Blended Learning in Distance Education: Sri Lankan Perspective

International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology (IJEDICT), 2014

The purpose of this paper is to explore the implementation of online learning in distance educational delivery at Yellow Fields University (pseudonymous) in Sri Lanka. The implementation of online distance education at the University included the use of blended learning. The policy initiative to introduce online components to distance education in Sri Lanka was guided by the expectation of cost reduction and the implementation was financed under the Distance Education Modernization Project.

2012

Sri Lanka's participation rates in higher education are low and have risen only slightly in the last few decades; the number of places for higher education in the state university system only caters for around 3% of the university entrant age cohort. The literature reveals that the highly competitive global knowledge economy increasingly favours workers with high levels of education who are also lifelong learners. This lack of access to higher education for a sizable proportion of the labour force is identified as a severe impediment to Sri Lanka’s competitiveness in the global knowledge economy. The literature also suggests that Information and Communication Technologies are increasingly relied upon in many contexts in order to deliver flexible learning, to cater especially for the needs of lifelong learners in today’s higher educational landscape. The government of Sri Lanka invested heavily in ICTs for distance education during the period 2003-2009 in a bid to increase access to higher education; but there has been little research into the impact of this. To address this lack, this study investigated the impact of ICTs on distance education in Sri Lanka with respect to increasing access to higher education. In order to achieve this aim, the research focused on Sri Lanka’s effort from three perspectives: policy perspective, implementation perspective and user perspective. A multiple case study research using an ethnographic approach was conducted to observe Orange Valley University’s and Yellow Fields University’s (pseudonymous) implementation of distance education programmes using questionnaires, qualitative interviewing and document analysis. In total, data for the analysis was collected from 129 questionnaires, 33 individual interviews and 2 group interviews. The research revealed that ICTs have indeed increased opportunities for higher education; but mainly for people of affluent families from the Western Province. Issues identified were categorized under the themes: quality assurance, location, language, digital literacies and access to resources. Recommendations were offered to tackle the identified issues in accordance with the study findings. The study also revealed the strong presence of a multifaceted digital divide in the country. In conclusion, this research has shown that although ICT-enabled distance education has the potential to increase access to higher education the present implementation of the system in Sri Lanka has been less than successful.

Education, especially higher education, is considered vital for maintaining national and individual competitiveness in the global knowledge economy. Following the introduction of its “Free Education Policy” as early as 1947, Sri Lanka is now the best performer in basic education in the South Asian region, with a remarkable record in terms of high literacy rates and the achievement of universal primary education. However, access to tertiary education is a bottleneck, due to an acute shortage of university places. In an attempt to address this problem, the government of Sri Lanka has invested heavily in information and communications technologies (ICTs) for distance education. Although this has resulted in some improvement, the authors of this article identify several barriers which are still impeding successful participation for the majority of Sri Lankans wanting to study at tertiary level. These impediments include the lack of infrastructure/resources, low English language proficiency, weak digital literacy, poor quality of materials and insufficient provision of student support. In the hope that future implementations of ICT-enabled education programmes can avoid repeating the mistakes identified by their research in this Sri Lankan case, the authors conclude their paper with a list of suggested policy options.

2010

The use of ICT for education delivery has become a reality both in the developed and the developing world. The purpose of our research work is to find out use and support of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Virtual University of Pakistan to deliver distance education. A research framework was developed with the help of literature review of the different approaches of technology use in distance education, hybrid/blended approach and learning management system. By applying qualitative research methods, we conducted five semi-structured interviews on the basis of research framework with the employees of Virtual University of Pakistan to collect empirical data. From this research we came to a conclusion that the integration of ICT with the hybrid model has become a significant factor of the success of Virtual University of Pakistan. ICT supports Virtual University of Pakistan as a tool for enhancement of their teaching and learning process. It also supports as an administrative, interactive, and collaborative tool in the form of a learning management system. It provides the support in the expansion of the learning opportunities provided by Virtual University of Pakistan. And finally it supports to facilitate the students by providing self-directed and learner-centred approach.

Education QuarterlyReviews, 2020

E-learning is the best platform for distance learning as it is a cost-efficient technology. Distance learning through an E-Learning platform offers enormous opportunity for Sri Lanka, because it can open doors to everybody without hassle. Distance learning with E-Learning focuses on delivering education to students without a traditional classroom. Educational institutes in Sri Lanka may use distance learning with students who are unable to follow regular courses. E-Learning runs with web technologies which make interactions for both teachers and students easy. It also makes it easy to exchange relevant educational tools and interactive exercises.

2011

The Knowledge Economy favours high skilled and adaptable workers, typically those with a degree. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have the potential to extend educational opportunities through e-Learning. In Sri Lanka efforts have been made to employ ICTs in this way. The case study of Orange Valley University (pseudonymous) is presented, exploring the impact of ICT-based distance education on access to higher education.

 Neonatus : bayi lahir sampai usia 4 minggu. (Ramali, ahmad.2005)  Bayi baru lahir normal adalah bayi baru lahir dari kehamilan yang aterm (37-42 minggu) dengan berat badan lahir 2500-4000 gram. Asuhan bayi baru lahir adalah asuhan pada bayi tersebut selama jam pertama setelah kelahiran. (Saifuddin, 2006)