A Narrative Analysis of the Online Learning Experiences of Undergraduate Students in Saudi Arabia during the Covid-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this study is to explore and understand Saudi students' experiences while learning via an online platform during the Covid-19 crisis. Ten undergraduate students engaged in this study answered in-depth interviews questions. A narrative approach was adopted as a research design to stimulate participants in expressing their points of view concerning their e-learning experiences during the Covid-19 crisis. Thematic analysis of the data provided an explanation of the university students' orientations at the beginning of and during the pandemic. The findings highlight many challenges faced by the students during the crisis, including issues such as technology problems, difficulties in communication with each other's and with some faculty members and, for some of them, the lack of suitable learning environments. The students also reported various affordance factors emerging from their engagement with online learning, including being more organised, a shift in the mode of education towards being more interactive, and having a more democratic relationship with faculty. Finally, this paper presents the students' suggestions concerning their future learning which have emerged from their own online experiences; in particular, to adopt a blend of learning situations. They suggested that online learning would be suitable to deliver theoretical content whereas face-to-face lectures were preferable to deal with the practical aspects of their programme. This would help them to save time and better tackle the heavy workload associated with their course requirements. Finally, the findings of this research are discussed in the light of the relevant literature.