Annual Research Symposium – 2022

The Annual Research Symposium (ARS) of the University of Colombo, which unifies all symposia held by the respective Faculties, Institutes, Campus, School and the library of the University, is one of the main events in the University calendar. This year, it was held on the 16^th of November 2022 at the Prof. V. K. Samaranayake Auditorium of the University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC). The theme of this year’s research symposium, “Digital Transformation and Innovative Approaches to Mitigate Challenges in the Higher Education Sector,” aptly suited the current challenges faced by the University.
The higher education sector in Sri Lanka has been facing an unprecedented set of challenges from the beginning of the covid-19 health crisis. Online education became the lifeline for the higher education sector to maintain minimum continuity during this period. The situation forced everyone to change their practices irrespective of willingness, capabilities, location, and resources. The new experience in online interaction introduced a new culture in all segments of the higher education sector, including administration. It is very important to use the technology in the correct way to address issues and disruptions in education to achieve the value addition expected in online education. Otherwise, it directly affects the quality of education in academic programs or institutions. The correct method of using digital technology depends on the innovativeness in the approach to solve the problem in a particular context. Digital transformation in the higher education sector refers to an organizational change realized by means of digital technologies and business models with the aim of improving an institution’s operational performance. Hence, the digital transformation and innovative approaches are linked in a recursive evolutionary approach. Without digital transformation and innovative approaches, it will be very difficult to mitigate challenges in the higher education sector, especially in the current context of Sri Lanka. The Annual Research Symposium of the University of Colombo in 2022 (ARS-UOC, 2022) will focus on how digital transformation and innovative approaches could be practiced to establish sustainable processes and systems in the higher education sector in Sri Lanka.