As students, we always wished to get extended breaks but never had anyone thought how reality could be so devastating. Since the first confirmed cases of coronavirus was reported on March 8, the government has taken commendable measures to ensure public safety through social distancing.
Most private and public universities were left scrambling as the classes were at a full go with the mid-semester nearing. A significant number of institutions opted for online classes to go forth with the semester.
We do not know for how long the pandemic will continue or when the life will return to normalcy. As an educator, the question is, when can I go back to class, or will virtual classes be the new norms? However, before going on about the modality of virtual courses, let us think about the most significant stakeholder here: students.
Let us think from an infrastructure perspective. Over the last decade, with significant investment in the ICT sector, the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ensured countrywide connectivity through internet services.
However, there is still asymmetry in the students' ability to avail wide-scale high-speed internet services - a necessity to the virtual classes. In addition, there is a significant number frequently occurring Internet shutdowns creating a considerable impediment to online participation.
During one such instance, a student from one of the top private universities told me, "My internet connection was so poor that I could hardly participate in a class on Bus 301 course, which was vital as the topic covered was complicated."
Furthermore, not all students enjoy same luxury as they shared desktops or laptops. Ashik, a student from another private university, said, "I share my computer with my brother, and it is tough when we both have classes at the same time."
In face to face interactions, educators can provide a homogenous experience to all students irrespective of their accessibility to specific amenities, which online education lacks and can create meaningful differences in a student's learning environment.
In turn, we can say while face-to-face (F2F) interactions, while students receive the same delivery, in a virtual setting, in essence, we are amplifying the digital divide.
The other key stakeholder is the faculties. Faculty members across all universities in the country are adept at teaching in classroom settings. However, most of them have minimal training or teaching experience in an online context.
Not all of them will be comfortable and adept at virtual classes. There exists a technological divide among educators, some of whom may not have even used audio-visual equipment to those who are familiar with new technologies.
Another critical aspect, and probably the most significant one, is empathy. The understandings that a virtual classroom setting is not same as that of F2F interaction and the ability to understand the student's perspective that situations of internet shutdowns and delayed feedback are a reality.
Thirdly, the situation we are in is unique. Not all students are watching Netflix and posting on Facebook and Instagram, as is the current notion. A significant number of them are directly or indirectly affected in the pandemic.
One of my direct students stated," Sir, we know IBA is IBA, but I am directly affected. Both of my parents are health workers, and I am in no stable condition to work on projects and submit the work." Undertaking virtual classes needs to be complemented by projects and cases.
However, in this scenario, where everyone is tensed about one's wellbeing, we cannot expect nineteen and twenty-year old students to perform all these activities to the best of their potential.
Finally, the age-old comparison that if universities in countries like the US and Hong Kong can go online, why not us? For one, they already have online learning platforms that are used regularly for a lot of courses.
Secondly, they already have the know-how of taking online classes. Most schools have online graduate programs and executive educations programs for distant learning.
They have been practicing it and could scale up their capacity in the crisis time. Finally, there is less disparity in the amenities and infrastructure available to most students.
We cannot just expect to use platforms such as Google classroom and meet or Zoom platforms as a stop-gap solution. There is hardware and software issues that need to be looked into before online education can be feasible. Yes, we do have the technologies that can easily be scaled. That is the easy part.
However, a digital inequality among students is a significant pain point that needs addressing. Furthermore, training faculty members and ensuring they are aware that there is a difference in the modality of how to take classes in a F2F and virtual setting is also a vital point.
However, what this scenario has shown us is that it is time that we think of supplementing our F2F interaction with some form of an online learning system. Probably, a hybrid model of F2F and virtual classes are a thing of the future.
Universities should now understand that it is high time to develop or subscribe to a robust online learning platform and not think of it as a stop-gap solution.
Fairuz Chowdhury
Faculty Member, IBA, University of Dhaka
