The global health crisis of COVID-19 left universities struggling to devise policies to respond quickly to an evolving situation. Having survived the disruptions of shifting to remote learning, higher education leaders have a new perspective on the value of online learning and the need to have online course delivery options for all courses, by all teachers, for all students. Despite the steep learning curve and technical hurdles, teachers reacted with resilience, creativity, and a desire to provide the best education through emergency remote learning. Two years after the pandemic started, remote learning has persisted, and universities are looking to create more online and hybrid classes. Understanding learners' perceptions of their remote learning experiences, challenges, and sense of belonging to the university can contribute to course design, university recruitment, and retention. This study explores how students' cultural characteristics of individualism/collectivism, as described by (Hofstede, 1984), and the shift to remote learning influence their sense of belonging to the university. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed methods research design which involves a first phase to gather and analyze quantitative data first and a second phase to gather and analyze qualitative data. The first phase measured students' sense of belonging to the university and their collectivism characteristics using a survey. The second phase employed interviews to explore students' perspectives on the role that culture and remote learning play in their sense of belonging. The findings include insights into students' lived experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, confirmation of a moderate relationship between collectivist characteristics and a sense of belonging to the university, and the importance of establishing an online learning community (virtual spaces) for students, faculty, and staff. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]