Online education during Covid-19 lockdown-Student experience in the non-state higher education in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analyze the effectiveness of online education in both teaching and learning, based on data captured from the Moodle LMS, Eduscope Lecture Video Management System and two students’ feedback surveys at the Sri Lanka Institute of Technology (SLIIT) from January to December 2020. Regression analysis and chi-square test were used as data analyses tools. The data were analyzed using simple linear regression and Analysis of LMS data showed that with each user logging into LMS 3 to 4 times a day with a minimum of 10 user actions per login. The study also found that the percentage of ‘satisfactory’ ratings by students for all aspects considered under four criteria, namely lecture delivery, technology, support services and overall satisfaction exceeded 80% irrespective of the faculty and time of the year. However the students’ responses for individual criteria within four aspects were significantly associated (p < 0.05) by the nature of the faculty. More than 75% of students claimed that the online delivery is working well and enabling them to continue with their studies. No significant difference was found with respect to overall satisfaction by the students between the two periods. The inferences of this study can be used effectively to provide better online education environment in higher education organizations in Sri Lanka. and The infrastructure upgrades, including overall bandwidth, new services including Zoom, Webex and MS Teams, staff training on online delivery enabled a quick transition to online delivery. The incorporation of Respondus lockdown browser and Respondus Monitor online proctoring system further enhanced the integrity of online assessments and examinations.