Higher Education In Bangladesh Research Articles

Students’ Perception of the Effects of Integrating EdTech in Teaching English Poetry in Higher Education in Bangladesh

Students’ Perception of the Effects of Integrating EdTech in Teaching English Poetry in Higher Education in Bangladesh

Challenges and Adaptation Strategies of Students with Disabilities in Higher Education in Bangladesh

Education is a fundamental human right to which every human should have access. However, in Bangladesh, people with disabilities continue to be denied access to education in a variety of ways; even with the widespread expansion of higher education, they have limited access to it. Also, those who have crossed various barriers and got admission to different higher education institutions face various challenges, including infrastructural barriers and other academic and administrative problems that affect their chances of growing up as average students. Considering this aspect, this article is intended to determine the challenges faced by students with disabilities and their adaptation strategies in higher education in Bangladesh. It applied a mixed-method approach in which quantitative and qualitative data were collected from four leading public universities in Bangladesh. The results indicate that students with disabilities still face a variety of challenges on their campuses. However, to overcome these challenges, they apply adaptive strategies such as using assistive devices, bilingual books, and the help of friends, which are not favorable enough for them to cope with the situation and continue their studies.

Academic Supervision in Higher Education: The Case of Government Colleges in Bangladesh

Academic supervision is considered an important mechanism to improve the performance of an educational institution. This article aims to investigate the situation of academic supervision in Bangladeshi Government Colleges (GCs).The article, in particular, explores the impacts of academic supervision on Bangladeshi students and teachers in developing their competencies and confidence in postsecondary educational settings. The study was conducted employing thequalitative research method and collecting data from in-depth interviews, secondary published literature, such as books, journal articles etc. The study finds that effective academic supervision considerably helps students achieve their learning progress as well as teachers attain their professionalization in the GCs of Bangladesh. Various challenges exist in higher education in Bangladesh, which include the lack of resources, limited use of educational tools and technology, policy problems, lack of sufficient training and scope of research for teachers, and so on. This article has made several recommendations for improving academic supervision to enhance quality education in the Bangladeshi GCs. Philosophy and Progress, Vol#71-72; No#1-2; Jan-Dec 2022 P 97-128

A critical reflection on the University of Dhaka in Educational Research: An Editorial

The University of Dhaka was founded in 1921, marking the beginning of modern higher education in Bangladesh. The decision to build the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh was made as restitution for the 1905 partition of Bengal being declared invalid. The Special Issue honours the 100th anniversary of the University of Dhaka and the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence. As the pinnacle of academic quality, the university offers opportunities for researchers, professionals, and scholars to participate in theoretical debates, carry out empirical study, and contribute nationally and worldwide to share this pride. The Institute of Education and Research (IER) publishes a special edition of Teacher’s World on this occasion. This special issue examines the University of Dhaka’s contribution to Bangladeshi research and education. Five sub-themes are offered for the articles written by various academics and researchers. Father of the Nation’s Philosophy, Educational Development in Independent Bangladesh, Dhaka University’s Role in Education Reform, Educational Research and Dhaka University, and Trends and Emerging Issues in Education are among the sub-themes. Vol. 48 (University of Dhaka Centennial Special Issue), June 2022 p.1-6

Digitalization of higher education to achieve sustainability: Investigating students’ attitudes toward digitalization in Bangladesh

This study examines university students’ attitudes toward digitalizing higher education in Bangladesh. The objectives of the study are to examine the nature and the subjective causes of the student's attitudes and to examine the influence of gender, prior exposure to digitalization, and socio-economic background on the attitudes. This study uses the ABC Model of Attitudes and the Digital Divide Theory to prepare a questionnaire and analyze the data. A semi-structured interview questionnaire was developed based on the ABC Model of Attitudes to collect data from 32 interviewees. The interviewees from three public universities in Bangladesh were selected using random purposive sampling. Students from every socio-economic, gender, and level of digital experience category were selected to ensure heterogeneity of the sampling. The interview transcripts were analyzed using NVivo in conjugation with pen-and-paper thematic analysis. Data triangulation in the form of data analysis and data analyst triangulation was done to ensure the credibility and reliability of the research. The findings from the data analysis show that most of the students hold positive attitudes toward the digitalization of education. However, the gap in students’ access to digital facilities causes differences in students' attitudes. Students with digital accessibility generally hold positive attitudes. On the contrary, students who don't have access to digital facilities hold negative attitudes towards the digitalization of education, although they perceive the digitalization of education as essential and timely. In addition, the findings also confirm that gender, prior exposure to digitalization, and socio-economic background influence students’ attitudes significantly.

