Comparing Students’ Perspectives on Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Cultural Study of Undergraduate Students in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia

The global educational landscape has grappled with unprecedented challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting a seismic shift from traditional instruction to ubiquitous online learning. This study, employing an exploratory mixed-methods approach with 890 participants from Saudi and United States (U.S.) higher education institutions, scrutinizes and compares the perspectives of undergraduate students on online learning during the pandemic. Multiple regression analyses reveal divergent associations between U.S. and Saudi participants, highlighting varied attributes such as interactivity, learning environment, time management, cost, flexibility, and resource accessibility. Despite these differences, commonalities emerge in participants’ views on teacher roles, learning quality, academic success, and social interaction in the online milieu. Thematic analysis uncovers challenges related to the swift transition, including resource inadequacies and perceptions of online teaching quality. Nevertheless, positive aspects of online learning, such as cost-effectiveness and flexibility, are emphasized, underscoring its growing importance in higher education amid the pandemic’s challenges.