THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: Cultural and Educational Issues

This book sheds light on some aspects of distance learning in Saudi Arabia during the Covid-19 Pandemic starting March 2020 until the end of Spring 2021. It reports educational problems associated with the abrupt transition to distance learning at Saudi universities, and hate and racism speech on social media against certain groups of people associated with Covid-19. The book reports the steps taken by the Ministry of Education for bridging the digital gap, improving the infrastructure, and providing devices for underprivileged students especially those in remote and rural areas. It also reports effective language learning activities and instructional techniques employed by instructors for enhancing interaction and communication among the students and between students and instructors in the distance learning environment, and how children were utilizing their iPads and Tablets in the home environment during the lockdown for learning and entertainment.