A study on the application of online technologies by university lecturers: special reference to faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

Abstract

The twenty-first century, which has witnessed notable advances and developments in many disciplines, including higher education, is known as the era of the information economy. This era has been dominated by Information and Communication Technology (ICT), which positively impacted the development and transition process in higher education worldwide. Thus, higher education has undergone a transformational journey from the traditional classroom model to a new online model during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the online learning environment took over the monopoly of the traditional classroom as the university learning and teaching process took place entirely online. In this context, it is crucial to find out the nature of online technology for university teachers to make their teaching process effective. Therefore, the objective of this study was to find out the use of online technology by university lecturers for the effectiveness of their teaching process. The quantitative research method was used, while the survey method was used as the research strategy for the study. The total population of this study was the academic staff members of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Kelaniya. A study population was identified through the total population, and the study sample was selected using the stratified random sampling method from that study population. The primary data was collected through the questionnaire and analyzed using the SPSS software. The study revealed that university lecturers used various online technologies effectively in their teaching process in the 21st century. However, online tools were used at a lower level while online teaching. Conducting productive training programs and workshops to uplift lectures' knowledge on online learning methods is recommended.