TEACHING PRACTICES IN THE NEW NORMAL: QUALITATIVE INQUIRY (SRI LANKA CASE)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20535/2410-8286.290370

Keywords:

pedagogy, online learning, blended learning, information technology, education system

Abstract

The public education system shifted towards one centered on information technology due to the COVID-19 epidemic. Hence, in recent years, online learning has emerged as a substantial curriculum component at several educational institutions in Sri Lanka. The present investigation explores the pedagogical practices in Sri Lankan government universities in the new normal via a qualitative approach by interviewing eight instructors in eight public universities. The findings revealed that the pedagogy has shifted to an online context with the pandemic, and the education system continuously applies online teaching, assessment, and evaluation techniques. Teachers and students initially encountered various issues in the new normal, including technical difficulties, economic conditions, and a lack of available resources for integrating IT into the education pedagogy. Hence, current practices should continue facilitating digital infrastructure and blended approaches for better outcomes. The authors recommend that policymakers and authorities take high responsibility for building an effective IT-based strategy. It is vital to train educators and encourage them to fully utilize the recent movement towards online instruction by supplying all the necessary technological skills. Training educators and encouraging them to utilize the recent movement towards online instruction entirely is vital by supplying all the necessary technological skills. The government should provide essential infrastructure and facilities to institutions while working toward creating a welcoming atmosphere within universities. Giving encouragement and financial aid to students is critical to alleviating student pressures while transitioning to online learning methods. Policymakers must consider the significance of the human component and realize that technology alone cannot solve every problem. The present transition in the educational system demands implementing a strategic framework to identify the strengths and address the shortcomings.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Ramakrishnan Vivek, University Of Vavuniya Pampaimadu, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Assistant Lecturer, Sri Lanka Technological Campus, Sri Lanka

Yogarajah Nanthagopan, University Of Vavuniya Pampaimadu, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Senior Academic in Project Management, University of Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Sarmath Piriyatharshan, University Of Vavuniya Pampaimadu, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Lecturer (Prob.) in English Language, University of Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Oleksandr P. Krupskyi, Oles Honchar Dnipro National University, Dnipro, Ukraine

Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor of Marketing and International Management, Oles Honchar Dnipro National University, Dnipro, Ukraine

