{"id":106742,"date":"2020-09-17T15:22:41","date_gmt":"2020-09-17T22:22:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=106742"},"modified":"2020-09-17T15:22:41","modified_gmt":"2020-09-17T22:22:41","slug":"the-imminent-requirement-to-regulate-online-education-providers-in-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/09\/17\/the-imminent-requirement-to-regulate-online-education-providers-in-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"The Imminent Requirement to Regulate Online Education Providers in Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dilan De Silva <\/strong>Chartered Quantity Surveyor<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n
  1. Introduction<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Disruptive innovation fundamentally transforms a sector by replacing expensive, complicated, and inaccessible products or services with much less expensive, simpler, and more convenient alternatives.\u201d (Staker, P.1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    \"\" <\/td> \"\" <\/td> \"\"<\/td><\/tr>
    \n (Source: https:\/\/twitter.com\/kenradio\/status\/1203204477655769088<\/a>)\n  \n <\/td>\n (Source: https:\/\/www.theengineeringcommunity.org\/19-amazing-vintage-photos-that-show-how-people-worked-before-autocad\/<\/a>)\n  \n <\/td>\n (Photograph\n by John Miranda: Source: http:\/\/www.cs.cornell.edu\/wya\/AcademicComputing\/text\/workstations.html<\/a>)\n  \n <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

    Let\u2019s take a few examples of\ndisruptive innovations; Within just a decade, an expensive helicopter, a pilot\nand a camera were  replaced with an\ninexpensive drone, a single software reduced the requirements for many drafters\nto one, the computer creates an inexpensive, simple and convenient work\nenvironment when compared with  the\npre-computer era work environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Online learning is also a disruptive\ninnovation which provides an inexpensive, flexible and convenient learning\nenvironment compared to the traditional face to face learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Online learning has been started as\na solution to provide learning facilities to students who have no alternative\nfor learning and also to provide high-quality courses for the schools located\nin rural areas where experienced and well-qualified teachers are hard to find.\n(Staker, P.1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. The History of Online education\n in Sri Lanka<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Until early 2000<\/strong>,\ndistance education in Sri Lanka was primarily limited to a blended program\nwhich consisted of a print-based system with few face-to-face lectures\nconducted mainly by the Open University. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      In <\/strong>2002<\/strong>, University of Colombo School of\nComputing  established the National\ne-Learning Centre (NeLC)  funded by the\nSwedish International Development Agency (SIDA) to provide  “Open, Flexible and Distributed\ne-Learning Environment to provide effective, efficient, scalable and economical\nlearning opportunities to stakeholder communities in Universities, Schools, the\nPublic Sector and Society at large”. Currently, it has made available more\nthan 40 free online courses and is branded as \u2018Vidupiyasa\u2019 (www.e-learning.lk<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Later in 2003<\/strong>, the Distance Education\nModernization Project (DEMP) aided by the Asian Development Bank commenced\nresulting in a positive movement in the resources available for online\neducation. The DEMP has established the National Online Distance Education\nService (NODES) to facilitate the universities and other private and public\nsector post-secondary educational institutions to deliver the online\neducational program. The Access Centers\u201d established under the DEMP, the\nNanasala\u201d established under the E-Sri Lanka\u201d initiative by the Government\nInitiative Information and Communication Technology Agency(ICTA) and\n“Sarvodaya” centers, played a virtual role in providing access to the\nonline component of various educational programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Among many other\ngovernment initiatives, \u2018One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)\u2019 initiative launched by\nthe Ministry of Education in 2011<\/strong>,\nand eBIT, the online version of the Bachelor of Information Technology degree\noffered by the University of Colombo introduced in 2003<\/strong> are remarkable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The online learning era of Sri Lanka\nhas started as a novel tendency during the Coronavirus outbreak in 2020<\/strong>. It started becoming popular among\nlearners from grade 1 to postgraduate level, as a solution to continue the\neducation since the traditional face to face learning has stopped as the\nschools and universities were closed as a result of the actions taken by the\ngovernment to manage the Coronavirus outbreak. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Even though many other developed\ncountries use online learning to deliver various courses including\npost-graduate-level courses, in Sri Lanka, its usage is minimum. Online courses\nwere conducted by very few government and private institutions. Currently,\nthere are many online courses delivered by various public and private\ninstitutions, however, this will grow up further in the online learning era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1. Why Online Education is Popular<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Online education is more popular\nover traditional education mainly due to its flexibility and convenience. It\u2019s\nnot a necessity for the students to attend lectures according to a specific\ntimetable and they can watch recorded lectures later which is very convenient\nspecially for knowledge seekers who are also working. Since learners only\nrequire a good internet connection and a device like a computer to attend\nlectures, it saves the travelling time while