LesiRead - A System to Help with Reading and Understanding the Content in English Medium Academic Texts for University Students of Sri Lanka

Abstract

"Sri Lankan university students face significant challenges in reading academic texts in English due to several factors such as limited language proficiency in English, lack of motivation and preparedness to read academic texts. Despite the importance of academic reading, towards gaining success in academics, current solutions are insufficient to meet the unique needs of these students. To close this gap, project LesiRead, a comprehensive information system aimed at helping Sri Lankan university students read and understand English-medium academic texts effectively is introduced. Key features of Lesi Read include a multilingual question-answering model that supports the 3 main languages of Sri Lanka, English, Sinhala, and Tamil, making the academic text accessible to Sri Lankan university students with varying levels of language proficiency. LesiRead also has a quiz feature which generates a quiz based on the uploaded documents. This allows students to directly check their understanding of the academic texts. In addition, summarizing text and translating text features support students with reading as well. LesiRead also employs a reward-based system, paired with gamification aspects, to inspire and sustain students' involvement in academic reading tasks. The methodology taken to develop LesiRead includes conducting a comprehensive study into the issues faced by Sri Lankan university students through an industrial survey and existing literature on academic reading and strategies that support academic reading for ESL (English as a second language) students. After the development process, the system was fine-tuned based on the feedback of domain experts, technical experts and end users. In addition, the initial feedback gained in the user testing also confirms that Lesi Read helps with reading comprehension and getting motivated to read further. In conclusion, it can be said that LesiRead is a unique innovative solution to overcome the challenges of academic reading faced by Sri Lankan university students and through further refinement and evaluation, it will make a significant impact in improving academic outcomes and fostering a culture of reading among Sri Lankan university students. : "