Smart Visual Syllabus for Higher Education: A Solution during the COVID-19 Global Lockdown

Abstract
   The purpose of the current study was to train, implement, and measure the participants’ experiences and perceptions toward the English language new smart visual syllabus (SVS), which defines as an electronic syllabus that enhanced by audio-visual contents, photos, animations, 3D shapes, and infographic. The subjects were the faculty members and undergraduates' students at English departments in two faculties of education, Majmaah and King Saud Universities, KSA, 2019/2020. Data collection tools were: a) two workshops held to train and assess a group of faculty members followed by,  b) A google form interview sent to the same group, c) A google form questionnaire distributed among undergraduates students, and finally, d) A face- to- face interview with a focus group of faculty members and undergraduates’ students at mixed level. The data underwent SPSS and content analysis. The results answered the research question and proved its hypothesis that there were no significant differences in the targets’ positive responses toward the usefulness, clarity, flexibility, feasibility, and easiness of the new syllabus design to review, modify, upload, and download anytime anywhere. Concerning obstacles, few faculty members assumed that releasing the new syllabus has a negative effect on them, some students might not think highly of them, and that there is no need for teachers. To conclude, the smart visual syllabus has a significant role in facilitating and scaffolding the teaching and learning materials; specifically, it helped much to shift totally into online courses during the COVID- 19 pandemics, which limited the participants' contact and decreased the potential risk of infection.  Some recommendations and implications have provided.