The Challenges and Prospects of E-learning in Higher Education in Bangladesh- A Review

Aims: The main objectives of the research were to identify the significant challenges that Bangladesh's higher education sector needs to improve before implementing e-learning, assess the possibilities for implementation of e-learning in Bangladesh, and the benefits e-learning might offer Bangladesh and how it might help the country's advancement.
 The Challenges of E-Learning in Bangladesh: E-learning is a potential replacement for conventional classroom instruction, but there are several obstacles to its adoption, such as a lack of technology and infrastructure, a digital gap, a lack of trained teachers and educators, and a lack of high-quality E-learning resources. These issues have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of internet connectivity and digital gadgets among some pupils, making it difficult for them to participate in e-learning programs. In addition, the shortage of qualified instructors and resources is also a significant issue.
 The Prospect of E-Learning in Bangladesh: E-Learning has the potential to close the digital gap, expand educational opportunities, and raise academic standards in Bangladesh. It can provide pupils with high-quality instruction and bridge the gap between rural and remote regions. E-learning can also broaden pupil access to education and equip them with the competencies they need to thrive in the real world. Additionally, it can offer pupils attractive, collaborative learning opportunities and allow instructors to track student development and spot areas where students might need extra help. E-learning can revolutionize Bangladesh's educational system by providing students with high-quality instruction, flexible learning, personalized instruction, global learning, and women's empowerment.
 Conclusion: The future of e-learning in Bangladesh looks promising, with the potential to close the digital divide, expand educational opportunities, raise academic standards, advance technology, encourage inclusivity, offer flexible and personalized learning, give access to resources for global education, and empower women. To ensure this, the government should create and carry out programs and policies that support ease and equality, facilitate diversity and accessibility, and keep track of and assess electronic-learning projects.

An Empirical Study on Emergency of Distant Tertiary Education in the Southern Region of Bangladesh during COVID-19: Policy Implication.

Many fields have been affected by COVID-19, including education. The pandemic has prompted a change in education due to the requirement for social distancing. Campuses are now closed in many educational institutions across the globe, and teaching and learning are now conducted online. Internationalization has significantly slowed down. A mixed-method study was designed for this research, with the goal of ascertaining the impact of COVID-19 on Bangladeshi students enrolled in higher education during and after the pandemic. A questionnaire with 19 questions on a Google form was used to collect quantitative data using a 4-point Likert scale and was conducted on 100 students from different universities in the southern part of Bangladesh, such as Barisal University, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University. For collecting qualitative data, six quasi-interviews were conducted. A statistical package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyze both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative results demonstrated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, pupils continuously received teaching and learning. The current study's findings revealed a significant positive correlation between the COVID-19 pandemic and teaching, learning, and student achievement and a significant negative correlation between the COVID-19 pandemic and student goals. The study also revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic had a detrimental effect on students enrolled in higher education programs at the universities. The qualitative judgment showed that students faced many problems when joining classes, such as poor Internet connection and insufficient network and technological facilities, etc. Some students live in rural areas and have slow Internet speeds, which sometimes prevented them from joining class. The findings of the study can help policy makers in higher education to review and adopt a new policy in higher education in Bangladesh. It can also help education instructors in universities to develop a proper study plan for their students.

Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Learning from the Challenges

The higher education sector globally has gone through a transition because of the coronavirus outbreak, and as a result, many traditional higher education institutions across the globe have been forced to go online to provide education and arrange assessments so that their students could continue their education and complete their courses. Unlike developed countries, at the beginning of the lockdown, most of the higher education institutions in Bangladesh shut down their operations, and a few universities started moving toward online distance teaching and learning activities. Based on an empirical study, this article discusses the challenges of teaching and learning in higher education in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 lockdown. It also identifies good practices to overcome those challenges. An online survey was conducted to collect data from university teachers throughout the country. Findings from this study show that it was a great challenge for most universities to adopt online teaching and learning models at the beginning of the pandemic. Many factors, such as preparedness, limited resources including financial means, low digital literacy, internet connectivity and suitable physical and virtual infrastructure affected this transition. However, the findings also show that the COVID-19 pandemic created new opportunities for educators and practitioners to explore various professional development activities by trying out different digital pedagogies through practice and reflection. This article also highlights the immediate effect and long-term impact on teaching and learning regarding preparedness for future approaches to education in emergencies.

