This study aims to identify a range of changes and challenges that education in English (as a foreign language) presents to Saudi university students' mainstream culture. With greater exposure to the internet and foreign media, travel to other countries, and observation of the country's immigrant populations' cultures, the young Saudis are changing their perception of the native culture. Though it is too early to identify the nature and extent of these changes, these are perceptible at least on the educational campuses. Though not very pronounced because of the Saudi culture is very deeply rooted and firm, these changes can be perceived during informal conversation setups. A certain degree of inhibition also laces the young people's views, unsure as they are to the reaction of society to their changed perceptions. It is essential to understand these changing perceptions of the young Saudi people so that the impressions formed by them may be given a positive turn vis-à-vis the rich Saudi heritage and ancient cultural ethos, while at the same time, ensuring that the nation walks in tandem with its compatriots across the globe. This study takes a phenomenological qualitative research approach, seeing the opinions of fifty proficient English students at Qassim University via a self-report survey to gather data on their behaviors and attitudes vis-à-vis learning English and native culture.

The recent abrupt shift to a total e-learning modality has been a fresh yet daunting experience for educational institutions due to the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift has also raised the questions of relevance of educational modalities given the special times we are living in, as well as the happy possibility of universities gearing up for internationalization to prepare students for online learning. Before implementing these changes, however, in-depth study of the opinions and experiences of teachers and students at Saudi universities, among other parameters, is imperative. With this focus, the current study employs a mixed-methods research design from two universities in Saudi Arabia, namely Qassim University (QU) and Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU). A purposive sample of 22 teachers and 54 students were the respondents, who were administered a questionnaire and interviewed at a later stage. Results showed that both teachers and students find the online teaching–learning experience challenging due to teacher-related, student-related and technology-related factors. The teachers rate themselves as being moderately competent in the use of technology tools for online learning, while students assess themselves as competent. Initiatives are offered by both students and teachers to improve the transition of universities to online education as well as to promote the quality of universities towards internationalization, particularly with living in the midst of a health crisis. The study has implications for curriculum implementers and designers committed to educational revolution. The outcomes of this proposed research can be the basis for relevance and internationalization initiatives of the selected universities in Saudi Arabia.