How to Guide: Virtual Classrooms

We conducted research on the impact of a European Union-funded pilot digital survey conducted in Bangladesh between 2012 and 2017. As a core component of our project, we then invited key local stakeholders involved in both the project and the research to “take over” relevant classes being taught by faculty at Dublin City University (DCU) and Wageningen University and Research (WUR), this process being co-ordinated by the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB). After a brief introduction by the project co-ordinator, these local stakeholders in the project would deliver a presentation that they themselves thought was important, and which still met respective course instructor teaching outcomes. There was then scope for a question and answer section with students. The process brought rarely heard voices and perspectives into such classes, and students had an opportunity to directly interact with stakeholders involved in issues studied in the classroom at first hand.  

These courses were both bachelors’ and masters’ level and included development studies, the politics of climate change and also European Union studies, in order to promote the cross-fertilisation of our project’s findings across different relevant subjects. Development studies students learned more about European Union policy and practice, and students focusing on the European Union gained greater insights into development issues. Broadly the classes were a success, with both students and faculty responding positively in systematic opinion surveys conducted immediately afterwards (please see our full report on the subject for details.) This guide is designed to highlight what made this possible, the key prerequisites that were necessary to ensure success, as well as lessons learned and how we would approach a virtual classrooms project if we were to repeat the exercise.

How to Guide: Virtual Classrooms