Challenges and adaptations in online learning: A case study of the College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences at SQU during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 epidemic has had a significant impact on education delivery. This study investigated the transition from traditional to online teaching at the College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences (CAMS) at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in spring 2020. It analyzed the procedures adopted, challenges faced by students and faculty, and their perspectives on online teaching. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design and list-based frame sampling, 422 students and 14 faculty members from CAMS were surveyed online. The student questionnaire included closed-ended items on demographics, internet service quality, PC ownership, and teaching-related concerns like assessment workload, lecture preference (synchronous/asynchronous), and teacher/advisor cooperation. Open-ended items explored other challenges encountered during online teaching. The faculty questionnaire focused on internet and technical support, teaching, exam invigilation, student attendance and participation, using only closed-ended items. Quantitative analysis was used for closed-ended responses, while thematic analysis identified key challenges (technical, pedagogical, social, and health-related) from open-ended responses of students’ questionnaire. The study found that establishing an e-learning committee with a well-defined organizational structure and comprehensive guidelines greatly facilitated the successful implementation of online teaching policies in the college. This committee effectively addressed the challenges and supported educators and students, significantly improving online teaching delivery in subsequent semesters. According to students' perceptions, technological obstacles posed a considerable challenge, with the majority of issues (54.9%) being associated with technology. The majority of students experienced inadequate internet connectivity at their respective sites, as well as high internet service costs. A typical issue included students (42%) feeling overwhelmed by the increased workload during online learning compared to regular in-person classrooms. Students (36%) expressed a preference for conducting half of the weekly course lectures synchronously and the other half asynchronously. Despite being physically distant, a substantial portion of students maintained significant communication with their academic advisors during the pandemic through emails. A proportion of 16.0% of the reported concerns were social-related. Certain students (5.6%) experienced health-related problems, such as eye strain, headaches, and diminished focus, as a result of prolonged exposure to screens during synchronous lectures. The availability of a supporting team on the SQU campus was associated to higher satisfaction with internet quality and excellent access to technical support. Faculty members who had previous experience in online teaching exhibited higher levels of self-efficacy and confidence in using technology for online teaching. Faculty demonstrated a high level of flexibility with students with technical issues by recording synchronous lectures, uploading them to the Moodle LMS platform, and administering in-semester and final exams asynchronously. Nevertheless, there were strict regulations for attendance at online lectures and conducting exams to preserve educational integrity. The study underscores the importance of addressing online learning-related concerns and providing faculty training to enhance the technological self-efficacy of online learning. Suggestions for future practice include establishing robust support entities for both students and faculty, ensuring fair and equal access to technology, and cultivating a more resilient educational environment for online learning that can effectively adapt to future uncertainties affecting the regular in-person education system.