SLIIT International Conference on Advancements in Science and Humanities [SICASH]
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://rda.sliit.lk/handle/123456789/311
SLIIT International Conference on Advancements in Science and Humanities is organized by the Faculty of Humanities and Sciences of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), the annual research multi-conference of the faculty.
Browse
2 results
Search Results
Publication Embargo Lessons Learnt: A Study of Student Feedback Regarding Online Proficiency Assessment(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences - SLIIT, 2021-03-26) Rathnasena, U.; Kalinga, J.Subsequent to the revolutionary advances in technology and its remarkable impact on universities, online summative assessment has become increasingly commonplace and popular in the academia. Consequently, online English language proficiency assessment has also gained momentum globally. This study was conducted at a Sri Lankan private university where online assessment is utilized as the standard summative test for several modules including EAP (English for Academic Purposes) module. The main objective was to explore undergraduates’ perceptions of the online EAP assessment and its effectiveness and feasibility in gauging competency of English among ESL (English as a Second Language) learners. A quantitative approach was chosen for this study where a questionnaire was used as the primary data collection tool. The sample was a convenience sample of 120 undergraduates who had taken the online test. The findings revealed the undergraduates’ displeasure regarding several aspects of online English assessment. They were critical of the reading component of the online test in addition to experiencing time management issues, technical limitations that marred their performance.Publication Embargo Improving Oral Communication Skills Through Online Collaborative Activities(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences,SLIIT, 2021-09-25) Gurunada, G. H. D. J. PPasdunrata National College of Education as a provider of teachers to the system of education, especially English teachers, has an utmost responsibility of moulding them into quality competent teachers. It is of great importance that these teachers are taught to be capable of handling classes with a good command of English. Though Covid 19 pandemic restrained the physical functioning of the college, the skill development of the student teachers has to be incrementally maintained to achieve the aforesaid goal. The objectives of this research were to study the perceptions of the student teachers on the effectiveness of pair work and group work in improving their speaking skills in English, to examine the challenges they faced in adopting online mode in their learning process and to identify the most suitable teaching techniques to improve their communication skills. The research design selected was action research with two cycles. Thus, data were collected through questionnaire with five-point Likert scale questions, open-ended questions, focus group discussions, marks obtained from the pre-test, post-test and notes taken from my own reflective journal. Data thus collected were analysed using Microsoft excel, paired sample ttest and thematic analysis. The results revealed that proper planning and implementation of pair and group work online, employing new techniques, constant practice and constructive feedback greatly influenced student teachers to improve oral communication skills and to promote their confidence.