Blended Learning in Tertiary Level of Bangladesh: Private Universities in Focus

Abstract

Technology integrated teaching and learning has become very common now a day. Still, in this modern life, there are many students who face difficulties continuing their higher education due to several hindrances. This research attempts to find out these challenges for which the students are facing trouble to continue their higher studies in Bangladeshi private universities. In addition to that, this research also focuses on the practical implications of blended learning in terms of putting online virtual classroom along with the traditional faceto- face classroom instruction. To do so, the researcher has taken interviews of university teachers, university students, different academic stakeholders such as: corporate organizations, mobile operators, banks, NGOs, consultancy firms, and housekeepers. 10 private universities of Bangladesh were selected randomly to collect teachers and students interview. The teachers who take masters courses were selected for the interview and students were selected from those teachers’ graduation classes. In total 10 teachers and 101 students were interviewed based on interview questions. However, participants of the other organizations and housekeepers were selected according to the convenience of the researcher. Three participants from each of the organizations and three housekeepers were interviewed based on interview questions. These collected data were analyzed based on two theories: socio-constructivism and dual code theory, and one model: blended learning model. The analyzed data are tabulated and explained in descriptive manner. The findings suggest that, though there is a need of online virtual class, participants are not in favor to demolish the face-to-face instruction. Infact, they prioritize the face-to-face instruction more over online virtual class. However, study shows that the implementation of online virtual class would help learners to overcome the barriers in the way of the higher studies and decrease the number of drop outs from higher studies of Bangladesh. Not only the learners, but the study also sheds the importance of blended learning over the organizations where these students are working. It is evident that if the learners are given the relaxed solution for their study then the organization where they are working gets benefited. Thus, this study is important for the teachers, students, authorities and other stakeholders to evident the practical implications of blended learning and to decide the further steps to implement it in the private universities of Bangladesh.