1、IntroductIon The temporary closure of educational institutions during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has abruptly transformed the global education landscape in favor of distance learning.2 This radical shift saw a surge in the use of various digital platforms and applications, including
2、 digital learning management systems, collaboration platforms for live-video communication, massive open online courses (MOOCs), and tools for creating learning content.3 Some platforms have offered free access to basic services, especially during the pandemic, which higher education institutions us
3、ed extensively, especially among academic staff and students with digital experience. Forexample,90.3%of universities in Japan were providing distance learning as of 1 June 2020.4 Inupper-middle-income countries, 88%of youth managed to continue learning, including 54% by video lectures and 40% by on
4、line testing.5 ADB BRIEFS no. 151 SEPTEMBER 2020 ISBN 978-92-9262-367-8 (print) ISBN 978-92-9262-368-5 (electronic) ISSN 2071-7202 (print) ISSN 2218-2675 (electronic) Publication Stock No. BRF200260-2 DOI: http:/dx.doi.org/10.22617/BRF200260-2 online Learning in Sri Lankas Higher Education Instituti
5、ons during the coVId-19 Pandemic1 KEY PoIntS Sri Lanka made a remarkable transition to online tertiary education after closing its higher education institutions in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. According to the universities surveyed, nearly 90% of student respondents have
6、been able to access online education. This rate is comparable to developed countries like Japan. All internet service providersin SriLanka provided freeinternet access to university servers during COVID-19 until 17 August 2020. This has been instrumental in promoting online learning forstudents. Giv
7、en sampling limitations, this survey might overrepresent students with online access. The adoption of online learning varied by discipline, university, and household income. Survey results showed poor internet connections disrupted online education, and some students had to access other websites to
8、prepare for lectures and complete assignments. Providing laptops and uninterrupted, affordable, high-speed internet access, particularly for students in poor households or remote areas, iscrucial to ensuring equal access totertiary education. Higher education institutions need to revisit curriculums
9、, pedagogy, and assessments foronline education and blended learning. Loan schemes to purchase laptops could beconsidered. Practical laboratory training for certain disciplines, student engagement, and credible online examination will remain challenging. With university reopening in July 2020, strat
10、egies need to be developed for implementing blended learning. Changing the mindsets and attitudes of faculty and students is critical. A few hours of training for both to learn tactics for blended learning is necessary, but may not be sufficient. Strong leadership and incentives are also needed. Ryo
11、taro Hayashi Social Sector Economist Human and Social Development Division, South Asia Department Asian Development Bank (ADB) Angelica Maddawin ADB Consultant Marito Garcia Fellow, Darden Business School Center for Global Initiatives University of Virginia K. P. Hewagamage Professor in Computer Sci
12、ence University of Colombo 1 This brief was peer reviewed by Jian Xu, Senior Education Specialist (Education Technology), Education Sector Group, Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Bartlet W. Edes, Representative, North American Representative Off
13、ice, ADB. The authors are also grateful for review and valuable inputs from Utsav Kumar, Senior Country Economist, Sri Lanka Resident Mission (SLRM), ADB; and Herathbanda Jayasundara, Social Development Officer, SLRM, ADB. The authors appreciate the invaluable support from the Presidential Taskforce
14、 for Education Affairs; University Grants Commission; and Ministry of Education, in conducting this online survey. Valuable and candid feedback from university students, faculty, andadministration are also acknowledged. 2 United Nations. 2020. Policy Brief: Education during COVID-19 and Beyond. New
15、York. 3 UNESCO. Distance Learning Solutions. https:/en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse/solutions. 4 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. 2020. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on HE and MEXTs Main Countermeasures Starting Period for Classes and Promotion of Utilization of
16、Distance Learning. Tokyo. https:/www.mext.go.jp/en/content/20200707-mxt_ kokusai_000005414_02.pdf. 5 International Labour Organization. 2020. Youth and COVID-19: Impacts on Jobs, Education, Rights and Mental Well-being. Geneva. ADB BRIEFS NO. 151 2 6 According to UNESCO Institute of Statistics, the
17、gross enrollment ratio for tertiary education was 19.6% in 2018 (female: 23.4%, male: 15.8%), but access to higher education was low if the external degree programs provided by Sri Lanka Open University were excluded (UNESCO Institute of Statistics. Sri Lanka. http:/uis.unesco.org/en/country/lk acce
