Assessing Online Teaching in Higher Education Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study from Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT: On March 8, 2020, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Education forced all universities and schools to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry required all universities and schools to initiate online schooling as a replacement for face-to-face teaching methods. This research investigates the sudden change into online learning at two Saudi Arabian universities on the West coast. The study focuses on six instructional strategies that show the current online teaching experience by faculties in the two selected universities. The strategies are as follows: (1) initiating emergency preparation plans, (2) breaking down course contents, (3) indicating the importance of “tone” during online teaching, (4) more roles for teaching assistants, (5) enhancing students’ proactive learning abilities, and (6) effective incorporation of online learning with home self-learning. Finally, six useful principles are provided to improve online teaching’s impact on small- and large-scale online classes in higher education.  

KEYWORDS: COVID-19, online education, instructional strategies, higher education, Saudi Arabia