Shifting universities to non-physical platforms

After much confusion, the University Grants Commission (UGC) on April 30 provided the directive to hold online classes in all public and private universities, and released a set of class and exam taking guidelines on May 7. Given that the PM has directed universities to remain closed till September, if the situation does not improve, we face at least 4-5 months of such distance learning. Setting aside the ethical and moral dilemmas and the students' mental health issues (topics on their own merits), the central query is, then, how do we make such a nationwide transition suddenly? What UGC's guidelines do not address is the fact that given a considerable percentage of students do not have access to the necessary facilities/technology, to what extent is this feasible?

I think the first step in that direction should be conducting university-specific surveys to identify: (1) non-tech savvy faculty members who are unable to conduct classes in the online spectrum (check out UGS's survey for faculty member's here: http://www.surveyshare.com/s/AYAIKCA), and (2) students who do not have access to the internet and the necessary tech equipment, including a (reliable) smartphone. Emphasis of the prior sentence falls on accepting and utilising smartphones as a (short-term) learning tool. While apt (ironically online) training can be provided to non-tech savvy faculty members (peer to peer, if not centralised—admittedly a difficult task at which a number of universities are failing), the student survey will provide important information on the prevailing status of the student body. The surveys can be done centrally by the admin or by course-specific faculty members/RAs, online and over phone calls, for those not reachable online.

The reasons why incorporating smartphone-centric learning is important are simple. First, in Bangladesh, mobile phone penetration is higher than broadband internet connectivity, and a larger percentage of students have access to smartphones rather than computers. Second, almost all online classroom platforms (Zoom, Google Classroom) are easily accessible from smartphones. Faculty members should record their sessions and upload them on a common platform (such as personal faculty channels in YouTube, if Blackboard features are unavailable) for students to access later (not as alternatives to interactive online classes). The real catch is in accommodating two sets of students. The first set are students without smartphones and/or internet access, who will be unable to attend online classes. This concern, plaguing other South Asian countries as well, is further aggravated by the fact that many students returned to their village homes, in some cases in remote areas without constant electricity or proper internet infrastructure. Here are a few of the ideas floating around regarding bridging the gap:

The internet issue (for those with access to at least smartphones)

In India, the southern state of Kerala announced that it would provide extra bandwidth across the state to cater to such needs. In Bangladesh, students who are now in remote areas (and many in urban areas) are unlikely to have access to broadband internet. However, those with smartphones should have access to telco-specific internet. This is where the telecom industry in Bangladesh can step in. Many students will not be able to buy the amount of data required to attend such classes online (the survey can identify them). Telco-university collaborative measures can be taken to offer "internet education packages" for these students. Ideally, these packages can be managed and provided by universities to the students, renewed biweekly (easier planning for students in terms of usage) and, if deemed necessary, can also be targeted for using learning-specific applications. The American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) is taking a similar approach. While students without a 4G connection or with low network availability may still be unable to partake in it, many others will be able to.

The smartphone issue

In an ideal world, we would be able to provide temporary access to smartphones/laptops to students who need them, as being done in several western universities. But suggesting such an attempt in Bangladesh feels like too much to ask for. If no other mechanism can be accommodated to bridge the gap, the controversial and non-equity decision would be to give such students the option to defer the remaining (and future lockdown period) semester (exempt of any enrolment fees).

Peer-to-peer learning partners

The simple idea is to partner a student with proper resources (laptop, good internet) with another student with weaker resources (smartphone, weaker internet). It is the responsibility of the better-equipped student to aid and keep his/her learning partner regularly updated on class proceedings. Such collaboration is essential for learning and would immensely help in present times.

The second set of students are those who are doing practical lab-based work. These courses require physical presence and I do not believe has pragmatic alternatives. They will sadly have to be delayed (the idea of replacing lab-based work with 'theory labs' is akin to condemning the student with a low-skilled setup). The UGC has also indicated this in their guidelines.

Oddly, now seems an ideal time to remind ourselves that exams are not the best way to assess students. Term papers (plagiarism checked), application-based essays, and case studies with critical reasoning better fit an andragogy framework, corresponding to the different stages of Bloom's taxonomy of thinking. Those without access to a PC/broadband internet can hand-write on paper, take photos using a smartphone and email the photos to the faculty using the smartphone and mobile internet (we have been entertaining this approach for students in Australia without a laptop). If, however, exams must be taken, there are online platforms (such as Examplify) where students can sit for exams online using smartphones. The UGC can step in and provide subscriptions to the more premium platforms (as they have done for Zoom). If cheating is a concern, these platforms enable you to randomise your questions and the order of appearance. Collusion is, unfortunately, something we cannot avoid entirely but the lockdown itself should minimise that. Now is not the time to aim for perfection in assessment, rather a time to focus on empathy and integration. It is also important to remember to provide extended adequate time to students for these online exams, and opportunities for re-sits or alternatives, as also advised by UGC.

Finally, there is the dreaded issue of tuition. Should students enrolled in online sessions have to pay the same tuition fees as physical classes under the current circumstances? Reduced tuition fees may enable students to attain improved connectivity to perform better in online classes (if relocated for such purposes). The UGC has already suggested options for fee payment in installments or waivers; now it is up to the universities what approach they will decide upon. I shall leave that question for another discussion.

Surely, the aforementioned approaches do not ensure integration of every single student. The idea is to transit to a system that can integrate most students across the country. In the end, I do not believe we will have a fully equitable solution within such a short time span, but we can try our earnest to ensure apt learning transfers take place. The biggest contention of not being able to integrate everyone is that it will exacerbate inequality in a scenario where many universities are already unable to equip students with the necessary skillset for the job market. The haves remain shielded even in attaining knowledge. But a successful transition can help many students to not lose time, especially when alternative solutions are a possibility.

Overall, the entire situation has to be dealt with ample empathy for the students' circumstances and on a university-to-university, course-to-course basis. The mental health of the students also needs to be kept under constant consideration. Coordination by the management and faculty members—ideally with a monitoring system in place—will be the key. Understandably, such a transition will be difficult and will require time to acclimatise; till then, a lot of the classes will be of sub-par quality. Some students may not even be able to adapt to such a drastically different learning experience; their needs will have to be catered to as well. This will be a learning curve for both the faculty members and the students, where all stakeholders will have to put in ample effort. These are extraordinary times, which requires us to excel in extraordinary (and hopefully temporary) measures, and I believe collaboration will pave a cleaner path.

Adnan M S Fakir is a PhD candidate in economics at the University of Western Australia and a Senior Lecturer (on study leave) at BRAC University.

Email: adnanfakir@gmail.com