Higher Education Reformation through Teacher Education: A Case Study in Bangladesh Perspective

<i>Teacher education is one of the key strategies to enhance higher education quality and transform from traditional education to 21<sup>st</sup>-century-oriented higher education in Bangladesh. This paper evaluates the experiences of the Post Graduate Diploma in Higher Education Teaching (PGDHET) program gained through the journey toward developing a higher education teacher professional development program and implementing it. This six-month-long program, titled Post Graduate Diploma in Higher Education Teaching (PGDHET), was launched by the Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP). The key themes and elements of this teacher education program were academic program and curriculum, teaching-learning in higher education, professional practices in higher education, the well-being of students, ICT in higher education, assessment, research, and supervision in higher education. It offered a focused pathway for quality assurance activities, which is crucial in reinforcing and strengthening a culture of quality teaching-learning in Bangladeshi universities. A comprehensive, rational approach was adopted for developing this paper. Both authors were involved in the development of this program, so their voices were considered a valuable source of data. Their journal entries and conversations with various stakeholders were the primary data collection methods, whereas an intensive review of 86 higher education teaching-learning program programs offered by 80 universities on six continents around the world was supportive of understanding the global trends in tertiary teacher education programs. The analysis revealed that developing such a comprehensive program for tertiary teacher development was not an easy task, as many issues and complexities were involved, like the duration, vision and mission, design, and assessment guidelines during the development phases. The challenges were multifaceted and multidimensional, such as fitting the program content to be applicable across the teaching disciplines and ensuring its suitability for those teaching in face-to-face, flexible, and online learning environments.</i>

Disruptive Factors in Implementing Outcome-Based Education Curriculum at Tertiary Business Education: A Focus on Institutional Readiness

Higher education in Bangladesh has undergone a rigorous transformation from traditional teacher-centred education into a student-centred outcome-based educational system. Implementing an outcome-based education curriculum at the tertiary level is a great challenge in Bangladesh. This study aims to determine the impact of key disruptive factors on institutional readiness to adopt the OBE curriculum at the tertiary level of business education in Bangladesh with reference to the OBE curriculum policies of the Bangladesh accreditation council. A quantitative study was conducted to investigate the research objective. Quantitative data were collected by distributing questionnaires to the sampled faculty members from different private universities in Bangladesh. A closed-ended questionnaire was used to obtain respondents’ views on the impact of the OBE curriculum structure and design, institutional factors, and faculty members’ personal factors on the university’s readiness to adopt the OBE curriculum. Pearson’s correlation and multiple regression analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of disruptive factors in implementing the OBE curriculum on institutional readiness. The OBE curriculum structure, design factors, and faculty members’ personal factors were significantly related to institutional readiness to adopt the OBE curriculum. However, institutional factors have opposite signs. Although the authors identified key challenges in implementing the OBE curriculum in Bangladesh, institutional factors need to be investigated in the future. This study was conducted on a limited sample of 120 business faculty teachers; hence, the results may not be equally significant in other faculties/disciplines. The findings of this study have demonstrated that institutional readiness to adopt the OBE curriculum successfully requires continued development in the field of OBE curriculum structure and design, as well as faculty members’ personal factors.

Online Assessment Practices of English Language Teachers and Students in Higher Education in Bangladesh: Challenges and Choices

Online education appeared to be effective among stakeholders worldwide following the closure of educational institutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the technology used for online education has hardly been explored to such a massive extent earlier, stakeholders soon self-educated themselves in new technological skills. However, challenges became more complex when the issues of assessment arose. Maintaining the validity, reliability, fairness, and academic integrity in online-based assessment became an insurmountable task; again, there was a pressing need for endorsing resilience and empathy for the assessors and assesses, especially for those who faced discrimination due to COVID-19. This study draws on the findings of a nationwide survey of online programmes offered by Bangladeshi private universities during the late 2020. They reveal the locally adopted methods and supports for assessing learners online, identify several challenges of online assessment, including the use of assessment methods, inadequate assessment-related support, fairness, and reliability, and ensuring accessibility to the assesses. It also reveals the stakeholders' choices to deal with the challenges in assessment, including flexibility, designing questions, and adopting process approach among others. Resilience and empathy for the stakeholders towards each other were required to successfully deal with the challenges of an online assessment.