References

  1. Abeydeera, S. (2021). Teaching and Learning Sustainability during and beyond COVID-19: A Review of Business and Management Studies. University of Colombo Review, 2(1), 138. https://doi.org/10.4038/ucr.v2i1.43
  2. Aguilera-Hermida, A. P. (2020). College students’ use and acceptance of emergency online learning due to COVID-19. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 1, 100011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2020.100011
  3. Anderson, T. (2018). The theory and practice of online learning. Edmonton: Au Press.
  4. Archambault, L. & Crippen, K. (2009). K–12 distance educators at work. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(4), 363–391.
    |
  5. Ashour, S., Refae, G. a. E., & Zaitoun, E. A. (2021). Post-pandemic Higher Education: Perspectives from University Leaders and Educational Experts in the United Arab Emirates. Higher Education for the Future, 8(2), 219–238. https://doi.org/10.1177/23476311211007261
    |
  6. Bryman, A. (2007). Qualitative research. London: SAGE.
  7. Chandrasiri, N. R., & Weerakoon, B. S. (2022). Online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perceptions of allied health sciences undergraduates. Radiography, 28(2), 545–549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2021.11.008
    |
  8. Chowdhury, S., Rahman, M., Doddanavar, I. A., Zayed, N. M., Nitsenko, V., Melnykovych, O., & Holik, O. (2023). Impact of Social Media on Knowledge of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Bangladeshi University Students. Computation, 11(2), 38. https://doi.org/10.3390/computation11020038.
  9. Damsa, C., Langford, M., Uehara, D., & Scherer, R. (2021). Teachers’ agency and online education in times of crisis. Computers in Human Behavior, 121, 106793. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106793
  10. Daniels, C. & Gebhardt, C. (2021). Special issue: Higher education, Science and Research Systems for transformative change in Africa – what role for innovation policy?. Industry and Higher Education, 35(5), 553–558. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/09504222211029901
  11. Daumiller, M., Rinas, R., Hein, J., Janke, S., Dickhäuser, O., & Dresel, M. (2021). Shifting from face-to-face to online teaching during COVID-19: The role of university faculty achievement goals for attitudes towards this sudden change, and their relevance for burnout/engagement and student evaluations of teaching quality. Computers in Human Behavior, 118, 106677. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106677
  12. Dooly, M., Moore, E., & Vallejo, C. (2017). Research ethics. Research-publishing. net.
  13. Dyer, C. B. (1995). Postoperative delirium. A review of 80 primary data-collection studies. Archives of Internal Medicine, 155(5), 461–465.
    |
  14. El-Soussi, A. H. (2022). The shift from face-to-face to online teaching due to COVID-19: Its impact on higher education faculty’s professional identity. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 3, 100139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2022.100139
  15. Garrison, D. R., & Kanuka, H. (2004). Blended learning: Uncovering its transformative potential in higher education. Internet and Higher Education, 7(2), 95–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2004.02.001
    |
  16. Gopal, R., Singh, V., & Aggarwal, A. K. (2021). Impact of online classes on the satisfaction and performance of students during the pandemic period of COVID 19. Education and Information Technologies, 26(6), 6923–6947. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10523-1
    |
  17. Hasanli, Y., & Shabanov, S. (2018, July). Estimation of Impact of Innovations on the Quality of Tertiary Education. In The 6th International Conference on Control and Optimization with Industrial Applications (pp. 185-187). https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4323632.
  18. Hidalgo, G. I., Sánchez-Carracedo, F., & Romero-Portillo, D. (Sep 2021). COVID-19 Emergency Remote Teaching Opinions and Academic Performance of Undergraduate Students: Analysis of 4 Students’ Profiles. A Case Study. Mathematics, 9(17), 2147, https://doi.org/10.3390/math9172147
  19. Hollander, J. B. (Jan 2021). The pandemic is taking higher education back to school. University World News.
  20. Lewis, C., & Abdul-Hamid, H. (2006). Implementing Effective Online Teaching Practices: Voices of Exemplary Faculty. Innovative Higher Education, 31(2), 83–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-006-9010-z
    |
  21. Marek, M. W., Chew, C. S., & Wu, W. V. (2021). Teacher Experiences in Converting Classes to Distance Learning in the COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Distance Education Technologies, 19(1), 89–109. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijdet.20210101.oa3
    |
  22. Megahed, N. A., & Hassan, A. (2021). A blended learning strategy: reimagining the post-Covid-19 architectural education. ArchNet-IJAR, 16(1), 184–202. https://doi.org/10.1108/arch-04-2021-0081
  23. Nordmann, E., Horlin, C., Hutchison, J., Murray, J., Robson, L., Seery, M. K., & MacKay, J. R. D. (2020). Ten simple rules for supporting a temporary online pivot in higher education. PLOS Computational Biology, 16(10), e1008242. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008242
    |
  24. Nugroho, I., Paramita, N., Mengistie, B., T., & Krupskyi, O., P. (2021). Higher education leadership and uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Socioeconomics and Development, 4(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.31328/jsed.v4i1.2274
  25. Roy, A. (April 2020). The pandemic is a portal. Financial times, 3(4), 45. Retrieved from: https://www.paxchristi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Disarming-Times-Vol-45-No-2-1.pdf.
  26. Sangrà, A., Vlachopoulos, D., & Cabrera, N. (2012). Building an inclusive definition of e-learning: An approach to the conceptual framework. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 13(2), 145–159. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v13i2.1161
    |
  27. Sarmatha, P. (2022). The Use of Language in the Covid – 19 Phenomena: A Corpus-Based Study of Lexicons. Faculty of Business studies, University of Vavuniya.
  28. Scherer, R., Howard, S. K., Tondeur, J., & Siddiq, F. (2021). Profiling teachers’ readiness for online teaching and learning in higher education: Who’s ready?. Computers in Human Behavior, 118, 106675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106675
  29. Subashini, N., Udayanga, L., De Silva, L. H. N., Edirisinghe, J. C., & Nafla, M. N. (2022). Undergraduate perceptions on transitioning into E-learning for continuation of higher education during the COVID pandemic in a developing country: a cross-sectional study from Sri Lanka. BMC Medical Education, 22(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03586-2
    |
  30. Vivek, R. (2022). Ethics in qualitative study in social work: systematic review. Social Work and Education, 9(2), 298–304. http://dx.doi.org/10.25128/2520-6230.22.2.9
  31. Vivek, R., & Nanthagopan, Y. (2021). Contribution of information technology in strategic implementation of digital learning in public universities in Sri Lanka due to covid-19. Comparative Pedagogical Studies, 2. https://doi.org/10.31499/2306-5532.2.2021.250288
  32. Vivek, R., & Nanthagopan, Y. (2021). Review and comparison of multi-method and mixed method application in research studies. European Journal of Management Issues, 29(4), 200–208. https://doi.org/10.15421/192119
  33. Vivek, R., & Nanthagopan, Y. (2023). Influences on strategic functioning of the public universities of Sri Lanka: challenges and ground realities. Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences, 45(2), 127–146. https://doi.org/10.4038/sljss.v45i2.8322
  34. Vivek, R., & Nanthagopan, Y. (2023). Storytelling as a Qualitative Approach for Organizational Management. European Journal of Management Issues, 31(2), 113-122. https://doi.org/10.15421/192310
  35. Wulanjani, A. N., & Indriani, L. (2021). Revealing Higher Education Students’ Readiness for Abrupt Online Learning in Indonesia amidst Covid-19. NOBEL: J. of Literature and Language Teaching, 12(1), 43–59. https://doi.org/10.15642/NOBEL.2021.12.1.43-59.
  36. Wu, N., & Liu, Z. (2021). Higher education development, technological innovation and industrial structure upgrade. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 162, 120400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120400.
  37. Yilmaz, R. (2016). Knowledge sharing behaviors in e-learning community: Exploring the role of academic self-efficacy and sense of community. Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 373-382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.05.055.

Downloads

Published

2023-12-30

How to Cite

Vivek, R., Nanthagopan, Y., Piriyatharshan, S., & Krupskyi, O. P. . (2023). TEACHING PRACTICES IN THE NEW NORMAL: QUALITATIVE INQUIRY (SRI LANKA CASE) . Advanced Education, 11(23), 170–189. https://doi.org/10.20535/2410-8286.290370

Issue

Section

ARTICLES