Topic > The Study on University Students' Willingness to Adapt E-Learning Technology in Sri Lanka

The previous chapter demonstrates the complete introduction to the research study on University Students' Willingness to Adapt E-Learning Technology in Sri Lanka with the problem statement, objectives, significance and limitations. Furthermore, the organizational structure of the entire thesis includes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The purpose of this chapter is to review the past and present literature regarding university students' willingness to adapt e-learning technology in Sri Lankan universities. The literature discussed in this chapter provides a foundation from which the hypotheses were formulated. This chapter is composed of previous research articles related to e-learning, benefits of e-learning, technology acceptance model, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, behavioral intention, effective use and preparation for e-learning. At the same time, different opinions are provided in the literature regarding the independent and dependent variables of particular research studies. E-Learning E-learning is considered one of the crucial alternatives for today's knowledge-based society (Kim and Santiago, 2005). E-learning is a “modern method of delivering education via digital data types that improves student understanding, skills, or other performance.” (Siritongthaworn et al., 2006). According to (Stockley, 2003), e-learning is the delivery of learning, training or education programs through a digital approach using a computer or electrical instrument (e.g. a mobile phone) to deliver learning, academic or instructional material . Just as e-learning is online access to learning resources anywhere, anytime. It means that a learning opportunity offers students as much choice and manipulation as possible over course content, strategies for acquiring knowledge, and studying sources (Holmes and Gardner, 2006). E-learning is not just a new tool. This teaching method changes students' abilities and way of studying and is an impressive way of learning in higher education. (Rasouli et al., 2016). E-learning, in fact, is an educational system that gives access to higher education, in terms of quantity and superiority, for volunteers. (Seraji, 2013). E-learning has grown to become a popular tool for teaching and learning in business and educational institutions (Pituch and Lee, 2006). In the modern knowledge economy, learning must exist and thrive. In this perspective, knowledge is strength and knowledge creation through e-learning is not a luxury but a necessity for modern and future generations. In this context, e-learning has become vital. The need is persistent, while the nature of our society and economy drives the need for learning. The use of alternatives and demands to standard classrooms has been ongoing for more than 100 years, from paper-based correspondence courses through video and computer access (Zu, 2009). E-learning means it doesn't need to be a passive experience, with the students all sitting in front of the trainer and "gaining knowledge by telling", e-learning makes learning an active experience. The emphasis is on interactivity or “learning by doing” (Knight, 2003). E-learning is expected to help improve students' computer literacy, the skill needed in the modern workforce (Addah, 2012); (Akhu-Zaheya et al., 2013); (Bediang et al., 2013). Wong, 2007). The majoritySome universities have continued to offer partial, combined or completely online e-learning courses since the 1990s. Currently, most offline universities have added an electronic knowledge acquisition plan or have implemented e-learning (Lee, 2006). The delivery of e-learning programs is renowned as one of the essential alternative methods of education and training delivery available worldwide (Beckstrom et al., 2004). E-learning is delivered and managed regardless of where the trainer and student are located (Beckstrom et al., 2004). E-learning is also referred to as web-enabled teaching and learning (Rosenberg, 2000); (Garrison et al., 2003). While definitions of e-learning may vary, they all define e-learning in terms of technology and agree that e-learning provides a rich embedded environment. The focus is on a series of core concepts including learning, technology and access. Therefore, the principle of e-learning is to use new multimedia technologies and the Internet to improve the availability and quality of learning (Tubaishat and Lansari, 2011). E-learning in the international context For many developing countries, e-learning is considered a solution to the growing demand for higher education. In Pakistan, online learning is promoted as “education for all” as it aims to reach university students who live too far from cities and are unable to find the money for traditional higher education. (Iqbal and Ahmad, 2010). In Botswana, e-learning solves the problems of large classrooms, growing enrollments and limited staff (Ikpe, 2011). In Thailand, as in many developing countries, e-learning becomes a significant part of the national effort to improve public education. Thai