The Impact of Virtual Classes on Students’ Performance in Open Learning Environments: The Case of Arab Open University, Saudi Arabia

Open learning aims to deliver different educational services and activities for learners throughout an organised set of policies and procedures. The ultimate objective of such policies is to minimise the geographical and time limitations that might affect the students’ performance during his or her academic life. The Arab Open University in Saudi Arabia is one of the leading universities that deliver open learning education in the Middle East. To achieve its mission, AOU utilises virtual classes’ technologies as a teaching mode for its learners. In this study, we study and analyse the students’ academic performance in virtual classes against the traditional face-to-face classes. The usefulness of this study arises from its importance in directing the decision makers at AOU of the efficiency of virtual classes as a delivery mode of teaching and a set of recommendation for future enhancement.