Abstract:
The world is facing the toughest condition dealing with Coronavirus (COVID-19).
This fatal pandemic has already infected billions of people as well as make
millions of death all over the world. Further, it has led to not only a dramatic
loss of human life worldwide but also presents an unprecedented challenge to
public health, food systems, and the works of the world. Since all of the activities
were in a state of stagnation they were resumed digitally. Mainly, the education
sector moved to online platforms. The rapid transition from traditional teaching to
digital teaching and learning was the biggest challenge to the students and the
teachers. Therefore, this case study has been conducted to identify the challenges
faced by the academic staff of the State Universities in Sri Lanka. Hence, this
study was implemented using a stratified random sampling method. Also,
descriptive statistics were applied and the required statistical analysis was
executed by SPSS software. Such as low internet connection, students' lack of
participation, and difficulties in conducting the practical sessions. This study
suggests that the government and relevant parties should pay attention to
providing sustainable Internet connections and encouraging students toward
online learning. Also, Moodle/ VLE can be used in private universities as well as
education organizations as it is an effective tool for higher education. In the
future, the study will focus on analyzing the academic staff's perception of online
teaching as well as the effect on the academic staff's family life due to the Work from
Home (WFH) transition.