overcoming the geographical\nbarriers of learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        On the other hand, course fee of\nonline learning may lesser when compared with face to face learning, as the\nnumber of attendees in the former is theoretically unlimited, many costs\nassociated with face to face learning such as building rent, utility and\ninsurance cost are also eliminated. According to Loxley, Ho et al. (2003) as\ncited in Liyanagunawardena, T.R et at (2014), the average unit cost of the Open\nUniversity of Sri Lanka (Conducts Distance learning) is circa 20% of the cost\nof the conventional university system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Moreover, the multi-modal approach\nusing a diverse range of teaching and learning activities will make online\nlearning more effective and interesting. Also, it creates a conducive\nenvironment for the learners to interact with peers and the lecturer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        1. Government Intervention to\n Regulate Tertiary Education and\/or Vocational Education Institutes<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          There is a strong government\nintervention to regulate tertiary education and vocational education through\nthe Act No 20 of 1990(Tertiary and Vocational Education Act).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          According to Article 14 of the Act,\nany institute which provides tertiary education and\/or vocational education\ncourses shall be registered under the Act (with Tertiary and Vocational\nEducation Commission). Applications for the registration shall be submitted to\nthe Director-General and the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission shall\napprove such application if they are satisfied with the report submitted by the\nDirector-General on the institute\u2019s ability to adequately provide tertiary\neducation and\/or vocational education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Also, the Article 15 of the Act\nstates that, no person or establishment shall conduct any tertiary education\nand vocational education course or tertiary education course or vocational\neducation course being a specified course without being registered under this\nact\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          1. Current Registration Process\n Conducted by TVEC<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            The current registration process\naccommodates only the face to face education providers and not the online\neducation providers. The criteria for registration include the information\nregarding the institute\u2019s permanent location, infrastructure such as classrooms\n(minimum 0.5m2 per student), sanitary facilities (Toilet requirement is 25: 1),\nsafety and fire protection measures which are only required for face to face\neducation providers. However, other criteria such as institute’s information,\nrecordkeeping information, details of courses and academic staff information\nare common for both online and face to face education providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            1. Importance of Registration of\n Online Education Providers <\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              The Act empowered the TVEC for the\nregistration of any institute which offers tertiary education and\/or vocational\neducation courses, therefore, it shall apply for the institutes which provide\nonline education, whilst the act didn’t expressly address the mode of delivery\neither face to face or online. \nTherefore, the current registration process conducted by TVEC is doing\nan injustice for the online education providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              On the other hand, such a loophole\nwill be diminishing the TVEC\u2019s achievement of its third objective; the maintenance\nof academic and training standards in institutes providing tertiary education\nand vocational education\u201d, as no other mechanism is available to register,\nmonitor and control those online education providers. Kaye, 2002, as cited in\nLiyanagunawardena, T.R et at (2014) states that distance education programs\nconducted by state universities except the programs conducted by the Open\nUniversity are heavily criticized for their quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Therefore, it’s vital for the online\neducation providers to get registered in order to achieve the objectives of the\nAct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              1. Changes Required for the\n Current Registration Process Conducted by TVEC<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                As mentioned earlier, some criteria\nfor registration are identical in both modes. However, criteria related to\nphysical facilities shall not apply for the online education providers. A new\nset of criteria related to the technical and other online education specific\nrequirements shall be introduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Online\nlearning industry comprises many stakeholders including providers of learning\nmanagement systems (e.g. Talent LMS), online assessments providers, online\nlibraries (e.g. the Construction Information Service (CIS)), conference\nfacility providers (e.g. Zoom), the plagiarism detection services (e.g.