BRACU Express - Volume 5 Issue 1

Page 1

November, 2020

Volume V, Issue I

Fall XX

buX transforming online learning Irfan Akram Journalist In the initial stages of the pandemic, the abrupt shift to online learning posed various challenges for students all over the country. With the concept of regular online classes still foreign here, both students and teachers alike faced difficulties adapting to it. The challenges were augmented due to unstable internet connections in various parts of the country. To alleviate the difficulties of online learning, Brac University introduced ‘buX’ for its students in the subsequent semester - Summer 2020. buX is an online learning platform that is built on a similar world-class platform as edX, which was developed by MIT and Harvard. buX was built to address the issues faced by students during Spring 2020, with the aim to make online learning experience a bit more convenient for students, compared to regular online class sessions held through video conferencing platforms like Zoom. Through buX, faculty members are able to upload pre-recorded lecture videos divided into separate modules and segments, along with supplementary materials. The videos can then be availed by the students at their own preferred time and convenience. This provides a more feasible online learning experience for students with weak internet

connections. Furthermore, the option of availing materials at one’s own convenient time and not having to attend regular sessions has also been relatively less stressful for the students. For Amin Hannan (Senior, BBA), learning in buX has allowed him to spend more time on his business during daytime and catch up with his course materials at night. Leeyana Farheen (Senior, ECE), said, “buX allowed me to learn at my own pace by scheduling my courses more effectively, which has led to a better learning experience for me.” While many students believe buX is transforming online learning, some conversely expressed that learning via recorded materials on buX has drawbacks like reducing the two - way communication between the students and the teachers.

BRAC 1’s victorious run in Women’s Australs Imrul Chowdhury Tanzila Kaokab Journalists The Australasian Women’s Debating Championship (AWDC), also known as Wom*n’s Australs, that started on October 30th concluded recently on November 2nd. Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the tournament was held online this year, hosted by the Malaysian Institute for Debate and Public Speaking (MIDP). Over 60 teams participated in this tournament. Among them was BRAC 1, a team hailing from the BRAC University Debating Club (BUDC). BRAC 1 consisted of Aliya Fairuz ( Junior, BBS) and Nayara Noor ( Junior, MNS). This year, they ranked seventh among the overall breaking teams and ended their journey qualifying as the BRAC 1 consisiting of Aliya Fairuz & Nayara Noor Open Quarter Finalists. Moreover, Aliya became the seventh ESL (English as a Second Language) speaker, with Nayara winning her own accolades as the second ESL and seventh Open Speaker of the tournament. “I judged a few debates as preparation before the tournament,” spoke Nayara when asked about their preparation. “Judging really helps me understand the technicalities of debate a lot more and realise what judges expect out of debaters. I think that definitely helped,” she added. Watching debate videos for individual preparation as a debater was also something she stressed the importance of. BUDC has been participating in both national and international debate tournaments since its inception. Aliya Fairuz, the current President of BUDC, speaking on the future asked aspiring debaters to not worry too much about results but to focus on “giving good speeches at a time.” This achievement by Nayara and Aliya will surely encourage the current debaters of Brac University to participate in the future competitions.

The homepage of buX

It has been four months since the advent of buX, and the University authority is continuously working towards gathering feedback from students and making improvements to buX. It recently introduced an option to integrate google calendar so students can get notified of important dates like new assignment updates. Overall, the pandemic and online learning is here to stay, hence all parties involved must cooperate and work together towards making learning through buX more immersive and efficient.

Departments urge students to refrain from cheating Mohaimenul Solaiman Nicholas Journalist On October 21st, an email from University Proctor, Abdullah R. Chowdhury, was sent out to raise awareness about Brac University addressing cheating as a significant offence and its constant effort in protecting academic integrity. Following this, another email circulated on November 3rd by the BracU Registrar, reporting the news of seven students being expelled for cheating, with one final semester student being suspended for two years. The latter email further emphasised the three levels of online cheating offences, with level one being the most severe and level three being the least. Level one was reserved for “influencers, persuaders and group or server admins in group cheating.” Level two had “active participants in cheating” and finally level three consisted of “passive participants of group cheating.” Those that were expelled were guilty of level one offenses. The email also ended by quoting the Student Honour Code and requested its recipients to adhere to it. If anyone is reported for cheating, the authority promises to take serious action against them.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
BRACU Express - Volume 5 Issue 1 by BRACU Express - Issuu