The Study on Undergraduate’s Readiness to Adapt E- Learning Technology in Sri Lanka

Previous chapter demonstrates the complete introduction to the research study about the undergraduate’s readiness to adapt e-learning technology in Sri Lanka with the problem statement, objectives, significance and the limitations. Moreover, the organization structure of the whole dissertation including.

Purpose of this chapter is to review past and present literature regarding the undergraduate’s readiness to adapt e-learning technology in Sri Lankan universities. The literature discussed in this chapter provides a base from which hypotheses were made. This chapter consists of past research articles which are related to e-learning, benefits of e-learning, technology acceptance model, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, behavioral intention, actual use and e-learning readiness. At the same time literature are provided different opinions regarding independent and dependent variables of particular researches.

E-Learning

E-Learning is considered as one of the critical alternatives for current knowledge-based society (Kim and Santiago, 2005). E-learning is a “modern method to education delivery via digital types of data that improves the learner’s understanding, abilities, or other performance”. (Siritongthaworn et al., 2006). According to (Stockley, 2003), e-learning is the delivery of learning, training or education program through digital approach using a computer or electrical tool (e.g. a cell phone) to offer education, academic or learning material. As well as e-learning is online access to learning resources anywhere and anytime. It means as a learning opportunity affords students with as much choice and manipulate as possible over course content, strategies of gaining knowledge and studying sources (Holmes and Gardner, 2006). E-Learning is not just a new tool. This method of teaching changes students’ capabilities and examine of studying and is an impressive way of learning in higher education. (Rasouli et al., 2016). In fact, e-learning is an educational system that gives access to higher education, regarding quantity and superiority, for volunteers. (Seraji, 2013).

E-learning has grown to be popular tools for teaching and learning in business and educational institutions (Pituch and Lee, 2006). In modern knowledge economy, learning is required to exist and to thrive. In this perspective, knowledge is strength and creation of knowledge through e-learning is not a luxurious however a necessity for modern-day and upcoming generations. On this context, e-learning has become vital. The need is persistent whereas the nature of our society and economy drives the need for learning. The use of alternatives and demand to the standard lecture room has been ongoing for more than 100 years from correspondence courses in paper form through video and computer access (Zu, 2009).

E-learning means that no need to be a passive experience, with learners all sitting in the front of the trainer and "gaining knowledge by telling", E-learning makes learning an active experience. The emphasis is on interactivity or "learning by doing” (Knight, 2003).

E-learning is anticipated to assist improving students’ computer literacy – the skill needed inside the modern-day workforce (Addah, 2012); (Akhu-Zaheya et al., 2013); (Bediang et al., 2013). E-learning seems unfitting for those individuals without self-discipline. It requires a lot of self-discipline, mostly because e-learners are busy working adults as explained earlier (Wong, 2007).

Most universities have continued to offer partial, combined, or completely on line e-learning courses since the overdue 1990s. Currently most off-line universities have either added an e-gaining knowledge of plan or have implemented e-learning (Lee, 2006). The delivery of e-learning programs has been renowned as one of the essential alternative delivery methods for education and training available around the world (Beckstrom et al., 2004). E-leaning is delivered and managed independently of the location of the trainer and the learner (Beckstrom et al., 2004). E-learning is also denoted to as teaching and learning that is web-enabled (Rosenberg, 2000); (Garrison et al., 2003).

Even as the definitions of e-learning may vary, they all define e-learning in terms of technology and agree that e-learning provides a wealthy incorporated environment. The focal point is on a set of basic concepts which include learning, technology and access. Therefore, the principle of e-learning is in using new multimedia technologies and the Internet to enhance the availability and quality of learning (Tubaishat and Lansari, 2011).

E-Learning in International Context

For numerous developing countries, e-learning is considered a solution to the growing demand for higher education. In Pakistan online learning is promoted as “education for all” as it targets to reach out to college students living too far from the cities and not able to find the money for the traditional higher education. (Iqbal and Ahmad, 2010). In Botswana, e-learning solves the issues of big lecture rooms, increasing enrollment, and limited staff (Ikpe, 2011).