18、ssed 6 August 2020). Sri Lankan tertiary education is driven by the state and tuition is free for bachelors degree programs at state higher education institutions, which constrains the expansion of access. 7 Moodle is a free open source platform. In Sri Lanka, access to higher education is already v
19、ery limited.6 The government ordered all educational institutionsclosed from 12 March 2020, including higher education institutions15state universities and about 40other state and nonstate tertiary education institutions. Such disruptions in tertiary education by COVID-19 could delay the creation of
20、 the leaders and skilledworkforce thecountry needs to successfully transition to upper-middle-income status. To mitigate the effects of disrupted learning, higher education institutions utilized existing Moodle-based learning management systems under university web servers.7 TheLanka Education and R
21、esearch Network (LEARN) was connected to university web servers and used for online education. The network could monitor the utilization of Zoom daily. In addition, allinternet service providers in SriLanka provided free access to university web servers duringthe pandemic until17August2020 (seeBox 1
22、). Box 1: Free Access to University Web Servers in Sri Lanka During COVID-19Policy Process, Benefits, and Challenges All internet service providers in Sri Lanka provided free internet access to university servers during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic until 17 August 2020. This has been
23、instrumental in promoting online learning for students in SriLanka. However, not all countries can start or follow this model. Why was Sri Lanka successful in taking this initiative? The highest political leadership made a difference. Soon after the pandemic was declared in March by the World Health
24、 Organization, the Chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) approached Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to provide free internet access for university web servers, because this is the most practical solution to continue the education of collegiate-level students, taking into account the
25、 time, scale, and cost. President Rajapaksa immediately discussed with the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) to take actions. As a result, UGC and TRCSL reached an agreement with all internet service providers in Sri Lanka to provide free access for university learning ma
26、nagement systems and remote learning facilities through the Lanka Education and Research Network (LEARN). This critical intersectoral collaboration was made possible because of the intervention of the highest political leader, but was not an overnight success. LEARN had been in development over 30 y
27、ears. LEARN is an association registered under the Companies Act of Sri Lanka, and works as a specialized internet service provider for education and research purposes. It provides a high-speed backbone network connecting the Ministry of Education, UGC, and state higher education and research instit
28、utions. LEARN functioning as an internet service provider facilitated whitelisting university web servers for access to online tertiary education during COVID-19. Both students and faculty members immensely benefited through this solution. According to the LEARN report, as of 23August2020, 13 millio
29、n activities (e.g., accessing reading materials, following lecture slides, attending online quizzes) using learning management systems were launched in a peak week during May. For synchronous teaching and learning using LEARNs video conferencing solution, nearly 540,000 participants in total were re
30、corded per week in July. As LEARN had developed its own network over time, this also saved international data bandwidth. However, students and faculty members did have some issues along the way. While access and download of all learning materials from the university web servers were free, some facul
31、ty members put website links beyond university web servers, such as YouTube and digital news article websites, to facilitate distance learning. Access to these websites, however, is charged, which raised concerns and confusion among students and faculty members. With the announcement of gradual univ
32、ersity reopening, the LEARN access measure is only valid until 17 August 2020. However, some internet service providers will continue free access until the end of the billing period close to that date. Full university reopening will take some time. Thus, providing affordable, reliable, and high-spee
33、d internet access remains as a challenge. Sources: Asian Development Bank; and Lanka Education and Research Network. 2020. Online Teaching and Learning Activities of State Universities Under the UGC. Colombo. Online Learning in Sri Lankas Higher Education Institutions during the COVID-19 Pandemic 3
