Readiness of Higher Education Institutions for e-learning: A Case Study of Saudi Universities During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all sectors across the globe. The education sector is one of the critical sectors that have been affected on all continents. Educational institutions, including universities, are struggling as they had no time to manage their learning system to encounter the sudden shock of COVID-19. The purpose of this study is to explore and examine the readiness of higher education institutes for e-learning. A case study of Saudi Arabia universities during the COVID-19 pandemic is considered. Our analysis focused on measuring the level of readiness between public and private universities. The results show that universities adopting blended learning systems among both public and private universities managed to reduce the negative impact of the epidemic much better than traditional universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]