Impact of Transition from Onsite to Online Education on Students Learning and Psychological Well-being: A Cross-sectional Study of King Faisal University, KSA

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions in a variety of industries, including education and way of life. The educational system has undergone significant transformation as some activities have abruptly moved from on-site to online. Researchers' curiosity about how the transitional period affects students' learning and well-being has grown during this time. This study intends to assess how King Faisal University students perceive the effects of switching from traditional classroom instruction to online learning on their academic performance and psychological well-being.

A total of 915 male and female students from King Faisal University in the Al-Ahsa Governorate participated in the survey. The Students' Perception of Online Learning Questionnaire (51) and the Psychological Well-Being Questionnaire (52) was used to gather data from students at King Faisal University (all colleges). E-learning and face-to-face learning were compared by percentage and T-test to address the research concerns.

The findings of this study revealed that students rated face-to-face learning 375 (41%) as a more acceptable way of learning in comparison to the e-learning method 320 (38%). Students rated access to online materials 186 (20%) as the main advantage of the e-learning method, whereas technical problems 312 (34%) were the main disadvantage of e-learning. There was a statistically significant relationship between students’ psychological well-being in response to e-learning and face-to-face learning method, specifically autonomy (t=10.13, p=.002), personal growth (t=21.19, p=.000), and social relations (t=34.64, p=.000).

It is crucial to implement healthy policies and health promotion initiatives inside the university that are specifically tailored to the physical and mental health issues that were discovered in this study.