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Open Access
Evaluating the use of scholarly databases by undergraduates at Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology
(NILIS, University of Colombo, 2025-10-30) Priyanka, R. A. D. J; Ranaweera, R. P. P
Scholarly databases are a vital component of academic learning and research, offering access to peer-reviewed journals, e-books, and conference proceedings. The Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) invests significantly in subscribing to major scholarly databases such as IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, and Emerald Insight. However, it remains uncertain whether these resources are being effectively utilized by students. This study aimed to evaluate the use of scholarly databases by final year undergraduates in the Faculty of Computing at SLIIT. These students were chosen as they depend heavily on scholarly databases for coursework and final year research. The population of 300 students with active library memberships was identified through the Library Management System (LMS), and a sample of 169 was selected using Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) table and simple random sampling. Data were collected through a structured online questionnaire, with 130 valid responses received (76.9% response rate). The findings revealed that 31% of students used databases weekly, 25% used them rarely, and 18% had never used them. IEEE Xplore was the most frequently accessed database (76%). Scholarly databases were primarily used for final-year research (66%), assignments (62%), and group projects (53%). Key challenges included a lack of search skills (41%), reliance on free online resources (34%), and difficulty in evaluating sources (23%). To address these challenges, students proposed step-by-step guides (68%), short video tutorials (67%), and easier remote access (47%). The study concludes that although students recognize the value of scholarly databases, their effective use is limited by a lack of awareness and confidence. Addressing these issues through structured training, simplified access, and stronger promotion can improve student engagement and ensure that the university’s investment in these resources more effectively supports teaching, learning, and research.
Open Access
Institutional repositories in Sri Lankan academia: a study of platform adoption, OAI-PMH support, and content coverage
(NILIS, University of Colombo, 2025-10-30) Weerasinghe, S ; Gamage, R.C.G
Institutional Repositories (IRs) play a vital role in collecting, preserving, and providing access to the scholarly output of universities. Despite their importance, Sri Lankan state university IRs have not been comprehensively evaluated in recent years. This study explored the status of Institutional Repositories of state universities in Sri Lanka in terms of platform adoption, OAI-PMH support, and content coverage. The population and sample of this study consisted of 17 Sri Lankan academic libraries. At the point of data collection, only 14 out of 17 state university repositories were accessible. The study utilised an observational research approach using a desk-based method. Data were obtained from publicly accessible websites and analysed using descriptive statistical methods. The study revealed that all universities had adopted the DSpace platform as their IR. However, the majority had not yet obtained an SSL certificate, which is crucial for ensuring secure websites and protecting data. According to the observations, only 15% of universities had enabled the OAI-PMH in their repositories, which is essential for metadata harvesting. Even though 53% of repositories had been registered with open access directories such as OpenDOAR, it is doubtful whether metadata harvesting was functioning properly due to the above reason. All universities had stored research articles, theses, and dissertations in their repositories. Seventy-seven per cent (77%) of universities used their IRs to store and share books and book chapters. Among the respondents, 30% used DSpace for hosting past papers, 15% for archival material, and 7% for videos. Among the repositories studied, there were 154 total DSpace communities and 132,326 total resource items. Based on the observations, the study recommends giving immediate attention to obtaining SSL certificates for IRs, enabling the OAI-PMH protocol for metadata harvesting, conducting training and awareness programs on DSpace, metadata standards, OAI-PMH, and preservation, promoting the open access culture, and implementing a national IR maintenance guideline along with annual repository audits and performance reviews. As a future research area, the study suggests exploring Sri Lankan academia's contribution to the Open Access movement and investigating the role of IRs in institutional visibility.
Open Access
Usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools for Academic Activities by Undergraduate Students: Quantitative Study at the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) Library
(National Library & Documentation Services Board, 2024-09-06) Abeysinghe, H. M. P. P. K.; Weerasinghe, W. A. S. C.
AI is revolutionizing various fields in Sri Lanka, including academic libraries. Understanding how undergraduates use AI tools for academic activities is crucial for enhancing library services. This study intended to explore, usage of AI tools for academic activities among final-year undergraduates. The study population was four hundred and sixty-seven (467) students from the computing faculty at the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) who had library membership. Out of the population, 100 students were selected as the sample using the convenience sampling method. The quantitative research design was employed in the study. The survey method was used to collect data from the selected sample. A structured questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument. Frequency counts and simple percentages were used to analyze the collected data. According to the study, 99% of undergraduate students used AI tools for academic activities. The most frequently used AI tool is ChatGPT (94%), followed by Quill bot and Grammarly. Students use AI tools to check grammatical errors (73%), enhance subject knowledge (68%), and summarize content (67%). Fifty-two percent (52%) of students think using AI diminishes critical thinking, but most disagree that using AI is cheating. Ninety percent (90%) of students claim to know how to use AI ethically. It is recommended that access to proper language editing tools should be offered, as students rely on ChatGPT for grammar correction. Emphasizing the importance of using reputed publications when enhancing students’ subject knowledge, raising awareness about library e-resources, and creating AI usage policies collaboratively with faculties would also be an appropriate intervention. Finally, providing training on AI tools for research and initiating workshops to educate students on ethical AI use and proper citation is appropriate.