Shortly after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, research into the optimal strategies for promoting emergency remote teaching (ERT) had increased. These studies were extremely important since they alerted policymakers to take serious steps to promote readiness for ERT. The aim with this study was to determine the ERT experiences as reported by high-school teachers in Saudi Arabia. I used a mixed-mode design in which both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. I collected the data using a questionnaire on the teachers’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, and focus-group discussions to get information about the best practices to promote readiness for ERT. The participants of the study were 373 high-school teachers working in Asir region schools in Saudi Arabia. Of that number, 12 teachers were randomly selected and divided into 2 focus groups of 6 participants each. The findings show that teachers reported negative and positive teaching experiences during the pandemic. In addition, 3 major themes with regard to the best practices for ERT emerged from the focus-group discussions: instructor-related practices, technology-related practices, and student-related practices. In the conclusion I refer to a few major matters that need to be emphasised to promote readiness for ERT.

https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v45ns2a2393

ORCiD iD of author:
Fadi Maher Al-Khasawneh - https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3484-591X