Anir Chowdhury

1
e-Learning in Bangladesh Concept to Business
Case

• Anir Chowdhury
• Policy Advisor
• Access to Information Programme
• Chief Advisers Office

2
Education 21st Century Skills

• Basic knowledge
• Specialized knowledge
• Critical thinking problem solving
• Communication collaboration
• Entrepreneurship
• Technology and media literacy

Adapted from 21stcenturyskills.org
3
eLearning Defined

• general term used to refer to
  computer-enhanced learning
• Wikipedia
• any form of learning that utilizes a network
  for delivery, interaction, or facilitation (in a
  few years you might not even use the computer)
• elearners.com

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Benefits of eLearning

• Anytime, anywhere learning
• Access to most up-to-date material
• Cost-effective
• Self-assessment easier
• Fun for learner deviation from monotony of
  textbooks and classroom lectures
• Transition from teacher-centric to
  learner-centric
• Supportive to teacher for enhancement of
  facilitation skills
• Eases teachers transition from provider to
  facilitator
• Repetitive uses for better knowledge retention

5
Added Benefits for Developing Countries

• Reaching the unreached or hard to reach
• Best pedagogy and knowledge transfer not entirely
  dependent on the skill of a teacher/trainer
• Critical subject skills in Science, Math and
  English
• Better project-based learning possible
• Higher communication among learners provoked
• Overcoming the shortage of skilled trainers
• Teacher training
• Skills training for various professions
• Keeping education content relevant to market
  needs
• Leveraging ICTs to achieve the hitherto impossible

6
Clientele Bangladesh Overview

• Students
• Primary 1.6 crores
• Secondary 74 lacs
• Madrasha 35 lacs
• College 14 lacs
• University 2 lacs
• Technical-vocational 2 lacs
• Professional (medical, law, teacher, etc.) 1 lac
• Open University 4.3 lacs

• Non-students
• Awareness education (health, environment, human
  rights) 15 crores
• Literacy 6-8 crores (depending on source of
  information)
• Continuous Skills Training
• Professionals (medical, engineering, law,
  banking, microfinance, management, accounting,
  sales, telecom, etc.)
• Govt. officials
• Farmers, artisans, small business owners, etc.

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Leveraging Radio, TV, VCD/DVD

• Activity-based, student centered learning
• Locally available materials/games
• VCD version for non-broadcast areas
• Potential for battery operation

• Easily available and has wide coverage
• Affordable
• Not dependent on electricity

8
Leveraging Computers, Mobiles

• Group learning environment (25-30 students) with
  a single computer
• Interaction with computers
• Assessment
• Collaborative environment

• Mobiles
• Downloadable English lessons in China
• Classroom experience sharing in Patuakhali under
  TQI project

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eLearning Redefined for Bangladesh

• 21st Century Skills
• Basic knowledge
• Specialized knowledge
• Critical thinking problem solving
• Communication collaboration
• Entrepreneurship
• Technology and media literacy

• Acquire the 21st centuryskills by a blended
  modelwhich leverages ICTsthat are meaningfulin
  the evolving socio-cultural-political-technologic
  al context of Bangladesh
• Learning from elearning best practices (both
  development and developing countries) but not
  blind replication

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Where is the Business?

• Yesterday traditional
• Institutions
• Private schools
• Private universities, medical colleges, teachers
  training colleges, technical institutes
• Youth training centres run by NGOs and commercial
  initiatives
• Content
• Primarily notebooks
• Some books

• Today! blended
• Infrastructure
• Dedicated TV, radio programs and channels with
  phone-in facility
• Wired, wireless and mobile networks for learning
  institutions and home
• Transforming community centres into learning
  centres (e.g. telecentres)
• Affordable mobile devices
• Interactive distance learning using TV, radio,
  VCD/DVD, mobile and internet (and computers ?)
• Content
• Broadcast content for TV and radio
• Interactive content for mobile and computers

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Examples for Our Context

• Malaysia TV Pendidikan
• Ministry of Education owned
• Terrestrial broadcast 9am-5pm with the following
  topics Native Language, English, Math, Science,
  History, Geography, Technical and Vocational,
  Islamic Studies, Moral Studies, Civic and
  Nationality, Career and Counseling, Pupil
  Motivation, Pedagogy
• India Interactive Radio Instruction guiding
  teachers in classrooms
• China downloadable ring-tone like English
  lessons on mobile phones

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Examples for Our Context (2)

• China Teacher Training using TV
• Study Conclusion requires less investment,
  while yields quick returns especially in the
  impoverished, remote and minority areas
• Africa African Virtual University
• Internet-based university level courses for many
  African countries
• Many courses delivered from Western universities
• Bangladesh
• BTV and Channel-i Mati o Manush and Ridoye
  Mati o Manush
• Bangladesh Open University distance education
  for formal and vocational education
• FERI, BRAC and IED Secondary education on Math
  and Science
• D.Net agriculture, health and human rights
  education, non formal education
• Dhaka Ahsania Mission, Practical Action and
  several others non-formal education

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eLearning Barriers for Bangladesh

• Thinking inside the computer box
• Policy level understanding of the potentials of
  different ICTs for education
• Market awareness for content developers to
  develop education content in various ICTs
• Inappropriate instructional design for the
  various ICT medium
• Absence of relevant business models for content
  developers
• Lack of adequate hardware and connectivity

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Potential Markets Infrastructure
Networking Companies

• Wired, wireless and mobile networks for education
• Connected classrooms and labs
• Telecentres delivering educational content
• Facility for calling in to TV and radio programs
• Content sharing mechanism among developers and
  consumers
• Consumers can develop content as well

Hardware Companies
Mobile Phone Operators
Telecentre Operators
TV/Radio Stations
Various Training Institutes Govt Non-govt.
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Potential Markets Content
TV/Radio Production Houses
VCD, Computer, Internet, Mobile
TV, Radio with Phone-in Facility
Software Companies
Professional Skills Training
Animation Developers
Primary Education
Secondary Education
NGOs
Tertiary Education
Govt. Officers Training
Technical-Vocational Education
Various Training Institutes Govt Non-govt.
Literacy
Agro and Rural Skills Training
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Possible Next Steps

• Introduce of talk show style education programs
  on TV and radio with phone-in by teachers and
  students
• Develop pilots for
• Secondary education
• Teacher training
• Vocational-technical education
• Government officers pre-service and in-service
  training
• Professional training (medical, law, banking,
  etc.)
• Leverage existing content from free to low-cost
  national and international sources (customized in
  Bangla) specially for Math, Science and English

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Possible Next Steps (2)

• Conduct a formal feasibility study and
  recommendations on the use of TV/Radio/VCD/DVD/Mob
  ile phones/Computers in instruction delivery,
  teacher training and professional education in
  the CONTEXT OF BANGLADESH
• Encourage/mandate greater educational content
  development and delivery
• BTV (terrestrial coverage) and private channels
• Bangladesh Betar and private FM stations
• Mobile phone operators and mobile content
  companies
• Bangladesh Open University
• Private sector content developers
• Traditional learning institutions and telecentre
  operators for content dissemination

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• Thank you