In Thailand, like many developing countries, e-learning become a significant part of a countrywide effort to improve public education. Thai educators expect that e-learning will offer a pathway to education for students who are unable to access higher education and it is a necessary enhancement for the country to become more competitive among the ASEAN neighbors. (Khaopa, 2012); (Ngampornchai and Adams, 2016). Currently, 31 higher education institutions in Thailand have learning management systems, 23 of which are public institutions (Rueangprathum et al., 2009). The Thai government has supported such efforts by aiding funding for infrastructure initiatives. For example Thai government has established internet services for all schools and postsecondary institutions and developed an e-learning portal called Thailand Cyber University. (Saekow and Samson, 2011); (Saengpassa, 2013). While there are many positive signs, several challenges slow down the use of e-learning in Thailand. One of them are students reported having limited access to computer and that the internet quality is inconsistent, especially at home (Siritongthaworn and Krairit, 2006). Many college students defined that they normally use computers at schools in which there's restricted access time and many having difficulty accessing online substances because of the lack of appropriate software. In a study to students in three public universities in Thailand, (Teo et al., 2011) found that the acceptance of e-learning was above average, and the students who tended to adopt e-learning were younger students with technology skills.

Numerous obstacles were discussed in regards to promoting online education in developing countries. A survey to staff and students from three Nigerian universities revealed that the low acceptance of e-learning was due to low awareness level, low compute literacy level, unreliable platform and internet services, and the high cost of implementation (Folorunso et al., 2006). Similarly challenges faced by Pakistani universities included infrastructure, students’ limited access to computer, untrained trainers and cultural beliefs. It was turned into similarly challenging while schools have to translate English, as the predominant language in the online environment, into the local language of Urdu in order to reach wider learners (Iqbal and Ahmad, 2010). Another study by (Addah, 2012) revealed that resistance to e-learning in Ghana came from the students’ fear of isolation and computer literacy.

A number of studies focused on computer access, ownership and computer abilities based on the assumptions that these factors make a contribution to computer literacy that impacts the adoption of e-learning. (Bediang et al., 2013)conducted a survey to students in Cameroon and found that two-third of the students were no longer familiar with the idea of e-learning and that 17% of the students didn’t own a personal computer. Most students who used the Internet had only basic e-mail and web search computer skills.

In other study of Jordan, (Akhu-Zaheya et al., 2013) discovered that most students didn’t own computers at home and, they used word processing, e-mail and web searching. The students with limited use of computer developed computer anxiety, which led to computer literacy.

(Beckstrom et al., 2004) carried out an investigation about Egypt readiness for e-learning deployment. Their report presented a positive response to Egypt readiness. It provided a summary of two major government initiatives that ought to certainly in addition the realization of e-learning in Egypt, namely the internet and private computer initiatives. Regarding the internet initiative the ministry of communications and Information Technology is keeping a free internet access nationwide since 2002, where more than 15,000 ports serving 2 million internet users have been set up, with users paying only for local dial up phone tariffs. As for the personal computer initiatives, less costly laptops had been made available to college students and experts within a monthly installment plan that could be additionally financed up by a low interest loan.

According to (Vate-U-Lan, 2007), while all schools in Bangkok reported that they were ready for e-learning, only 70.6% of schools outside of the city had the infrastructure and equipment to be defined as such. These schools that are in outside of the Bangkok still have very limited access to the internet and are using outdated computer systems.

(Xaymoungkhoun et al., 2012) explored critical success factors with e-learning professionals (faculty, ICT experts and researchers) in developing countries. The top four elements that emerged from the facts as ranked by ICT experts were computer training, perceived usefulness, attitude toward e-learning and computer self-efficacy. The top four elements that emerged from the data as ranked by faculty were perceived usefulness, attitude toward e-learning, program flexibility and clear direction. The researchers concluded that people in developing countries are less familiar with technology and therefore are far more critical of e-learning.

