Confronting Covid-19 with a Paradigm Shift in Teaching and Learning: A Study on Online Classes

Abstract

There has been an emergency paradigm shift in teaching and learning in the private universities of Bangladesh resulting from the complete shutdown of the educational institutions for an indefinite period due to Covid-19. While the shift to online classes remains operative with doubts and enthusiasm, the activities showed a considerable achievement and positive shift in attitude towards this mode in the past few weeks which showcase the prospects of online classes with some areas to address and problems to be solved. So, the stakeholders’ opinions, experiences and suggestions can be handy in capitalizing on, and utilizing this mode in coming days. Drawing on data from both the students and faculty members of different departments of Green University of Bangladesh (GUB), we illustrate the need to address and improve several areas including current state of mind of the stakeholders, potentials of the online classes as an alternative to onsite classes, the need for assurance of some facilities and orientation of this type of techno-based new modes as precautionary to emergency. Though online instructions are not new in many parts of the world, we argue that it is here in Bangladesh a new experience with a very limited practice, and so it requires some corrections, improvisations and special considerations on the part of the concerned authorities to make the mode a viable solution to teaching-learning in the impasse resulting from the complete shutdown in the current crisis.