“…Before the coronavirus outbreak, navigating to online education systems was still an option that a limited number of universities worldwide would consider at their own pace, especially in Arab and developing countries where academics, students, and the public at large seem to undervalue online education (Ko, & Rossen, 2017;Vai, & Sosulski, 2011;Elbelazi, 2015). Over the past ten years or so, there have been endeavors "to publicize and popularize e-learning" (Al Musawi, 2010, p. 604) in the Sultanate of Oman as a potential "alternative" mode of education "in order to increase University admissions of Omani high school graduates" (Al Musawi, & Akinyemi, 2002, p. 55), and eventually, respond to the "social demand to increase the higher education intake" (Al Musawi, 2010, p. 603).…”