Challenges to Online Learning in the Time of Covid 19: A National Survey of Undergraduates of Arts Faculties of State Universities in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak required all Sri Lankan state universities to move from face-to-face teaching and learning to online instruction in March 2020. This research aims to determine the challenges that undergraduates in the arts faculties of Sri Lankan state universities confront in this situation. The authors distributed the Google form to the students of arts faculties via email and social media platforms to collect data. The questionnaire included multiple-choice, Likert scale, and open-ended questions about demographic information, technical resource access, study habits, living conditions, self-evaluation of online learning capacity, and perceived barriers to acquiring knowledge using the internet. The research was carried out as a national survey. Based on the data collected, there were both opposition and acceptance towards switching to online learning platforms due to students' real impediments and perceived issues. The outcomes of this study are critical for undergraduates, academic and administrative personnel, and all government organizations responsible for higher education to make future decisions about online teaching and learning, even beyond COVID-19. Based on the findings of this research, a strategy for the successful implementation of e-learning may be formed, and technology can be viewed as a good step toward development and transformation.