed 13-item online questionnaire was administered at the end of the e-OSCE. Results: Out of 136 participants (23 faculty and 112 students), 73 respondents (e.g., 54% response rate) filled out the questionnaire. Most of the respondents (69.8%) were very comfortable with this new virtual experience. Most participants (53.4%) preferred the e-OSCE compared to the classic face-to-face clinical OSCE during the pandemic. Regarding the e-OSCE assessment student tool, 46.6% reported that it is similar to the classic face-to-face OSCE; however, 38.4% felt it was worse. Conclusions: The e-OSCE can be a very effective alternative to the classic face-to-face OSCE due to the current circumstances that still pose a significant risk of infection transmission. Future studies should examine different virtual strategies to ensure effective OSCE delivery from the perspective of both faculty and students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]