Understanding digital divide in online class experiences during Covid-19 lockdown in Bangladesh

Priyo, Asad Karim Khan and Hazra, Ummaha (2020): Understanding digital divide in online class experiences during Covid-19 lockdown in Bangladesh. Published in: North South Business Review , Vol. 11, No. 2 (2 June 2021): pp. 17-31.

Abstract

This paper explores students’ online class experiences during Covid-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. This has been an unprecedented situation and many educational institutions find it very difficult to balance the need to continue the courses with the uncertainties and mental stress faced by the students using digital platforms, mostly untested for in different contexts. To understand the online class experiences in a novel situation, we conduct an online survey of 204 top-tier private university students in Bangladesh. We find that students make logical choice between two types of online classes – live/ real-time and recorded video lectures. We observe income and gender based digital divide in how students engage with these online classes during a crisis. We find that recorded video lectures have the potential to reduce many of the problems students face during online classes by addressing digital divide to a large extent. We recommend instructors provide video recordings and other materials regularly even if they conduct live/ real-time online classes and consider novel yet empathetic approach towards learning.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Online class, Covid-19 pandemic, digital divide, recorded lecture
• Subjects: I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education and Research Institutions > I23 - Higher Education ; Research Institutions; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education and Research Institutions > I24 - Education and Inequality; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Innovation ; Research and Development ; Technological Change ; Intellectual Property Rights > O33 - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences ; Diffusion Processes

References

Alamgir, M. (2020). Online Classes Amid Shutdown: A distant reality, still for many, The Daily Star. Retrieved from https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news/online-classes-amid-shutdown-distant-reality-still-many-1900918

Anthony, J., & Padmanabhan, S. (2010). Digital Divide And Equity In Education: A Rawlsian Analysis. Journal of Information Technology Case and Application Research, 12(4), 37-62. doi: 10.1080/15228053.2010.10856195

Armenta, A., Serrano, A., Cabrera, M., & Conte, R. (2012). The new digital divide: the confluence of broadband penetration, sustainable development, technology adoption and community participation. Information Technology for Development, 18(4), 345-353. doi: 10.1080/02681102.2011.625925

Assar, S. d., Amrani, R. E., & Watson, R. T. (2010). ICT and education: A critical role in human and social development. Information Technology for Development, 16(3), 151-158. doi: 10.1080/02681102.2010.506051

Ayanso, A., Cho, D. I., & Lertwachara, K. (2014). Information and Communications Technology Development and the Digital Divide: A Global and Regional Assessment. Information Technology for Development, 20(1), 60-77.

Bala, S., & Singhal, P. (2018). Gender digital divide in India: a case of inter-regional analysis of Uttar Pradesh. Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 16(2), 173-192. doi: 10.1108/jices-07-2017-0046

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. (2019). Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2019: Survey Findings Report. Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Barzilai-Nahon, K. (2006). Gaps and Bits: Conceptualizing Measurements for Digital Divide/s. The Information Society, 22(5), 269-278. doi: 10.1080/01972240600903953

Batty, D., & Hall, R. (2020). No campus lectures and shut student bars: UK universities' £1bn struggle to move online. The Guardian Retrieved May 13, 2020, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/apr/25/degrees-of-separation-can-universities-adapt-in-the-rush-to-online-learning

Cartier, C., Castells, M., & Qui, J. L. (2005). The Information Have-Less: Inequality, Mobility, and Translocal Networks in Chinese Cities. Studies in Comparative International Development, 40(2), 9-34.

Cartney, P. (2013). Podcasting in an Age of Austerity: A Way of Both Enhancing Student Learning and Reducing Staffing Costs? The British Journal of Social Work, 43(3), 446-466.

Chapin, L. (2018). Australian university students’ access to web-based lecture recordings and the relationship with lecture attendance and academic performance. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 34(5), 1-12. doi: 10.14742/ajet.2989

Chen, W., & Wellman, B. (2004). The global digital divide - Within and between countries. IT and Society, 1(7), 18-25.

Chick, R. C., Clifton, G. T., Peace, K. M., Propper, B. W., Hale, D. F., Alseidi, A. A., & Vreeland, T. J. (2020). Using Technology to Maintain the Education of Residents During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Surgical Education. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2020.03.018

Corrocher, N., & Ordanini, A. (2002). Measuring the digital divide: A framework for the analysis of cross-country differences. Journal of Information Technology, 17(1), 9-19.

