Exploring Teaching Practices of the Agricultural Education at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU)

• Main Author: Kuri, Subrato Kumar
• Other Authors: Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education
• Format: Others
• Published: Virginia Tech 2021
• Subjects: Teaching Practices; Bangladesh Agricultural University; LOTSHOTS tool; Assessment
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/104075

The purpose of this study was to understand the teaching practices of the Agriculture Faculty at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU). This study is at the intersection of the critical assessment and examination of assumption and exploring options and plans stages of transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 2000) and the environment factor of Astin's I-E-O model. Previous studies showed that tertiary education of Bangladesh fails to develop critical thinking abilities among the students. Higher order teaching practices help to develop critical thinking abilities among the students. Thus, it is important to explore the level of teaching practices at the Agriculture Faculty of BAU to understand how it supports critical thinking abilities among the students. Graduates being able to use critical thinking skills to solve agricultural issues will increase total food production and reduce national poverty. This study was an instrumental single case study. Faculty of Agriculture of BAU was the unit of analysis for this study. The findings of this study were only generalizable to the Agriculture Faculty at BAU and only relevant for Summer 2020. The phenomenon of this study was teaching practices at the Agriculture Faculty of BAU. Data sources included a census survey of active faculty members and content analysis of course syllabi. Findings from this study suggested that both teaching methods and course learning outcomes of the courses of the Agriculture Faculty at BAU were related the lower order of Revised Bloom's Taxonomy (RevBT). Moreover, faculty members from biological science and engineering used more teaching practices from evaluating level of RevBT than social science disciplines. Evaluating level is considered as higher level of RevBT. Male faculty members also used more teaching practices related to analyzing level than female faculty members. Analyzing level is also considered as higher level of RevBT. Faculty members identified that they have lack of training, standard teaching resources to use higher order teaching practices. Moreover, they also said that students of the Agriculture Faculty at BAU are more interested in job preparation than classroom education. However, faculty members also felt that higher order teaching practices can improve the creativity and critical thinking abilities for students and brings enthusiasms in teaching. Faculty members recommended that BAU revise its curriculum, syllabi, and assessment strategies to create higher order teaching practices in classrooms. As a result of this study, there is opportunity for faculty to increase their use of higher order teaching practices and develop course outcomes that support higher order learning. In addition, the university should revise their existing curricula and assessment techniques and give more freedom to the faculty members to choose their teaching and assessment methods. Finally, training should be organized to support higher order teaching by female faculty members. === Doctor of Philosophy === The purpose of this case study was to understand the teaching practices of the Agriculture Faculty at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU). Conceptually, this study was coupled up with transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 2000) and the Astin's I-E-O model. The unit of analysis of this study was the educational environment provided by Agriculture faculty of BAU that offers a single under-graduate degree program called B.Sc. Ag. (Hons.). A structured survey questionnaire was used to collect data from the faculty members of the Agriculture Faculty of BAU based on Revised Bloom's Taxonomy (RevBT). Additionally, all course syllabi were analyzed to identify the level of intended teaching practices based on RevBT. RevBT is the benchmark standard to evaluate the cognitive orders of the teaching-learning process, curriculum planning, instruction, and test tasks. Findings from this study suggested that faculty members slightly more preferred teaching practices from the lower levels of RevBT for the classroom teaching at BAU. Findings also suggested that teaching practices connected to the higher cognitive levels of RevBT were significantly varied based on academic disciplines and gender of the faculty members. Faculty members mentioned that lack of students' interest in classroom lessons, the rigid curricula and existing examination system of BAU, large numbers of students in classes, and lack of training of the faculty members are the main limiting factors for them to use higher order teaching practices in classrooms. However, faculty members also wanted to use the higher order teaching practices in classrooms as higher order teaching practices enhances students' creativity, problem solving skills, and critical thinking skills. Faculty members suggested to update course curricula, syllabi, and the exam system to support higher-order teaching practices at BAU. Findings from the course syllabi analysis supported that most of the action verbs of course learning outcomes of the course syllabi were connected to the lower cognitive levels of RevBT. As a result of this study, there is opportunity for faculty to increase their use of higher order teaching practices and develop courses that support higher order learning. In addition, the university should revise their existing curricula and assessment techniques and give more freedom to the faculty members to choose their teaching and assessment methods. Finally, training should be organized to support higher order teaching by female faculty members.