Browsing by Author "Ummaha Hazra"

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    GROUNDED THEORY IN ICT4D RESEARCH
    (North South University, 2020-06) Ummaha Hazra; Jashim Uddin Ahmed, PhD
    Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) has emerged as a separate research stream in its own right over the last three decades. However, a persistent concern in the f ield is whether ICT4D research is able to serve the very people whose lives get affected by it. This paper argues that most of the studies in ICT4D field are suffering from hegemony of the theoretical perspectives developed in very different contexts, often in developed countries. Researchers are not often immersed in the field either because of the limited exposure or for lack of understanding about how to interpret the cultural nuances in the least developed or the developing countries. The differences in philosophies of knowledge, language, cultural practices, social norms, power and politics all can affect how people accept and use different technologies and to what extent public policies are going to be successful. This study illuminates why grounded theory is a more suitable philosophical approach (ontological, epistemological, methodological, and axiological) for capturing the subtleties that may emerge in ICT4D research and successfully implementing the policy recommendations.
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    Understanding digital divide in online class experiences during Covid-19 lockdown in Bangladesh
    (North South University, 2021-06) Asad Karim Khan Priyo; Ummaha Hazra; Abdul Hannan Chowdhury
    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.