Online Higher Education in Bangladesh during Covid-19: It is Challenges and Prospects

Online higher education in Bangladesh has not gained expected popularity and a switch to it has always been seen as a challenge despite its potentials here. So, our research investigates the challenges in implementing online higher education and prospects for this for Bangladeshi universities. To do this we have explored the background and evolution of e-learning and online learning in Bangladeshi higher education and the potentials that it might offer in this area. This is a study which may also be called a systematic review. This study reviews research publications on the topic that were published during the last ten years. The research publications include fourteen newspaper articles, twenty two journal articles, four doctoral theses, four reports, three conference proceedings and nine websites. The study finds out that there are a number of problems in implementing online higher education such as, negative perception of teachers, parents and students about the online education, digital divide in the country. On the other hand, online or at least the blended education can be a good alternative to face-to-face higher education of Bangladesh that faces a number of constraints such as, crisis of seats and reputed higher education institutes, session backlog, cost of higher education in universities as well as the conducive factors such as, digitalization, digital literacy, widespread use of mobile phone and the internet. This study recommends that blended courses and programs may be offered in higher education of Bangladesh considering the prospects it offers to our higher education providers .

Measuring the Quality of Higher Education in Bangladesh

Ensuring the quality of higher education is the major concern of a developing country like Bangladesh. Despite having many universities as options, people are still fascinated to study in the University of Dhaka. This paper attempts to determine the quality of higher education in Bangladesh by measuring the service quality of the University of Dhaka based on the responses of the students. To evaluate its overall service quality 5 variables have been considered, such as tangibility, responsiveness, assurance, reliability, and empathy. The study conducted a survey of 200 respondents including current and past university students. The result shows there is a mediocre level of satisfaction among the respondents on quality issues. Why the students are not overall satisfied and specifically on which criteria they are not satisfied have been clearly demonstrated in this paper. The study has also recommended along with the findings what new adjustments the university authority make in this context.

Online classes for higher education in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic: a perception-based study

Purpose The main purpose of this paper is to find out the perception of different respondents' groups related to the factors that influence the online learning for higher education in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach A survey through a structured questionnaire was conducted to gather qualitative information from the 250 respondents (university students, faculty members and administrative officers) in Bangladesh. A questionnaire has been used for collecting primary data, which have been selected using the justification method under the non-probability sampling technique. Findings The findings of this study indicated that majority of the respondents told that online classes could be more challenging than the traditional classroom because of the technological constraints, digital divide, insufficient data pack to access the material to attend the class, poor connectivity, lack of device, poor learning environment, technophobia, delayed response and incapability of the teacher to handle efficiently the material and communication machineries. Research limitations/implications Due to time restriction and the COVID-19 pandemic, the study was constrained only to Dhaka region in Bangladesh. Practical implications The outcomes of the work can be supportive to the governing bodies and proprietors of the higher schooling organizations who are forecasting to adopt online education as a consistent movement in the future. Originality/value At last, based on outcomes, investigators have presented some recommendations that can be taken into consideration at policy level. The study would help universities to comply with the pressing need to impart experiential learning through online education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Efficiency of Public and Private Universities in Bangladesh: A Comparative Approach using Data Envelopment Analysis

The aim of this study is to measure the efficiency of higher educational institutions and investigate the comparative efficiency of public and private higher education in Bangladesh. Using data envelopment analysis (DEA), technical efficiency of 15 public universities and 20 private universities of Bangladesh are evaluated over the period 2008-2018. The empirical results reveal that public universities on an average operate between 56.2 to 80.7 percent level of technical efficiency while the private universities between 49.1 to 77.6 percent level over the study period. That is, universities in Bangladesh, on an average, do not operate efficiently in terms of resource utilization. Over the years only 33% public universities and 25% private universities are found efficient. The inefficient universities can improve their efficiency by utilizing full capacity of the inputs or reducing the amount of inputs at the estimated inefficiency rate of the respective universities. Findings also show that the public universities have the scope of producing 1.24 to 1.78 times and private universities 1.28 to 2.04 times as much output from the same level of inputs. Special monitoring by the regulatory authorities is required for inefficient universities to enhance their efficiency level.

