This article addresses the challenges and effectiveness of implementing Eclectic Method in Language Teaching at higher secondary level in the rural context of Bangladesh. This paper adopts a qualitative approach, and six rural colleges are selected to conduct the research. These institutions are located in Chittagong District, Bangladesh. Ten English teachers were interviewed face-to-face to collect data about the challenges they have faced and the effectiveness they observed in applying Eclectic Approach in their colleges. The findings show the applicability of Eclectic Approach in several ways that include flexibility in teaching, variety in adapting language teaching aspects, allowing new ideas, dynamic classroom facilities, enhancing teachers’ and students’ respect for cross-culture and multi-lingual classroom. The findings indicate some hurdles in teaching English that include lack of trained teachers, improper text books, teachers’ insufficient knowledge, rigid mentality of the rural teachers, insufficient infrastructural facilities, and taking pride in mother-language etc. This research may help the policy makers of language and curriculum design in developing effective strategies for Eclectic practices in rural Bangladesh. IIUC Studies Vol.17, December 2020: 73-86

The purpose of this paper is to discuss comparatively Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and Waliullah’s Tree Without Roots to address the social and religious challenges behind the psychology of a man. Dimmesdale and Majeed are not hypocritical. Nathaniel Hawthorne is an important American novelist from the 19th century, while Syed Waliullah is a famous South Asian novelist from the 20th century. Despite being the authors of two different nations, there is a conformity between them in presenting the vulnerability of Dimmesdale and Majeed in their novels. Whether a religious practice or not, a faithful religion is a matter of a set conviction or a force of omnipotence. If a man of any class in an unfixed socio-religious environment finds that he is unable to survive financially or to fulfill his latent propensity, he subtly plays with that fixed belief. In The Scarlet Letter, the Puritan Church minister, Arthur Dimmesdale cannot publicly confess that he is also a co-sinner of Hester’s adultery in Salem. In Tree Without Roots, Majeed knows that the ‘Mazar of Saint Shah Sadeque’ is a lie to the ignorant people of Mahabbatpur. There is also a similarity, however, between Dimmesdale and Majeed. They understand the cruelty of man-made, unsettled social and religious verdicts against a man’s emotional and physical needs. So, despite suffering from inner torment against goodness and evil, they are not willing to reveal their truth of wrongdoing in public action to save their status as well to survive.

This paper attempts to bring out the nineteenth century's women’s quest for self-respect and self-actuality in the mirror of Nora’s developing consciousness following Marianne’s growing sensibility.  Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, and Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House are two prominent genres of ninetieth century’s English literature where both writers show the contemporary women’s soul being entangled to social norms as well as their gradual try to be non-conformist against these norms by their thought and action. In the 19th century, English society creates impediments for unmarried women like Marianne and married women like Nora to think and to talk in their way.  It is the patriarchal society where women’s social dignity and security depend on their marital status and husbands. Since marriage is their identity, they show their loyalty and sincerity to their husbands or the men they love. In Austen’s novel, as an ordinary woman, Marianne takes Willoughby’s attention as a scared bonding and challenges the seniors’ matured advice. In Ibsen’s play, Nora does forgery and secretly takes a loan to save her sick husband’s life. She considers it a spouse’s duty and believes that her husband will understand her as he cares for her. When the time comes, both Marianne and Nora betray their loyalty from their partners to whom they are not human beings but puppets to be entertained. From this violation of trust, they realize that they need to be considered human beings first before being respected women in a family and society. It is their strength that despite being taken as soulless creatures, they dare to think about own self beyond the society and become self-reliant. Their growing self-reliance makes today’s women progressive in creating a space in society and family for themselves as human beings.

In contrast to the product approach to writing, the process approach entails planning, drafting editing and revising stages. Blog an online platform for practicing process approach has long been used by EFL teachers to develop their students' writing skill. But in Bangladeshi rural higher education context, its efficacy is yet to be investigated. Hence, the aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of using blogs to enhance student writing skills at tertiary level at a private university located in a rural area of Bangladesh. It focuses on the advantages of incorporating blogs as a virtual writing platform for teaching writing to a group of students used to the traditional product approach. Research participants were 98 undergraduate level students of third semester in the Department of English at a private university in Bangladesh. The research method is mixed based on primary and secondary data. Online survey was conducted on 98 participants and the test scores of 25 samples were seen through random sampling techniques. The primary numerical data were analyzed through the Google form and the secondary data were manually analyzed. We found students' attitude to writing in blogs more positive in comparison with the traditional way of writing. Students felt writing in blogs to be more effective and motivating due to its continuous interactive feedback and correction and editing facilities. The test score also indicates gradual development of writing skill. It indicates that in spite of being a new platform to the participants, it can be effective to develop the rural students' writing skill.

<div><p class="abstract">This paper reviews the theoretical foundations and components of blended learning (BL) in higher education globally, analyzing six articles from five countries published between January 2016 and December 2020. The study identified challenges faced by instructors, including workload, timeliness, and lack of academic and technical skills to manage BL. Balancing face-to-face and online learning was also challenging. To address these issues, the importance of staff training, support, and networking was emphasized, proposing a modified BL model for tertiary education in Bangladesh, which could be implemented post-pandemic using a machine-learning approach. The mixed BL model was recommended for Bangladeshi institutions, utilizing machine learning algorithms to facilitate outcome-based learning through technological applications. A preliminary survey of 120 students from BGC Trust University in Bangladesh was conducted using statistical data obtained from machine learning algorithms to explore the applicability of the mixed-learning approach. Machine learning proved beneficial for data analysis, drawing valuable insights for educators and policymakers seeking effective teaching strategies that incorporate technology. This research underscores the potential of machine learning in conducting surveys and analyzing data related to blended learning in tertiary education, offering significant contributions to the field.</p></div>