Purpose Although e-learning has already been accepted globally as an effective medium of delivery of quality education and ensure optimum student participation, Bangladeshi higher educational institutions are still at a very early stage of adopting such technologies. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to critically examine the suitability of implementing effective e-learning through learning management system (LMS) at the tertiary educational institutions in Bangladesh, and how both students and teachers experience and respond to this new learning platform. Following mixed-methods techniques, data for this study were collected from students and respective course teachers of a private university in Bangladesh by administering questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The findings of this paper reveal that e-learning has been well accepted by most of the students as they are found routinely spending time on the LMS on a regular basis for watching lecture videos, viewing course information, reading postings of the fellow students in the forum. However, there are constraints as well, since the learning materials are poorly designed that do not allow much interaction between students and lecturers. There are also some technical problems such as poor internet connection which restrict access to e-learning platforms. To harness the optimum benefit of e-learning, this paper recommends a concerted effort by all stakeholders, such as students, lecturers, administrators and policy makers so that each of their priorities and expectations are reflected in the designing and implementing e-learning platforms. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on the qualitative evaluation of Education 3.0 platform. Primary data were collected from the students using a well-structured survey questionnaire, and the findings of the survey have subsequently been cross-referred and supplemented by non-participatory observations with semi-structured interviews which allowed a better in-depth understanding of the issue at hand. Findings The findings of the study suggest that a majority of the students are found to be highly enthusiastic about the online courses. They are eager to participate and interact in the online platforms, which are somehow limited in the traditional classroom settings. However, there are several institutional, administrative and technical limitations of implementing e-learning in Bangladesh. It is recommended that better orientation of the users, quality content distribution though user-friendly systems and enhanced asynchronous interaction between the lecturers and students are the key pre-requisites to harness the optimum benefit from e-learning technologies in Bangladesh. Originality/value The data have been analyzed and discussed using qualitative framework which allows an in-depth understanding of the opportunities and challenges of the use of e-learning technologies at the higher educational institutions in Bangladesh.
This empirical study is conducted in a blended learning setting of a technology-focused private university in Bangladesh to offer a model that could help attain a comprehensive goal of blended learning. The main objectives of this study are to examine course design in a blended learning setting, strategies adopted by the course teachers to maximize students’ online interactions in a collaborative manner and how well these strategies had an impact on quality of blended teaching and learning in tertiary education. Drawing upon a quasi-experimental approach, qualitative data were collected by observing the teaching and learning activities of a course named ‘Bangladesh Studies’ over a four-month semester. Findings of this study suggest a model that would allow better student–teacher interaction in both synchronous and asynchronous modes of teaching and learning based on three sequential stages such as referring to and discussing online peer-group comments in the regular face-to-face classes in asynchronous mode (stage 1), off-campus synchronous mode of interactions to utilize students’ personal study hours (stage 2) and off-campus asynchronous mode of interactions to offer flexibility for collaborative learning (stage 3). It is argued that the model that has been offered could be useful in promoting innovative and contextual pedagogy which will essentially involve students in sharing, interacting and collaborating discussions for knowledge construction and hereby enable overall cognitive development of students in a blended learning environment.
COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted schooling globally. Affecting millions of students, the conventional face-to-face (F2F) education system has been replaced by e-learning overnight. As the advantages, disadvantages, and technical challenges of this abrupt transformation were already well-documented, this study aimed to intensely scrutinize university students' experiences of e-learning practices in this new normal situation. Methods: Adopting the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), a smaller sample of respondents (N=25) was observed to gain deeper insights using semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed and interpreted through thematic analysis. Findings revealed that most of the students have had unfavorable experiences with e-learning. The majority of students feel that e-learning has ruined their social relationships by isolating them from their peers and instructors. A significant number of students were observed to be anxious about their future due to unstable financial status, poor learning outcomes, and unfair evaluation processes. Moreover, poor self-esteem, anxiety, and depressive symptoms have been observed among a significant portion of the students. The overall findings of this study are meant to assist stakeholders in taking the necessary steps to address the aforementioned issues and ensure an improved learning experience, particularly in an e-learning environment.
COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically transformed the global education system to a great extent. In a short period, e-learning has been adopted globally as an al-ternative teaching-learning medium. However, this sudden transition raises many concerns about e-learning acceptability. To make a clear inference, this study investigated the acceptance of e-learning (perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use) among university-level students using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The empirical analysis was performed on a sample of 694 university students in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 crisis. Findings revealed that students' overall e-learning acceptability was not adequate (32.8%), a significant number of students (46.8%) were not satisfied with e-learning experience and that majority (70.2%) of students preferred face-to-face education systems for their future study. The study also highlighted the underlying factors that negatively affect students' e-learning acceptance such as lack of technological skills, less familiarity with e-learning, lack of simplicity, low productivity, inefficiency, and so on. The overall findings of this study are intended to assist stakeholders to understand the gaps that need to be addressed immediately to increase students ’e-learning acceptability in the future.
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