34、Universities resumed learning from 6July2020, contingent on adherence to health guidelines, and done on a limited scale, with priority given to final-year students. Following a gradual approach, incoming first-year students have yet to start their tertiary education. The resumption also depends on t
35、he vice chancellors decision reflecting the context of eachuniversity. As such, online education would remain an important means for delivering tertiary education. Indeed, improving access to quality tertiary education is among the Government of SriLankas highest priorities in its efforts to realize
36、 a knowledge-based economy under Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour, its new economic framework.8 Against this backdrop, it is important to understand emerging issues and challenges in the radical shift toward online education. Thisbrief presents the status as of June 2020 of online learning in Sri
37、Lankas higher education sector since the university closures. Some universities conducted their own evaluation for improving online education, and provided recommendations on internet access and training for faculty.9 This brief goes a step further, however, by analyzing results of online surveys co
38、nducted for all state and nonstate universities and institutes under the Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission. At the initiative of the Presidential Task Force, the Asian Development Bank surveyeduniversity administrations, faculty members, andstudents online in close consultat
39、ion with the ministry andthe commission. dEScrIPtIon of data Three online surveys were conducted on 1729 June2020 covering both state (46) and nonstate (10) higher education institutions. The first survey covering university administrations yielded 353 responses from 44 institutions, including respo
40、nses from vice chancellors, deans, department heads, registrars, and other administrative staff. The survey assessed technology usage in online learning, infrastructure, capacity development, and institutional support for online education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second survey, conducted fo
41、r faculty members, generated 2,104responses. After data cleaning, 2,099responses from 50 higher education institutions were used for analysis (2,003from state higher education institutions and 96from nonstate higher education institutions).10 There were 6,003teaching staff from the institutions,11 f
42、or a response rate of about 35%.More than 50%of respondents were senior lecturers for state higher education institutions. Thefaculty questionnaire was designedto understand the status of online teaching, access to internet and technological devices, capacity and know-how, and online course developm
43、ent and online learning resources during COVID-19. The third and final online survey targeted students. Atotal of 20,517 students participated. Data analysis was conducted garnering 20,434 responses (19,159 from state higher education institutions; 1,260 from nonstate institutions; 15from SriLanka b
44、ut missing information about higher education institution name or type) from 55 higher education institutions. Theresponse rate was around 15%, based on an undergraduate enrollment of 97,928 students and postgraduate enrollment of 39,962 in 2018.12 Theonline survey covered topics similar to the facu
45、lty survey, such as status of online learning during COVID-19, access to internet and hardware devices, and quality of online education and concerns about COVID-19. The number of responses was fairly large, considering that these were online surveys. However, representativeness is one limitation of
46、the data. It is possible that certain groups of university administrators, faculty, and students with strong views about distance learning or who are more comfortable with information and communication technologies, participated more than others. An upward bias is likely, especially in the results f
47、or student access rates during the pandemic. In 2017, 34% of individuals in Sri Lanka used the internet.13 This online survey was more likely to attract respondents with access to the internet. However, the Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission repeatedly followed up all higher
48、education institutions to seek their cooperation in the surveys. We believe that the survey results still provide valuable information to improve online tertiary education in Sri Lanka for use in the “newnormal” conditions that may prevail after COVID-19. 8 Ministry of Finance. 2020. National Policy
49、 Framework Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour. Colombo. 9 Dharmaratna, W.G.D., T. M. Rengarasu, and P. A. Jayantha. 2020. Students Connectivity to Online Classes and Their Perception of Internet Connection at Their Residences: A Study Based on A Questionnaire Survey Conducted among Students of the University of Ruhuna. Matara. 10 Excluded from the analysis are responses from overseas universities; technical and vocational education training institutions (e.g., university colleges); and missing key information (e.g., university name, location). 11 University Grants
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