Cuervo, M. R. V., & Mene´ndez, A. J. L. (2006). A multivariate framework for the analysis of the digital divide: Evidence for the European Union-15. Information & Management, 43(6), 756-766.

Edwards, M. R., & Clinton, M. E. (2019). A study exploring the impact of lecture capture availability and lecture capture usage on student attendance and attainment. Higher Education, 77(3), 403-421. doi: 10.1007/s10734-018-0275-9

Elliott, C., & Neal, D. (2016). Evaluating the use of lecture capture using a revealed preference approach. Active Learning in Higher Education, 17(2), 153-167. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787416637463

Garcia, O. P. M. (2011). Gender Digital Divide: The Role of Mobile Phones among Latina Farm Workers in Southeast Ohio. Gender, Technology and Development, 15(1), 53-74. doi: 10.1177/097185241101500103

Gudmundsdottir, G. B. (2010). When does ICT support education in South Africa? The importance of teachers’ capabilities and the relevance of language. Information Technology for Development, 16(3), 174-190.

Guo, Y., & Chen, P. (2011). Digital Divide and Social Cleavage: Case Studies of ICT Usage among Peasants in Contemporary China. The China Quarterly, 507, 580-599. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S030574101100066X

Hafford-Letchfield, T. (2010). A Glimpse of the Truth: Evaluating ‘Debate’ and ‘Role Play’ as Pedagogical Tools for Learning about Sexuality Issues on a Law and Ethics Module. Social Work Education, 29(3), 244-258. doi: 10.1080/02615470902984655 International Telecommunication Union. (2020). Measuring the Information Society Report 2018 Retrieved May16, 2020, from https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/misr2018.aspx

James, J. (2004). Reconstruing the digital divide from the perspective of a large, poor, developing country. Journal of Information Technology, 19(3), 172-177.

James, J. (2007). From origins to implications: key aspects in the debate over the digital divide. Journal of Information Technology, 22(3), 284-295.

Joseph-Richard, P., Jessop, T., Okafor, G., Almpanis, T., & Price, D. (2018). Big brother or harbinger of best practice: Can lecture capture actually improve teaching? British Educational Research Journal, 44(3), 377-392. doi: 10.1002/berj.3336

Korupp, S. E., & Szydlik, M. (2005). Causes and Trends of the Digital Divide. European Sociological Review, 21(4), 409-422.

Kumar, A., Kumar, P., Palvia, S., & Verma, S. (2017). Online education worldwide: Current status and emerging trends. Journal of Information Technology Case and Application Research, 19, 1-7. doi: 10.1080/15228053.2017.1294867

Larkin, H. (2010). "But they won't come to lectures ..." The impact of audio recorded lectures on student experience and attendance. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(2), 238-249. doi: 10.14742/ajet.1093

Lederman, D. (2019). Why MOOCs didn't work, in 3 data points Retrieved May 19, 2020, from https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2019/01/16/study-offers-data-show-moocs-didnt-achieve-their-goals

Liu, C., & Wang, L. (2020). Not every line is connected equally: evidence from Deyang’s mobile users. Information Technology for Development, 26(1), 162-179. doi: 10.1080/02681102.2019.1610935

Lokuge Dona, K., Gregory, J., & Pechenkina, E. (2017). Lecture-recording technology in higher education: Exploring staff and students views across the disciplines. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 33(4), 122-133. doi: 10.14742/ajet.3068

McCunn, P., & Newton, G. (2015). Student perception of topic difficulty: Lecture capture in higher education. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2015(3), 252-262. doi: 10.14742/ajet.1681

Mubarak, F., Suomi, R., & Kantola, S.-P. (2020). Confirming the links between socio-economic variables and digitalization worldwide: the unsettled debate on digital divide. Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, ahead-of-print doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-02-2019-0021

Nordmann, E., Calder, C., Bishop, P., Irwin, A., & Comber, D. (2019). Turn up, tune in, don’t drop out: the relationship between lecture attendance, use of lecture recordings, and achievement at different levels of study. Higher Education, 77(6), 1065-1084. doi: 10.1007/s10734-018-0320-8

Ookla LLC. (2020). Tracking COVID-19’s Impact on Global Internet Performance Retrieved May 14, 2020, from https://www.speedtest.net/insights/blog/tracking-covid-19-impact-global-internet-performance/#/Bangladesh

