Adopting Blended Learning Across Built Environment Discipline at State Universities in Sri Lanka During and Beyond COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Blended learning (BL) is defined as a technology-based teaching system that integrates face-to-face teaching approach with online learning system (Mahaye, 2020, p.2). With the impact of COVID-19 outbreak, the field of education was permanently changed, alterations to the educational process were necessary and BL was one of the most obvious solutions (Mahaye, 2020). A survey conducted between 25th March to 17th April 2020 revealed that two-thirds of higher education institutions were able to move to online teaching (Marinoni, Van’t Land, and Jensen, 2020). Blended Learning is not a new concept and has been in use for more than two decades (Alammary, Sheard, and Carbone, 2014), but the term may not have been explicitly realised. In pre-COVID period, Sri Lankan higher education institutes did not give priority to online education.