Perception of Adapting E-Paper Environment for the Universities of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Normally in Sri Lanka, people in state and non-state organizations use two categories of paperssuch as papers and e-papers for their multiple official activities like recruitment urposes, financial purposes, inventory purposes and etc. Mostly in Sri Lanka we can identified highest paper using state organizations as Department of national archives, parliament, courts omplex andetc. In universities, use a large number of papers for photocopies, printouts in thei . day-to day academic and administrative purposes like curriculum purposes, lecture purpos s, exam purposes, student's registration purposes, staff recruitment purposes and etc. In most of the universities, Human Resources division and the Student Establishment Division are th highest paper usage divisions. Today paper based systems of universities can be seen to creat lots of difficulties like wastage of paper, higher stationary cost, most time consuming, labor cost and etc. Nowadays, the usage of digital technology and e-paper usage is rapidly g ining a momentum in the fields of administration, academia, and students in most of the universities in the world. Every university provide internet facilities in higher bandwidth to the s aff and students as well. Therefore it seems that moving to e-paper systems is the most conven ent and practical method to solve mentioned difficulties of paper waste in universities of Sri Lanka. Consequently, this study measured the perception of adapting an e-paper environment and also focused on investigating the factors that influence the usage of e-paper environment in Sri Lankanuniversities. This study was done with a quantitative research approach with the help of a structured questionnaire which was answered by 198 of academics, non-academics and, administrative staff in the Human Resource division, Students Establishment Division a d other divisions, departments, faculties of state and non-state universities in Sri Lanka. The results showed that IT knowledge of the user and user's willingness are the most important factors to adaptation e-paper environment to the universities of Sri Lanka. Currently, people in state and non-states universities are willing to use e-paper technology. The e-paper environment concept requires technological and behavioral changes in the Sri Lankan universities. Consequently the study proved that e-paper concept is most convenient technology to today's universities.