Oster, E. (2020). COVID-19, Learning Loss and Inequality Retrieved September 29, 2020, 2020, from https://emilyoster.substack.com/p/covid-19-learning-loss-and-inequality

Palvia, S., Aeron, P., Gupta, P., Mahapatra, D., Parida, R., Rosner, R., & Sindhi, S. (2018). Online Education: Worldwide Status, Challenges, Trends, and Implications. Journal of Global Information Technology Management, 21(4), 233-241. doi: 10.1080/1097198x.2018.1542262

Pearce, K. E., & Rice, R. E. (2013). Digital divides from access to activitie: Comparing mobile and personal computer internet users. Journal of Communication, 63(4), 1-24. doi: 10.1111/jcom.12045

Pollack Ichou, R. (2018). Can MOOCs reduce global inequality in education? Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ), 26(2), 116-120. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ausmj.2018.05.007

Portulans Institute. (2019). he Network Readiness Index 2019:Towards a Future-Ready Society. In S. Dutta & B. Lunvin (Eds.). Washington D.C., USA.

Reich, J., & Ruipérez-Valiente, J. A. (2019). The MOOC pivot. Science, 363(6423), 130-131. doi: 10.1126/science.aav7958

Saunders, F. C., & Hutt, I. (2015). Enhancing large-class teaching: a systematic comparison of rich-media materials. Higher Education Research & Development, 34(6), 1233-1250. doi: 10.1080/07294360.2014.911261

Sein, M. K., & Furuholt, B. (2012). Intermediaries: bridges across the digital divide. Information Technology for Development, 18(4), 332-344. doi: 10.1080/02681102.2012.667754

Sims, J., Vidgen, R., & Powell, P. (2008). E-Learning and the Digital Divide: P erpetuating Cultural and Socio-Economic Elitism in Higher Education. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 22(4), 429-442. doi: 10.17705/1CAIS.02223

Tavani, H. T. (2003). Ethical reflections on the digital divide. Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 1(2), 99-108. doi: 10.1108/14779960380000230

Tewathia, N., Kamath, A., & Ilavarasan, P. V. (2020). Social inequalities, fundamental inequities, and recurring of the digital divide: Insights from India. Technology in Society, 61, 101251. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101251

The Daily Star. (2020). Coronavirus Scare: All educational institutions closed till March 31 Retrieved May 13, 2020, from https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/news/coronavirus-scare-all-educational-institutions-shut-till-march-31-1881658

Thomas, J. J., & Parayil, G. (2008). Bridging the Social and Digital Divides in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala: A Capabilities Approach. Development and Change, 39(3), 409-435. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7660.2008.00486.x

Tirado-Morueta, R., Aguaded-Gómez, J. I., & Hernando-Gómez, Á. (2018). The socio-demographic divide in Internet usage moderated by digital literacy support. Technology in Society, 55, 47-55. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2018.06.001

Tsang, N. M. (2011). Ethos of the Day—Challenges and Opportunities in Twenty-first Century Social Work Education. Social Work Education, 30(4), 367-380. doi: 10.1080/02615479.2010.501860

van Deursen, A., & van Dijk, J. (2010). Internet skills and the digital divide. New Media & Society, 13(6), 893-911. doi: 10.1177/1461444810386774

Wakefield, J. (2020). Universities' move online 'must be done the right way' Retrieved May 19, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52647601

World Bank. (2019, October 14, 2019). The World Bank in Bangladesh, from https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh/overview

World Bank. (2020). How countries are using edtech (including online learning, radio, television, texting) to support access to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic Retrieved May 12, 2020, from https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/edutech/brief/how-countries-are-using-edtech-to-support-remote-learning-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

World Economic Forum. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic has changed education forever. This is how Retrieved May 13, 2020, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-digital-learning/

Zhang, D., Zhou, L., Briggs, R. O., & Nunamaker, J. F. (2006). Instructional video in e-learning: Assessing the impact of interactive video on learning effectiveness. Information & Management, 43(1), 15-27. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2005.01.004

Zhang, W., Wang, Y., Yang, L., & Wang, C. (2020). Suspending Classes Without Stopping Learning: China’s Education Emergency Management Policy in the COVID-19 Outbreak. Journal of Risk and Financial Management 13(3).