Online classes for higher education in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic: a perception-based study

Purpose - The main purpose of this paper is to find out the perception of different respondents' groups related to the factors that influence the online learning for higher education in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach - A survey through a structured questionnaire was conducted to gather qualitative information from the 250 respondents (university students, faculty members and administrative officers) in Bangladesh. A questionnaire has been used for collecting primary data, which have been selected using the justification method under the non-probability sampling technique. Findings - The findings of this study indicated that majority of the respondents told that online classes could be more challenging than the traditional classroom because of the technological constraints, digital divide, insufficient data pack to access the material to attend the class, poor connectivity, lack of device, poor learning environment, technophobia, delayed response and incapability of the teacher to handle efficiently the material and communication machineries. Research limitations/implications - Due to time restriction and the COVID-19 pandemic, the study was constrained only to Dhaka region in Bangladesh. Practical implications - The outcomes of the work can be supportive to the governing bodies and proprietors of the higher schooling organizations who are forecasting to adopt online education as a consistent movement in the future. Originality/value - At last, based on outcomes, investigators have presented some recommendations that can be taken into consideration at policy level. The study would help universities to comply with the pressing need to impart experiential learning through online education during the COVID-19 pandemic.