education sciences Article An Exploratory Study of the Obstacles for Achieving Quality in Distance Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic Zohra Lassoued 1 , Mohammed Alhendawi 2 and Raed Bashitialshaaer 3, * 1 College of Social and Human Sciences, El Oued University, El Oued 39000, Algeria; lassouedzohra2016@gmail.com 2 Education and Psychology, Al-Azhar University, Gaza Box 1277, Palestine; abu-hithm@hotmail.com 3 Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Lund University, 201, 221 00 Lund, Sweden * Correspondence: raed.bashitialshaaer@cme.lu.se Received: 17 August 2020; Accepted: 1 September 2020; Published: 3 September 2020   Abstract: This study aims to reveal the obstacles to achieving quality in distance learning during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and was based on a large sample of professors and students of universities in the Arab world (Algerian, Egyptian, Palestinian, and Iraqi). The primary aim of this research was to investigate the various ways in which students pursued their studies at home during the university suspension as a result of COVID-19. In this paper, the researchers use an exploratory descriptive approach through a questionnaire with a conveniently selected sample of 400 professors and student’s returns out of 600 were distributed. The results indicate that the professors and students faced self-imposed obstacles, as well as pedagogical, technical, and financial or organizational obstacles. Recommendations are presented to overcome and understand these obstacles to benefit in the future during unexpected or similar problems. Keywords: learning barriers obstacles; quality; distance learning; COVID-19 pandemic; questionnaire; professors and students 1. Introduction Since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, educators have been forced to shift to online teaching through e-learning systems [1,2]. Al-Araini [3] indicated that distance education is being rapidly adopted, unparalleled in the field of higher education all over the world, bypassing obstacles, problems, and difficulties. Today, higher education institutions face several demands imposed on them by successive scientific and technological developments. These institutions, despite the limited capabilities and resources available to them, face an increasing demand for higher education and upgrade to the levels of efficiency, effectiveness, and quality, which is not limited to traditional teaching within the classroom. Higher education institutions must take advantage of developments in communication technology and use them to provide their curricula to those who wish to continue their higher education anytime, anywhere [4]. Sabah [5] summarized the transformations that higher education should undertake to fit with scientific developments, the most prominent of which are the shift from rigidity to flexibility, from the minimum to mastery and quality, from ruminating on information to creativity and innovation, and from limited education to lifelong learning. The social and technological developments have been accompanied by changes in the field of education, including higher education. Research in the field has documented adaptation and impacts of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in higher education over the past three decades, Educ. Sci. 2020, 10, 232; doi:10.3390/educsci10090232 www.mdpi.com/journal/education