Adoption of C-DELTA Programme by Sri Lankan Teachers and Students

Abstract

The Commonwealth Digital Education Leadership Training in Action (C-DELTA) programme provides a framework for fostering digital learning for lifelong learning by developing leaders who can influence others to use digital technology appropriately and effectively for learning. The Faculty of Education at the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) implemented an action research project, with the aim of promoting the adoption of C-DELTA among the teachers and students of secondary schools in Sri Lanka. It comprised an intervention designed to facilitate the adoption of C-DELTA in secondary schools, and evaluation of its impact on the teaching- learning process. A group of 41 participant teachers representing schools from the nine Provinces of Sri Lanka coordinated the implementation of C-DELTA in their schools. A variety of data collected using concept maps, questionnaires, focus group interviews, implementation reports, and logs recorded in the C-DELTA platform were analysed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Findings revealed that while adoption of C-DELTA was a novel experience highly embraced by the participant teachers who were very motivated to implement it in their schools, various constraints have hindered its successful implementation. Despite facing challenges including inadequate ICT facilities, time constraints and limitation in English language competencies, 21 teachers who completed the project reflected that adoption of C-DELTA in the teaching-learning process has supported improving digital literacy among students and tea chers. For instance, concepts such as ‘digital foot print’ and ‘digital identity’ were found to be most effective in enacting changes in thinking and digital behaviour among both students and teachers. Overall, the implementation of C-DELTA has enhanced participant teachers’ digital education leadership skills, and provided them with an innovative avenue to promote digital education in their schools. // Paper ID 169