\nTurnitin) and various other online learning resources (e.g. Wiki) and tools\n(e.g. Google Form). Therefore, the technical and other specific requirements\nfor the online education shall establish with due consideration to those\nstakeholders. For example, the criteria should include the specification for a\nLearning Management System (LMS) (as a substitute for the physical classroom)\nand a backup plan in case of a technical failure (as a substitute for the\nsafety) among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                The current registration process\nshall be modified to cater to the above addressed technical requirements and\nfacilitate any new institutes to provide face to face and\/or online education\ncourses. Also, it is important to note that, since the current TVEC registered\ninstitutes have not been evaluated for their capability to deliver online\neducation courses during the registration process, TVEC should assess their\ncapabilities and permit them to deliver online education courses if they wish\nto deliver such courses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                1. Amendments Required to the\n Tertiary and Vocational Education Act<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                  Even though the TVEC should treat\nthe face to face and online teaching as two different methods as some capabilities\nrequired to deliver those are different, and register them differently, the Act\nhas not differentiated them clearly. Therefore, any organisation which had been\nregistered under the TVEC may conduct online education programmes even without\nany further registration whilst fully complying with the Act. However, the\nCommission, can make rules, under the Article 4(g) or 4(i) of the Act and\nrequest any such registered institute to get the approval from the Commission\nto conduct any online education courses, until such time the Act amended to\ndistinguish the mode of delivery; face to face or online teaching. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  1. Urgent Requirement for an\n Online Teaching Course<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                    Teaching online is different from\nface to face teaching.  Lecturers may not\npossess expert skills in online teaching. So, it should be a mandatory\nrequirement for all the online education providers to employ\/hire a\nprofessional who has expert knowledge and skills on online teaching. They can\nguide the institutes\/lecturers on online teaching; on the use of available\nresources\/tools to teach and assess the learners, how to keep motivating the\nlearners, etc. However, currently no such online teaching education courses are\navailable in Sri Lanka. Therefore, TVEC shall treat it as an urgent requirement\nand coordinate with the relevant authorities and introduce at least an NVQ 4\nlevel online teaching course. Until a sufficient number of qualified online\nteaching personnel become available in the country, provisional registration\ncan be granted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    1. Online Library<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                      Even\nthough the current\nTVEC registration process is not looking for a (physical) library, the quality\nof the online education might be enhanced if an online library is available for\nthe learners. However, most online libraries\/databases are based on foreign countries\n(e.g. UK) and may not be affordable for small scale local institutes. So, it\nwill be beneficial for the learners if the TVEC can coordinate with the\ngovernment and establish an online library for the Sri Lankan online education\nproviders at  an affordable price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      1. Conclusion<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                        To get the best benefit from the\nonline learning era, TVEC should promptly act on this matter and take necessary\nimmediate and long-term actions to register online training providers, in order\nto get their contribution and also to expand the tertiary education and\/or\nvocational education in Sri Lanka. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        1. References<\/strong><\/li>
                        2. Staker,\nH. (2011). The Rise of K\u201312 Blended Learning. Innosight Institute.<\/li>
                        3. Liyanagunawardena,\nT.R., Adams, A.., Rassool, N. and Williams, S.. (2014). Blended learning in\ndistance education: Sri Lankan perspective. International Journal of Education\nand Development using Information and Communication Technology (IJEDICT),\n<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                          10(1), pp.55\u201369. Available at: https:\/\/files.eric.ed.gov\/fulltext\/EJ1071196.pdf\n[Accessed 2020 Aug. 29].\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          • 2013. Sri Lanka: Distance Education\nModernization Project<\/em>. [online] Colombo: Asian Development Bank. Available\nat:\n<https:\/\/www.adb.org\/sites\/default\/files\/evaluation-document\/36186\/files\/pvr-277.pdf>\n[Accessed 31 August 2020].<\/li>
                          • E-learning.lk. 2020. FOOE: Free And Open Online Education |\nE-Learning.Lk<\/em>. [online] Available at:\n<http:\/\/www.e-learning.lk\/node\/96> [Accessed 31 August 2020].<\/li>
                          • Mozelius\nP., Hewagamage K.P., & Hansson H. (2011) Towards e-learning for all in Sri Lanka\n– progress and problems in some selected Sri Lankan 21st century initiatives.,\nIn Proceedings of The Fourteenth Cambridge International Conference on Open,\nDistance and e-Learning, Cambridge, England<\/li>
                          • Tertiary\nand Vocational Education Act No 20 of 1990(Sri Lanka)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                            Dilan De Silva<\/strong>
                            Chartered Quantity Surveyor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            dilanqs@yahoo.com<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                            Dilan De Silva Chartered Quantity Surveyor Introduction Disruptive innovation fundamentally transforms a sector by replacing expensive, complicated, and inaccessible products or services with much less expensive, simpler, and more convenient alternatives.\u201d (Staker, P.1) (Source: https:\/\/twitter.com\/kenradio\/status\/1203204477655769088)   (Source: https:\/\/www.theengineeringcommunity.org\/19-amazing-vintage-photos-that-show-how-people-worked-before-autocad\/)   (Photograph by John Miranda: Source: http:\/\/www.cs.cornell.edu\/wya\/AcademicComputing\/text\/workstations.html)   Let\u2019s take a few examples of disruptive innovations; Within […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[133],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106742\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}