Table 1 Themes and Sub-themes of Emirati female college students’ experiences

Teaching presence

Course design and organization

When we changed to virtual learning, the syllabus was modified

Teacher facilitation

The teacher provided us with an opportunity to go in groups

Direct instructions

The repetition [of instructions] is because sometimes we don’t start the instructions at once, and so it has to be repeated

Cognitive presence

Development of problem-solving skills

From the beginning of the term and you assign us scenarios, reflections, and things to be solved in the classroom

Exploration

The teacher gave us the chance to brainstorm about issues, find different solutions and keep brainstorming until we find good solutions

Integration

I can link information from different resources to answer a certain problem

Resolution

I like this application as it helps me in my future with classes

Social presence

Affective presence

Yes absolutely, having me in different groups helped me to know more students especially the high achieving students

Enabler

After a topic is explained, we are immediately given a task, provided instructions, and sent in groups

Cohesion

We are provided with different activities to be completed in groups

Associated benefits

I can talk to my teacher freely and tell her my disagreement

I feel confident because they trust me and trust my knowledge