E-Learning in Local Context

While e-learning has been studied extensively in developed countries, only a few had been conducted in the context of Sri Lanka. Towards preparing the country to move towards implementing e-learning at the higher educational institutions, it is necessary to understand the factors that promote or encourage the success of e-learning. The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) is currently in the process of implementing Distance & e-learning Centers (DeL centers). The DeL Centre will have distance and e-learning services inclusive of all infrastructure facilities such as video conferencing room, multi-media computer laboratory and a playback room. The overall objective of the DeL Centre project is to provide new information sharing and learning opportunities to a large spectrum of users in the country, through the establishment of an interactive, multi-channel network linking to existing domestic e-learning networks, and global networks for distance and e-learning. DeL centers aim at raising the skill levels of a broad spectrum of the population in key urban areas outside the Colombo, the capital. The initiation of the Government to implement such an island-wide e-learning program alerts all higher learning institutions to be prepared to offer educational activities through e-learning system in the near future. So far only a few public programs instructed by Government are coordinated through these e-learning centers (Thowfeek and Hussin, 2008).

E-Learning Benefits

Various benefits can be recognized in e-learning while comparing conventional classroom learning with e-learning. Students no longer need to wait the lessons by physically as they could learn via videos, face to face interviews, on-line demonstrations and presentations with the assist of internet. As well as it could be benefited as a learning approach for personalized learning, increased access to information, effective, accessibility, building self-reliance etc. (Xaymoungkhoun et al., 2012). Students gaining access to an e-learning system can now have interaction with educational substances in numerous formats (textual content, pictures, sound, video on demand, and so on) anywhere and at any time, so long as they could log on to the internet. Moreover, given the functionality of message boards, instant message exchanges and video conferencing, they are able to even have interaction with instructors and classmates each individually and on a simultaneous basis. They can also engage in self-paced studying, taking control over both the method and the content material of their learning (Trombley and Lee, 2002).

E-learning makes knowledge available to learners and disregards time regulations or geographic contiguity. Online learning has advantages over conventional education considers contain time, labor intensiveness, and material resources involved in running e-learning environments. (Piccoli et al., 2001). The potential benefits of e-learning are many, at the outset; e-learning system integrates instructional material, email, live chat sessions, online discussions, forums, quizzes, assignments and the World Wide Web. E-learning enables learners to learn at their own time and place; and it enables learners to do self-learning, and connect learners to people and resources supportive of their educational needs online (Pituch and Lee, 2006).

Primarily based on the interviews with universities’ administrators, instructors and students, the scholars found that online learning was regarded as convenient and efficient. The participants favored the fact that online learning can be used anytime at anywhere and e-learning helped to reduce the cost of printed material (Siritongthaworn et al., 2006).

In e-learning, the teacher-centered has modified to a student-centered approach. It additionally offers amazing flexibility in teaching technique, content management, a synchronous and asynchronous interaction among teachers and college students, organizing and structure of courses, educational projects and finally student assessment. On this kind of education, the teaching-learning system transcends the class boundaries. Therefore, the physical limits of education are overcome, and learning is feasible any time at anywhere. (Okhovati et al., 2015).

E-learning method which no need to spend lengthy intervals travelling to a location to participate a course, may now have access to gaining knowledge of while want it, at the time want it - day or night time, anyplace anywhere at home or at work. For many students, e-learning has opened a brand new, a more bendy and reachable world of gaining knowledge of that was formerly closed to them because of incapacity or family circumstances, or perhaps due to the fact that the course they desired was on the other side of the world. In different words, there are actually no any geographical constraints to study.

One of the primary benefits of e-learning is being able to do the learning in our own time, pace and also in our own surroundings. The benefit of being able to do this results in a higher uptake, because if we set the learning to take place at a certain time, then we are obviously not going to be able to get everyone involved, but if it is at our own leisure then people are going to be more persuaded to be able to do it (Njuguna, 2013).