Opportunities and Challenges of Using Micro-learning during the Pandemic of COVID-19 from the Perspectives of Teachers

Abstract

The pandemic of COVID-19 required a sudden shift to online distance education all over the world. In Saudi Arabia, like other countries, teachers had to move from face-to-face education to distance education to deliver and share the educational materials. Thus, the present study has investigated the teachers' perceptions, practices, and encountered challenges while using micro-learning applications to deliver micro-learning contents as a tool for teaching and basic learning during the pandemic of COVID-19. Therefore, the qualitative approach depending on the phenomenological approach was used to determine the perceptions, practices and encountered challenges of ten public education teachers in the directorate of education in Al Qunfothah province. Findings showed that micro-learning opportunities were based on the fields of cost, fitness to students' nature, self-learning, reuse, cognitive retention, interaction and attraction, individual differences, cognitive achievement, in addition to practical skills. Whereas, the most important challenges were centered on the lack of resources, effort required to produce resources, the need for educational training, and the need for digital skills. In conclusion, the study recommended taking into account the results of the present study as starting points for developing micro-learning in the stage of post-Covid-19 pandemic.

 Keywords: Micro-learning applications; COVID-19 pandemic; public education; Saudi Arabia