teachers expect e-learning to offer an educational pathway to students who cannot access higher education and that it is a necessary improvement for the country to become more competitive among its ASEAN neighbours. (Khaopa, 2012); (Ngampornchai and Adams, 2016). Currently, 31 higher education institutions in Thailand have learning management systems, 23 of which are public institutions (Rueangprathum et al., 2009). The Thai government has supported such efforts by helping finance infrastructure initiatives. For example, the Thai government has established Internet services for all schools and post-secondary institutions and has developed an e-learning portal called Thailand Cyber ​​University. (Saekow and Sansone, 2011); (Saengpassa, 2013). While there are many positive signs, several challenges slow down the use of e-learning in Thailand. One of these involves students who reported having limited computer access and that Internet quality is inconsistent, especially at home (Siritongthaworn and Krairit, 2006). Many college students said they typically use computers in schools where access time is limited, and many have difficulty accessing online content due to a lack of appropriate software. In a study of students from three public universities in Thailand, (Teo et al., 2011) found that acceptance of e-learning was higher than average and that students who tended to adopt e-learning were younger students with technological skills. Numerous barriers to promoting online education in developing countries were discussed. A survey of staff and students at three Nigerian universities revealed that low acceptance of e-learning was due to low level of awareness, low level of literacyinformation technology, unreliable Internet platform and services and high implementation costs (Folorunso et al., 2006). ). Similarly, challenges faced by Pakistani universities included infrastructure, limited student access to computers, unqualified trainers, and cultural beliefs. It has become equally challenging when schools have to translate English, as the predominant language in the online environment, into the local language of Urdu to reach a larger number of students (Iqbal and Ahmad, 2010). Another study by (Addah, 2012) revealed that resistance to e-learning in Ghana stemmed from students' fear of isolation and computer literacy. Numerous studies have focused on computer access, ownership, and computer skills based on the assumption that these factors make a contribution to computer literacy that influences the adoption of e-learning. (Bediang et al., 2013) conducted a survey among students in Cameroon and found that two-thirds of students were no longer familiar with the idea of ​​e-learning and that 17% of students did not own a personal computer . Most students who used the Internet had only basic computer skills for email and web searching. In another study conducted in Jordan (Akhu-Zaheya et al., 2013) they found that most students did not owned computers at home and used word processing, email, and web searching. Students with limited computer use developed computer anxiety, which led to computer literacy. (Beckstrom et al., 2004) conducted an investigation into Egypt's preparedness for the implementation of e-learning. Their report presented a positive response to Egypt's preparedness. He provided a summary of two important government initiatives that should definitely add to the realization of e-learning in Egypt, namely the Internet and private IT initiatives. Regarding the Internet initiative, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has maintained free access to the Internet nationwide since 2002, where more than 15,000 ports serving 2 million Internet users have been established, with users they only pay local telephone rates. As for personal computer initiatives, less expensive laptops were made available to college students and experts on a monthly installment plan that could be further financed by a low-interest loan. According to (Vate-U-Lan, 2007), while all Bangkok schools have declared that they are ready for e-learning, only 70.6% of schools outside the city have the infrastructure and equipment to call themselves so. These schools located outside Bangkok still have very limited access to the Internet and use outdated computer systems. (Xaymoungkhoun et al., 2012) explored critical success factors with e-learning professionals (faculty, ICT experts and researchers) in developing countries. The first four elements that emerged from the facts according to the ICT experts' ranking were IT training, perceived usefulness, attitude towards e-learning and IT self-efficacy. The top four elements that emerged from the data categorized by faculty were perceived usefulness, attitude toward e-learning, program flexibility, and clear direction. The researchers concluded that people in developing countries are less familiar with technology and therefore are much more critical of e-learning. Sri Lankan. To prepare the country to move towards the implementation of e-learning in higher education institutions, it is necessary to understand the factors that, 2008)., 2013).