Technological Shock in Digital Transformation of Higher Education in Bangladesh

Abstract

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has acutely disrupted the higher education system in Bangladesh. Its erratic nature forced the government of Bangladesh to close all the educational institutions on March 18, 2020. A digital transformation in the education industry facilitated education during this prolonged lockdown. Undoubtedly, this dramatic change introduced both teachers and students to unexpected challenges. This study aimed to unveil the challenges the students and teachers faced and focus on their overall experience adapting to the digital transformation in higher education during COVID-19. This study employed the semistructured interview with open-ended questions using qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis. The interview was conducted with two focused groups, including 109 students and 49 teachers from seven private universities in Bangladesh. The result shows that most of the respondents mainly struggled with lack of technical preparation, unavailability of resources, poor infrastructure of the Internet, and additional costs associated with e-learning.