Feasibility of Online Classes for Microbiology Courses: Lessons learned amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Universities and colleges worldwide have been closed following the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and online learning has become an educational practice at once. Previous research showed many problems, including time management difficulties, technological devices, communication, engagement and assessment of students for both educators and students in online education. This research was formulated to understand whether online microbiology courses from different Saudi Universities are appropriate. It was a nationwide cross-sectional study among educators from multiple Saudi Arabian Universities during the whole month of June 2020. We distributed the survey link electronically through messages on the phone. A total of 134 Saudis participated in the study, and the majority of the respondents, i.e., 106 (79.10%) are between 36 to 55 years old, 17 (12.69%) are 56 years and above. A total of 65 (48.51%) respondents responded that shifting from in-classroom to online setup has impacted the teaching-learning process negatively, while 43 (32.09%) responded with a positive impact. The majority of the respondents (82%) disagreed that practical learning outcomes such as laboratory-based microbiology courses can be achieved online at the same level as regular-campus classes.Furthermore, more than half of the participants think that students' dishonesty or violation of academic integrity threatens institutions from offering online courses. Technology tools have brought a positive impact on the effectiveness of online microbiology education. This study illustrated that the shift to online microbiology classes has a positive impact on attention to academic integrity. However, in-person labs are still considered the optimal lab design. While pandemics have historically generated difficulties, recognizing these difficulties is the first step in turning them into possibilities.