Dr. Michael Gurstein of CCIRDT visits ULAB.

Dr. Michael Gurstein, Executive Director of the Centre for Community Informatics, Research, Development and Training (CCIRDT), visited the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) on March 10, 2010, accompanied by his wife and Shahid Uddin Akbar of the Bangladesh Institute of ICT in Development (BIID). 

ULAB Pro Vice Chancellor Imran Rahman, Communications Director Juditha Ohlmacher, Media Studies and Journalism Head Jude Genilo, Associate Prof. Anis Pervez and Senior Lecturer Marium Akther received Dr. Gurstein.

During the visit, the parties discussed the importance of community informatics and the use of ICTs for development as one of the research priority areas of the university. 

ULAB and BIID have signed on August 24, 2009 a memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the conduct of ICT for development research.  Dr. Gurstein, who is also the editor in chief of the Journal of Community Informatics, welcomed the collaboration.

ULAB faculty have published a book titled “WORD MAP”  by Tamnun E Mursalin, Arif Ul Alam and Siam Mosharraf Hossain. The book for the first time in Bangladesh has used a unique strategic approach to build vocabulary for readers, specially for GRE/SAT candidates preparing for higher studies in USA, Canada, etc.

The book is organized in such a manner that related words are grouped together using synonyms, antonyms, etymology and derivatives. The book introduces a totally new method of "mathematical expression of words" to show mutual relationship between the words using different symbols. Each word is also explained by sentences from world class literature and books of different disciplines making the journey through the book more easy-going, imaginative and less prosaic. It also contains Bangla meaning of the words to make them more easy to comprehend.

ULAB Students Assist Child Rights Campaign.

Media Studies and Journalism (MSJ) Department students will help for another semester the international non-government organization Save the Children Australia formulate its communication campaign plan on child rights.  The 14 students enrolled in the course “Development Communication and Media Advocacy” – facilitated by ULAB Faculty Marium Akther – are required to generate a public awareness plan (to include communication objectives, evaluation measurements, sender, message, channel and environmental strategies) together with prototypes of communication materials (such as posters, brochures, pamphlets, etc.). 

Save the Children will use the student works as inputs for their communication campaign plan aimed at increasing awareness in the government regarding the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child.  

To initiate the activity, Save the Children Project Manager, ORTOB  Mirja Mohammad Shahjamal delivered  a talk on child rights in general and on the UN charter in particular on March 08, 1:10 to 2:30 at the Seminar Room, Campus B.

On April 22, students will present their communication campaign plan to NGO representatives and to MSJ Head Jude Genilo.  The campaign plan and the prototypes of communication materials will be exhibited on April 25.  To show their appreciation, the NGO will give a certificate to students who have demonstrated outstanding work.
 
Save the Children is committed to child protection.  Its vision is of a world which respects and values each child, listens to children and learns, and where all children have hope and opportunity.  Its mission is to fight for children’s rights and to deliver immediate and lasting improvements to children’s lives worldwide.  ULAB’s MSJ course Development Communication “introduces students to the definition, theories and approaches of development communication.  It also looks at the types and techniques of development support communication, diffusion of innovation, and the role of communication in agriculture, health, environment and community development.  It places emphasis on public awareness campaign planning, which will be the final requirement of the course.”


 

ULAB Welcomes to Campus AMIC Community Radio Participants.

The Media Studies and Journalism (MSJ) Department welcomed to its campus on March 6, 2010 the participants of the Singapore-based Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) workshops on community radio.  During the activity, ULAB Pro Vice Chancellor Imran Rahman re-iterated ULAB’s commitment to be a Training Partner of AMIC on community radio in Bangladesh. 

To demonstrate its capability as a Training Partner, Communications Director Juditha Ohlmacher showed the participants the various campus facilities – media laboratory, screening room, computer laboratory, library, canteen, classrooms and gallery.  MSJ Department Head Jude Genilo, meanwhile, introduced the faculty and explained the department’s academic programs.  Aside from an orientation video about ULAB, participants viewed two video productions (one music video and one documentary about radio) undertaken by ULAB students.

The AMIC workshops on community radio were conducted in Dhaka by Dr. Kalinga Seneviratne and Mr. Louie Tabing from March 1 to 6, 2010.  The workshops – Feature Writing, Radio Station Management and Participatory Radio Production Strategies – were participated by media practitioners and non-government organization workers throughout the country. Three ULAB faculty – Marium Akther, Imtiaz Ahmed Chowdhury and Razibul Hossain – were among the participants. 

In June 2010, AMIC is expected to complete the curriculum for teaching “Participatory Communication and Community Radio.”  ULAB will be one of the AMIC training partners to implement this 15-week curriculum in Bangladesh.