Measuring the degree of satisfaction among preparatory year students regarding the virtual lessons and educational platforms in the universities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study aims is to examine the degree of satisfaction among students in the preparatory year at the Prince Sattam Bin Abdul Aziz University (PSAU) and Imam Abdul Rahman Bin Faisal University (IAU) regarding the virtual lessons and educational platforms during the 2019 coronavirus pandemic. It focused on the educational services provided through educational platforms and virtual lessons especially those that replaced traditional lessons during the pandemic period as an alternative option for continuing the educational process and the difficulties they faced during the pandemic. The sample represented a transitional stage between secondary and university education and the results were based on the opinions provided by males, females and students with disabilities. In addition, the study relies on a descriptive and analytical approach and contains 31 questions that were given to 276 undergraduate students. It was found that the virtual lessons through the educational platforms were a good solution for the students because they saved time and effort and supported students with disabilities. The results also showed that 78.5% expressed satisfaction with using virtual lessons and educational platforms which indicates the success of the process of transitioning to distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The two universities were recommended to make the necessary improvements.