Blended Learning at Universities of Bangladesh: Initiatives and Challenges during COVID-19 Lockdown

This empirical qualitative study explores the blended learning implementation decision process perceived by the different stakeholders of the selected universities in Bangladesh amidst the COVID-19 lockdown. The research question addressed in this study is: According to the stakeholders, what are the perceived decision-making and action-taking factors regarding the adoption of blended learning in the universities of Bangladesh? Applying phenomenographic research methodology, 10 academics and management roles affiliated with one international university, three public universities, and two private universities are interviewed and the transcribed texts are analyzed. The identified factors are categorized into 1) institution type and governing system, 2) flexibility to circumvent the barriers: participation and power, 3) location of the university and diversity of the students’ profiles,
4) financial need of students and strategy to address the need, 5) technological knowledge and institutional technological resources, and 6) adoption of teaching and assessment methods.