Undergraduate EFL Students’ Perceptions About Their Experiences Attending Online Classes During the COVID-19 Pandemic at a Saudi University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine undergraduate EFL students’ perceptions about their experiences attending online classes at a Saudi higher education institute during the COVID-19 pandemic. Random sampling was used to obtain the subjects of the study, twelve undergraduate EFL students who attended online classes for the first time at Al-Baha University, Saudi Arabia. A SWOT analysis was used to process the collected data. The main strengths of using online classes in the EFL context were time/place flexibility, promoting a more active/interactive learning style, and the availability of recorded sessions, all of which helped the students when they were reviewing the asynchronously-delivered content. The weaknesses were all related to technical issues (access to an adequate internet connection and an appropriate device on which to access the internet). This study is expected to generate new insights into the process of implementing online classes or blended classes to teach the English language in the Saudi context, and to examine the potential strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to such an adoption at the target university during the shift to online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings may be beneficial for other higher education institutions with a similar context in Saudi Arabia and may benefit higher education policymakers in Saudi Arabia.