Satisfaction of Preparatory Year Students at Umm Al-Qura University with Distance Learning During Covid-19

Abstract

During the past two years, the education systems in the world witnessed unprecedented turmoil due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, as most schools and universities in the world closed their doors to more than 1.5 billion students, or more than 90% of the total learners, according to recent figures issued by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Education experts have agreed that post-coronavirus education will not be the same as before, especially with the increasing use of modern technology in education. One of the most important new patterns with a structure digital in education is distance education, this style has been used, in many countries of the world, as an alternative to traditional education, since the beginning of the pandemic. In Saudi Arabia, this type of education has been used in all educational institutions, starting from kindergarten until the postgraduate level, as an alternative to face-to-face education to preserve the health and safety of students and workers in educational institutions. This study aimed to explore the level of satisfaction of preparatory year students on distance learning in their first year of study at Umm Al-Qura University. The findings of this study showed that students in the preparatory year were satisfied with their online learning experience. In addition, the results revealed that there was no effect for gender and location of study on students' level of satisfaction. Saudi universities should continue to work to create a suitable learning environment for students at the e-learning level.