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Technological Shock in Digital Transformation of Higher Education in Bangladesh

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Innovation, Leadership and Governance in Higher Education

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.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Business, Presidency University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Shahreen Sonia, Marvin Razi Mebin, Tina Umnia Hussain, Md. Muzakkeerul Huda & Md. Abid Hasan

Authors
  1. Shahreen Sonia
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  2. Marvin Razi Mebin
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  3. Tina Umnia Hussain
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  4. Md. Muzakkeerul Huda
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  5. Md. Abid Hasan
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Consultants for Capacity Building, Melbourne, Australia

    Parves Sultan

Appendix

Appendix

Our focused group discussion with the learner groups (i.e., students):

  1. 1.

    Do you think the timing of making decisions by the government regarding launching and carrying out online education was appropriate? Why or why not? Please specify.

  2. 2.

    What are the modes/mediums that your teachers used in reaching you over online classes?

  3. 3.

    What benefits do online studies bring you (in terms of academics and others) during COVID-19? In terms of:

    1. (a)

      Time savings

    2. (b)

      Free from traffic congestion

    3. (c)

      The opportunity of creating more interaction with faculties

    4. (d)

      Free from memory-based examinations

    5. (e)

      Others (if any)

  4. 4.

    What type of problems did digital transformation bring to you during COVID-19? In terms of:

    1. (a)

      Academic uncertainty

    2. (b)

      Free from traffic congestion

    3. (c)

      Unavailability of required resources (Internet, mobile data, smartphone, laptop/desktop)

    4. (d)

      Financial threats

    5. (e)

      Additional costs incurred

  5. 5.

    Did you face any financial or nonfinancial threats in digital transformation during COVID-19?

  6. 6.

    Do you think online education should be continued even in this “new-normal” age? Why or why not? Please specify.

Our focused group discussion with the faculty members (i.e., teachers):

  1. 1.

    Do you think the timing of making decisions by the government regarding launching and carrying out online education was appropriate? Why or why not? Please specify.

  2. 2.

    What are the modes/mediums that you used in connecting with your students during COVID-19 to conduct online discussions and arrange online examinations?

  3. 3.

    What benefits do online studies bring you (in terms of academics and others) during COVID-19? In terms of:

    1. (a)

      Time savings

    2. (b)

      Free from traffic congestion

    3. (c)

      The opportunity of creating more interaction with students

    4. (d)

      Free from memory-based examinations

    5. (e)

      Others (if any)

  4. 4.

    What type of problems does digital transformation bring you (in terms of academics and others) during COVID-19? In terms of:

    1. (a)

      Low job security

    2. (b)

      Financial threats

    3. (c)

      Additional costs incurred

  5. 5.

    Did you face any financial or nonfinancial threats in digital transformation during COVID-19? For example:

    1. (a)

      It took too much time from your personal life to adapt and carry out digital transformation.

    2. (b)

      Your family may have asked you to quit the job.

    3. (c)

      Others (if any).

  6. 6.

    Do you want online education should be continued even in this “new-normal” age? Why or why not? Please specify.

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© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

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Cite this chapter

Sonia, S., Mebin, M.R., Hussain, T.U., Huda, M.M., Hasan, M.A. (2023). Technological Shock in Digital Transformation of Higher Education in Bangladesh. In: Sultan, P. (eds) Innovation, Leadership and Governance in Higher Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-7299-7_12

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