S.R.S.D.K. Weerawansa, T.U. Hewage

Abstract

This paper focuses on students’ perception of the effectiveness of online vs onsite learning within two faculties (Arts and Science) of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Furthermore, the results of this study are compared to those of similar studies conducted in several other countries. The research problem addressed in this study is: What is the impact of ICT knowledge, digital infrastructure, classroom environment, and policy support on undergraduates’ perception of online teaching and learning? The primary data for the study was collected using a structured questionnaire. The objective of the questionnaire was to measure the impact of ICT knowledge, digital infrastructure, classroom environment, and policy support on undergraduates’ perception of online teaching and learning. A questionnaire was made available through an online platform to two hundred undergraduates of the two faculties, Arts and Science, of the University of Colombo, and the one hundred eighty (180) responses received were analysed using SPSS. The neutrality of the impact of ICT knowledge, digital infrastructure, classroom environment, and the policy framework on the participants’ perception of the online teaching/learning process can be interpreted as the non-existence of a significant difference between online and onsite classes. However, the additional comments provided by the same respondents at the end of the questionnaire indicate opinions contradictory to the above finding.

Keywords: Online Learning, Classroom Environment, Digital Infrastructure, Policy Structure, Impact on Performance