Teachers' perceived level of TPACK and the influence of demographic factors: the context of higher education in Bangladesh

Teachers' Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) can influence their teaching and students' learning, and therefore is explored worldwide. This study aimed to understand the perception of TPACK among tertiary-level teachers and the demographic factors influencing it. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was administered to 82 public and private university teachers. The self-reported data on seven domains of TPACK revealed that teachers' Technology Knowledge ranked last and Technological Content Knowledge as well as Content Knowledge ranked higher compared to it. Demographic-based analysis showed that except for the location of their universities, their gender, involvement in teaching level, ICT training, university type and discipline influenced different aspects of their TPACK. Our exploratory study with limited sample size aimed to develop a preliminary understanding of teachers' TPACK as well as the critical interplay among TPACK and relevant factors to guide teachers, trainers, policymakers and researchers in this field.

Tourism and Hospitality Management Education in Bangladesh: Problems and Prospects

Purpose: The main objective of this study is to identify the problems and prospects of tourism and hospitality higher education in Bangladesh. Methodology: The study conducted an in-depth interview with 40 stakeholders including general education specialists, subject educators, alumni students, practitioners, and policymakers. It also conducted a focus group discussion (FGD) with eight experts in this field. Respondents for in-depth interviews and the FGD were selected from the stakeholders by using convenient and judgmental sampling techniques. Narrative analysis method is used to analyze the interview data of individual respondents. Findings: The study found that seven public universities, nine private universities, and nine colleges under the National University offered degrees in tourism and hospitality management in this country. About eighty-five faculty members teach in this sector, yet less than 20 percent possess graduate and post-graduate degrees in tourism and hotel management. The analysis of the study revealed some significant problems including: less industry focused curricula and teaching-learning methods, no uniform national guidelines, poor infrastructure, and teaching staff with a predominantly non-tourism background. In addition, lack of foreign-trained faculty, entry of reluctant students, and a negative social perception of tourism occupations all pose difficulties for the industry. Practical Implications: This study helps the stakeholders to understand the problems and prospects of tourism and hospitality education in Bangladesh and empower themselves to overcome these problems. Originality: This study reveals the underlying problems and some strategic solutions for tourism and hospitality education in Bangladesh. Research Limitations: If the study can use different quantitative measures then it will be more specific.

Teachers' perceived level of TPACK and the influence of demographic factors: the context of higher education in Bangladesh

Teachers' perceived level of TPACK and the influence of demographic factors: the context of higher education in Bangladesh

Improving quality of teaching-learning in higher education in Bangladesh: does classroom management matter

This study aims to find out the importance of classroom management in ensuring the quality of teaching-learning process in higher education in Bangladesh. Classroom management and quality teaching are vice versa in education system while classroom management comprises a wide variety of techniques and skills used by teachers to keep students organized, efficient, focused, responsive and creative during a class. On the other hand, quality teaching influences to flourish the students’ overall performance in education. Therefore, the effective classroom management in higher education is extremely important where students can learn in an environment without disruption.

Factors affecting effective online teaching transition in Asian universities during COVID-19

Educational institutions, especially the higher education institutions in Asian countries such as Bangladesh and Thailand, have had to stop face-to-face educational activities during the period of COVID-19 pandemic. Online classes have been the only alternative to carry on academic activities. Teachers were suddenly compelled to transition their teaching and learning methodology from a face-to-face to an online model. Employing a quantitative research method, this study identifies factors in teacher’s effective transition for successful online teaching. A total of 68 teachers experienced in higher education in Bangladesh, Thailand, India and Indonesia were interviewed by a structured questionnaire. The instrument was scrutinized and approved by a panel of 5 expert educators in higher educational institutes in both Bangladesh and Thailand. The statistical analysis indicated that professional training, students’ performance evaluation, cheating concerns in exam perceived by teachers, infrastructure difficulties, lack of students’ technological knowhow and difficult online classroom management influenced success in online teaching. A set of inspectional recommendations has been made that might be utilized in policy making by the educational policy makers, institutional authorities and by the practising teachers for designing effective procedures of online teaching and learning.