Outcome-Based Living ELT Curriculum in Higher Education in Bangladesh

Abstract

The rapid development of information and communication technologies, as well as the impact of the pandemic, compelled ELT teachers and learners to adopt technology in many contexts, including Bangladesh. Curriculum developers have been forced to adapt their curriculum, syllabus and materials in alignment with the new skills as demanded by online teaching and as required in the present job market. This has led to the emergence of a dynamic curriculum. Such a dynamic curriculum would be emblematic of a living curriculum, which is learner-centred and enables learners to express the lived experience of contemporary society. In this chapter, we aimed to examine the relevance of an outcome-based living curriculum for the MA in ELT programme of two private universities in Bangladesh. Another objective was to focus on changes in the pre-pandemic curriculum due to the effects of COVID-19 and technology-based online education during the pandemic. Using the case-study approach, we investigated changes in the curriculum, syllabus and materials in two private universities in Bangladesh. Our results suggest that the programmes were successful to varying degrees in adapting their curriculum during the pandemic due to a number of contextual factors. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022, corrected publication 2023.