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Education directors from Bangladesh hosted by UCL Arena Centre
20 April 2017
Two colleagues seeking to establish a network of Centres of Excellence in Teaching and Learning in Bangladesh universities were recently hosted by UCL Arena Centre for Research-based Education.
The visit by Professor Afroza Parvin, Khulna University and Professor Sabita Rahman, University of Dhaka, was funded by the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh and the British Council.
Having previously been a postdoctoral research fellow at The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, and well aware of UCL’s commitment to improving education, UCL was a natural choice for Professor Parvin when she was encouraged to forge links with UK higher education institutions.
Professor Parvin explained that the visit had two primary aims. Firstly, to learn about UCL Arena and explore how this could be customised for Bangladesh institutions - the two visitors are pioneering professional standards framework in learning and teaching across the country. Secondly, to apply for Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) - Professor Parvin and Professor Rahman attended a UCL Arena initial guidance session, which informed their applications.
Professor Parvin and Professor Rahman also showcased their work during a UCL Arena Exchange, attended by colleagues across UCL. UCL Senior Teaching Fellow Dr Teresa McConlogue said that the seminar “provided a rich picture of the educational leadership work that they have undertaken in their universities and nationally to raise standards of teaching and learning.”
Professor Parvin said that gaining formal recognition of their work through Senior Fellowship will achieve a shift in their influence, encouraging their colleagues and helping them to meet their primary objective of improving learning and teaching for the five hundred thousand students in Higher Education in Bangladesh. As a mark of their commitment to learning and teaching, Khulna University’s mission statement includes the objective that all alumni will have the opportunity to become Fellows.
The UCL Arena Centre is part of a consortium bidding for Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education Innovation and Reform funding, together with Southampton Solent University and Greenwich University and nine Bangladesh partners, including Khulna University and University of Dhaka.