Online University teaching challenges during Covid-19 pandemic among academic staff in Sri Lanka

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.