Abstract:
The Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL), the country’s leader in open and distance
learning, is experiencing a decline in Bachelor of Science students from the Faculty of
Natural Sciences at the Batticaloa Regional Centre. Student records indicate that
dropout rates have increased from 2016/2017 to 2023/2024 academic years. This
mixed-methods study aims to identify the academic, personal, economic, and
technological stressors contributing to these withdrawals and to propose appropriate
interventions. The research will focus on these factors to inform strategies such as
curriculum modifications and enhanced learner support services, helping B.Sc.
students of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the Batticaloa Regional Centre—who
reside on the university campus—succeed and strengthen OUSL’s open and distance
learning model. Studies investigated why 200+ B.Sc. students of Natural Sciences
faculty dropped out over the past five years using a mixed-methods approach that
included both qualitative and quantitative methods. Google Form questionnaires sent
to past students were used to gather information. Focusing on the Batticaloa Regional
Centre, the study gave a region-specific analysis that found similar trends, personal
problems, and institutional flaws. This gives a full picture of the reasons why students
drop out of university. The findings suggest that most students struggle with severe
academic loads and stress, notably from Continuous Assessment tests (CAT). Online
students lack peer contact and academic support, which increases isolation. Poor
infrastructure and lack of dorms, study areas, and exam rooms delay growth. Lack of
lab access and poor virtual tools are obstacles to practical’s related syllabus
components. Delayed or confusing course materials make exam preparation difficult.
The results bring to light some of the biggest problems that full-time students who
work and go to university experience, namely work stress tied to their employment and
issues with their courses in terms of infrastructure and logistics, together with a greater
need for emotional and cognitive learner support. To fix this problem, the study
suggests adding more study rooms, hostels, and exam rooms to the infrastructure,
switching from one CAT to an assignment, having multilingual discussion groups, and
making sure that textbooks are delivered on time and are prepared in a way that is easy
to understand.
