Online Learning and Teaching Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Bangladeshi Students Receiving China’s Higher Education

Abstract

While facing the COVID-19 pandemic attack worldwide, international students are forced to turn to online instruction for academic study. Based on a longitudinal ethnography with a cohort of Bangladeshi students who study in English-medium degree program at software engineering, this study reveals a series of challenges confronting both Chinese teachers and Bangladeshi students for their online interactions. Data were collected through online classroom observation, semi-structured interviews, audio-recording and online interactions. From the perspective of Chinese teachers, they lacked of control on their students’ class participation given the poor network infrastructure in Bangladesh and the time gap between China and Bangladesh; in terms of Bangladeshi students, they felt frustrated in access to Chinese-mediated online teaching applications due to their insufficient Chinese proficiency; their inaccessibility to operate their subject learning also made the online learning tedious. Based on the findings, the study offers several suggestions to respond to teachers and students’ difficulties and challenges in online lessons and sheds some lights on improving online education.