Summer 2024 Residential Semester students undertaking 4 experiential activities

The Residential Semester of BRAC University has registered around 350 students in the ongoing Summer 2024 session who are actively engaged in four activities of experiential learning under Social Learning Lab (SLL).  Unique among private universities in Bangladesh, the Residential Semester is compulsory for undergraduate students, requiring them to conduct their studies while staying for around three months at the Savar residential campus.

The curriculum of this semester is designed to develop leadership and interpersonal skills, grow self-confidence on living away from families and build up responsible citizens.  As a part of this, the students are currently undertaking roles of the campus staff every Thursday, experiencing life from their point of view. Divided into four groups, they are taking on the task of cleaning the campus, cooking food, doing the laundry and gardening.

Supervisors or staff members brief the students on the tasks early in the morning and afterward, faculty members monitor the work, which have to be completed within a stipulated time. Most students have no prior experience of such tasks, let alone catering for large groups of people. So, the focus is on the effort and dedication that students put in to complete the tasks instead of perfection.

The experience, in turn, grows empathy among students, as they realize what the staff goes through to ensure that the campus functions properly while services are delivered in on time.