The use of E- knowledge among Special Degree undergraduates in the Humanities and the Social Sciences

Abstract

In a world where knowledge is available at our fingertips, scholarship has undergone significant changes. The impact of technology is leaving its mark on contemporary scholarship in numerous ways; be it the quality, quantity or authenticity of research and knowledge. The rapidly evolving technological environment has numerous implications vis a vis universities, curricula, research, standards and undergraduates’ performance. Against this backdrop, this paper attempts to gage the level of e-knowledge among Special Degree undergraduates in the Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Kelaniya. Through the data gathered from structured questionnaires and interviews of both undergraduates and lecturers, this paper identifies the reasons and assesses the impact of the use and the lack of use of novel methods of knowledge making which are widely available to student communities throughout the world. Through quantitative and qualitative assessments of data gathered from Special Degree students and lecturers from 4 departments (Linguistics, English, Economics, Sociology) from the Humanities and the Social Sciences, this paper observes that the access and usage of technological tools for research and acquisition of new knowledge largely depend on personal initiative and capacity, given the absence of a uniform system to introduce and orientate students with regard to e-research tools and new technologies which have an immense capacity to enhance undergraduate performance.