Purpose -E-learning is a very popular concept in the education sector today, and one of the best ways to implement this is through blended learning. However, the implementation of blended learning program at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is quite new in Bangladesh. The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of blended learning, how to construct a blended learning program, the benefits of blended learning and some prerequisites to implement blended learning program successfully at HEIs in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach -Nature of the study is explanatory, descriptive as well as evaluative. Primary data were collected through face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaire having both open-and close-ended questions including personal observations. Secondary data comprise relevant documents available from government agencies, archives, and library and research organizations. Findings -By utilizing the blended learning tools, HEIs in Bangladesh can achieve radical improvements in education quality as well as in the accessibility and cost-effectiveness of learning programs. Moreover, any innovative educational reform will be successful only when it is fully accepted and adopted by all the key stakeholders: students, parents, teachers, academic administrators, researchers and policy makers. Practical implications -Several practical solutions have been presented in this paper: how to create a blended learning program, how to overcome the obstacles for successful implementation of blended learning and how to create a flipped classroom with the aid of technology. Social implications -A country's soul and economic well-being depends to a large extent on the quality of their citizen's education. Implementing innovative teaching programs within the education system will enhance the quality of education at HEIs in Bangladesh, creating more efficient labor force hence benefiting the overall society. Originality/value -Originality in terms of exposing the hurdles that needs to be addressed for successful implementation of blended learning programs at HEIs in Bangladesh and providing an easy guideline to educators on how to create flipped classrooms.

Teaching is filled with spirited debate about the best practices for improving students' learning and performance. Today, educators from different parts of the world are supporting the use of rubrics as an instructional tool and highlighting the enormous contributions that rubrics can make in the teaching-learning paradigm. A rubric is a useful grading tool which can help instructors to grade students' work in a more consistent, reliable and unbiased manner. A well-designed rubric can help students to identify their strengths and weaknesses and be more objective about their own quality of work. Although some studies have examined the benefits of rubrics on student performance levels; nevertheless, research on rubrics is still at an early stage. In this paper we will explore what a rubric is, the different types of rubrics that can be utilized in the classroom and the process of constructing a rubric. We will also discuss how the application of rubrics in teaching can help educators to improve student learning and provide more effective feedback on student performance.

Academic institutions worldwide, from primary schools to universities, use grades or marks as a fundamental sorting and signaling mechanism for students. The grades awarded to students should be indicative of learning outcomes. However, do the grades awarded today accurately reflect student achievement in the classroom? Grade inflation has become a widespread phenomenon within the education system in the past thirty years, garnering massive condemnation among educators, researchers and the public. Some people even view grade inflation as a scandal, an injustice and a violation of student trust. Nevertheless, there are some academic institutions that find it convenient to ignore this problem and, in some cases, encourage the practice. In this paper, we examine the various factors that can contribute to grade inflation. Additionally, we assess how grade inflation can create problems for students, faculty, and society as a whole. Finally, we provide some suggestions and recommendations to solve the problems of grade inflation.

The use of web-based tools for educational purposes is a rapidly growing trend in Bangladesh. Most of the academic institutions in Bangladesh have decided to develop academic portals where teachers can create online versions of their courses. This paper addresses students’ opinions on the use of virtual classroom from their own personal experiences and identifies features of virtual classroom that are vital to create an interactive student-centered learning environment. We try to understand whether the use of virtual classroom can bring improvement in students’ learning and performance in the class. The results from binary logistic regression indicate that most of the participants have positive opinions regarding the usage of virtual classroom for learning purposes. As the present Government of Bangladesh (GOB) has urged all higher education institutions (HEIs) to take effective measures in order to implement ‘Integrated University Information Management Platform’, the findings from this study will help educators and administrators to understand how to construct an interactive student-friendly academic portal that will fulfill all the needs of the customers and to assess whether the features of the existing portals that they are currently using need any further improvements.

In recent years, education quality and quality assessment have received a great deal of attention at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Bangladesh. Most of the HEIs in Bangladesh face severe resource constraints and find it difficult to improve education quality by improving inputs, such as better infrastructure and modernized classroom facilities. Thus, in response to the present government's demand to improve the quality of education at HEIs in Bangladesh, it is imperative to formulate plans that are more cost-effective. According to some previous studies, the quality of education depends largely on the teaching-learning process. These studies affirm that, with limited resources at hand, the employment of active learning in the classroom is one of the most effective ways to improve education quality. To conduct this qualitative research, we utilized multiple sources of data, including semi-structured and in-depth interviews, descriptive observations and self-administered questionnaires. This paper aims to explore three related issues: What are the various active learning strategies that can be employed by the instructors at HEIs in Bangladesh? What are the potential factors that can hinder the implementation process? Finally, what recommendations can be provided on how to successfully implement active learning strategies in the classroom? The findings suggest that a lack of teacher training and student prior experience in an active learning environment, large class sizes, excessive curriculum loads and students' academic backgrounds are some common factors that can hinder the implementation of active learning in Bangladesh. The findings of this study can be instrumental for HEIs in Bangladesh as they aspire to improve their education quality.