About Us
The Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) is the only National University which offers a wide range of academic programmes of study through the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode. The flexibility and ease of access of this system has enabled the University to cater to the needs of prospective students from all parts of the country, regardless of their level of formal education, socio-economic background or age. It offers Certificate, Diploma, Degree and Postgraduate Degree programmes in a wide range of disciplines through its six Faculties, namely, Education, Engineering Technology, Health Sciences, Humanities & Social Science, Natural Sciences, Management Studies and the Postgraduate Institute of English (PGIE). The Open University takes special interest in fostering research and scholarship, and is a pioneer in research in Open and Distance Learning
About the Event
International Open University Research Sessions 2022 (iOURS 2022) was held on 10th and 11th of November 2022 as a fully online conference. The theme of the conference is “Contemplations towards Next Normal for a Smart Future – Directions and Dimensions”. iOURS offered a unique forum for academics and researchers both within Sri Lanka and overseas to present and discuss their research findings in a wide range of disciplines. There were five parallel technical sessions and six panel discussions on 10th and 11th November 2022. One hundred and forty (140) research papers were presented at iOURS 2022 technical sessions under the following sub-themes:
- Open and Distance Learning
- English Language Teaching
- Education
- Engineering and Technology
- Health Sciences
- Life Sciences – Biological Sciences, Agriculture, Forestry
- Physical Sciences
- Environmental Sciences
- Humanities and Social Sciences
- Management
- Law
The six panel discussions were conducted under the following titles;
- Public Health in Crisis: Strategies to Overcome
- Protected areas as Natural Solution for Climate Change
- Masculinities Through Multidisciplinary Perspectives
- Digital Citizenship and the Changing Nature of Graduate Attributes
- Smart Cities: Challenges for the Engineering Sector in the New Normal
- Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship and New Normal Sri Lanka
The Inaugural session of iOURS 2022 was started at 8.30 am with the physical presence of the Vice-Chancellor, invited guests, and a very limited number of OUSL staff and was held on-campus at the Conference Hall of the Senate House, OUSL. The distinguish scholar, Professor Ebba Ossiannilsson, from the University of Wellington, New Zealand was the Chief guest. Prof. Arjuna Parakrama, Professor of English, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and Prof. Charlotte Nirmalani Gunawardena Professor Charlotte Nirmalani Gunawardena, a distinguish professor from the College of University Libraries and Learning Sciences, University of New Mexico, USA delivered the keynote addresses.
The OUSL Research Awards 2021, OUSL Best Educational Video Production Award 2021. OUSL Best Interactive Multimedia Award 2021 and 3MT Competition Awards were virtually presented at the iOURS inaugural session.
