The COVID-19 pandemic has left more than 1.6 billion children and young people in 161 countries, nearly 80% of students enrolled in education systems globally, out of school. Many countries have resorted to online learning to reduce the repercussions of this shutdown. Many challenges have emerged, the most important of which are infrastructure and communication, and the knowledge of teachers and administrators of the necessary tools and processes are also key factors in providing online learning. In fact, nationwide lockdowns could have been an opportunity to test technological interventions for distance learning. Unfortunately, few systems have reached this point and are ready for implementation. The current study aimed to propose a strategy for distance education using the focus group method to gather the opinions of experts in the field of learning technologies and analyze their responses using text analysis software considering the McKinsey 7S Framework. The study found that the proposed strategy based on instructional design models that use OERs, i.e., blogs, audio recordings, and other resources, can improve the quality and efficiency of learning, provide students with skills, and achieve sustainable development goals in education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled practically all higher education institutions to adopt online education tools over the previous 2 years. Online education has a huge potential to supplement or take the place of in-person instruction. However, there are certain drawbacks of online learning, such as the absence of classroom environment interaction and the difficulty in keeping track of students’ engagement and participation. In this study, a live virtual classroom was developed to aid students in their learning activities. The effectiveness of these live video classes was reported from both students and instructors, as well as the variables promoting their implementation within higher education institutions. One of the more significant findings to emerge from this study is that the instructors found it convenient, as they could readily check course participants understanding by studying their live video lectures. The second major finding was that students felt satisfaction with online learning while asking questions without interfering with the instructor’s presentation. Moreover, peers could also provide them with more expertise. However, the teaching process became dynamic, requiring the educator to pay close attention. The course participants also experienced anxiety when they were in front of other people. Additionally, both the instructor and the students need to be highly self-sufficient in technology.

The study aimed at finding a strategy for qualifying human resources in Arab countries in order to fulfill the requirements for building the knowledge economy in those countries. The study also discussed the concept of the knowledge economy, its requirements, its availability in the Arab countries, and the role of continuing education as a tool for the development of human resources which represents one of the requirements of building a knowledge economy. In light all this, the study proposed a future strategy for building a knowledge economy in Arab countries by activating the role of continuing education. The study used descriptive, critical, and analytical approaches to achieve the study objectives.