BRAC University always prioritizes the needs and benefits of the students with a goal to provide quality education. As the pandemic reigns over, classes are being conducted online through buX, BRAC University’s personal online learning platform. Every semester BRAC University tries to provide quality education to many students. As online learning is new to everyone, BRAC University alongside BRAC University Computer Club(BUCC), provides a  brief  FAQ to clarify various problems that incoming freshers may face.

Freshers’ Corner: 

1. I don’t have a g suite email: 

You need a g-suite account that is similar to Gmail and provided to you from Brac University (takes 1-2 days after registration).  You will use this g-suite email everywhere. For example, contact with faculty members, register into the online education platform of Brac University, etc. To find direction on how you will get a g-suite account for yourself if you don’t have one, visit the following link:  G-suite Account Opening (Website notice link)

2. To register on the online learning platform, buX, please follow the instructions of  this  link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mm4-CBBfs7Od38WxrJhr0XOs2Pd9E4zEFPOzAW_u1tc/edit?usp=sharing

3. Can’t Register in buX

Did you check if your username is already taken? If not taken, you need your G-Suite account to register if it’s showing an error. For getting this email, mail to  gsuite-help@g.bracu.ac.bd

4. Don’t see any courses in buX

You need to enrol first to see the courses. USIS is not connected with buX.

5.  Enrollment links in BuX: (Enroll into those courses, that you can see in your USIS account)

 CSE110: https://bux.bracu.ac.bd/courses/course-v1:buX+CSE110+2021_Summer/about 

 MAT092: https://bux.bracu.ac.bd/courses/course-v1:buX+MAT092+2021_Summer/about 

 ENG091: https://bux.bracu.ac.bd/courses/course-v1:buX+ENG091+2021_Summer/about 

 ENG101: https://bux.bracu.ac.bd/courses/course-v1:buX+ENG101+2021_Summer/about 

 ENG102: https://bux.bracu.ac.bd/courses/course-v1:buX+ENG102_BIL+2021_Summer/about 

 PHY111: https://bux.bracu.ac.bd/courses/course-v1:buX+PHY111+2021_Summer/about 

 MAT110:  https://bux.bracu.ac.bd/courses/course-v1:buX+MAT110+2021_Summer/about 

6.  If you don’t get any updates regarding your course email the course coordinator of the respective course. The email address of course coordinators are as follows:

1.  CSE110: tawhid.anwar@bracu.ac.bd 
2.  MAT092: zunayed.kamal@bracu.ac.bd 
3.  ENG091: nzafar@bracu.ac.bd , yusha.alam@bracu.ac.bd 
4.  ENG101: pankajpaul@bracu.ac.bd , m.rashid@bracu.ac.bd 
5.  ENG102: evita@bracu.ac.bd , lreshmin@bracu.ac.bd 
6.  PHY111:  f.haque@bracu.ac.bd 
7.  MAT110:  sadat.husain@bracu.ac.bd 

7.  How do I complete my payment procedure?

There are multiple payment options made available by BracU. See the following link: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/488890827974884/permalink/1521810804682876/

8.  How do I get to join the live class? The class is starting next week.

The respective faculty is responsible to contact you, if they don’t, mail the faculty/course coordinator.

9. No reply from accounts/Bracu info

They are processing thousands of emails every day. Please have patience. If you do not receive it within several days, you may wish to ask about the status over the email.

10. How do I change my USIS email address or phone number?

Email  usis-help@bracu.ac.bd  with your Student ID and details to change your email address or phone number.

11. What is the last date of payment/drop a course?

Visit this link for all important dates: https://www.bracu.ac.bd/news-events/academic-dates

1. For Finance and Accounts Related issues students can contact the following person
2. subrota@bracu.ac.bd
3. romit.rahman@bracu.ac.bd
4. see the following link for your  reference: https://www.bracu.ac.bd/news-events/academic-dates

12. I want to know about scholarships/financial aid provided by the University.

Please visit this link for details on scholarships/financial aid: https://www.bracu.ac.bd/admissions/undergraduate-programs/scholarships-and-financial-aid

13. I have some issues not mentioned here / I need some information but don’t know whom to ask.  What should I do?

 Contact DCO (Departmental Coordinator)

(G. M. Zilani) at gm.zilani@bracu.ac.bd, 

(Md. Anis Sharif) at anis.sharif@bracu.ac.bd, 

(Md. Rezwanur Rahman) at rezwanur.rahman@bracu.ac.bd 

14. Why have I been advised to  2 non-credit courses/ 1 non-credit course + 2 credit courses / 4 credit courses?

Watch this video: https://youtu.be/8_dFyDAwfxE?t=1529

15. My name is not on the FYAT student list. What should I do?

Please email fazle.haider@bracu.ac.bd and he will let you know. He is the FYAT advisor.

16. I couldn’t attend the orientation program. What should I do now?

The record of the orientation is available at the following link. Just watch the video provided on this web page: https://sites.google.com/g.bracu.ac.bd/bracu-cse-student-info/advising-information/freshers-corner

17.  If you are having issues with your course registration, email any of the following persons (Mention your student ID/Applicants ID in the email): 

1. Saadat Hasan Khan, Lecturer, CSE Department: ext.cse.5@bracu.ac.bd 
2. Mahjabeen Tamanna Abed, Lecturer, CSE Department: est.cse.22@bracu.ac.bd 
3. Tanvir Rahman, Lecturer, CSE Department: tanvir.rahman@bracu.ac.bd 
4. Faisal Bin Ashraf, Lecturer, CSE Department: faisal.ashraf@bracu.ac.bd 

Platform Related Questions: 

18. I have an issue that is not discussed in the FAQs and I want to report it.
    Submit a support ticket here: (click me)
19. I don’t know how to use buX. What should I do?
    Visit the following link on how to use the buX website. How to use manual
    
20. I signed up with the wrong username. What should I do?
    Usernames cannot be changed at the moment.
    
21. I signed up with the wrong email ID. What should I do?
    Please log in to your buX account. Then visit the following link to change your email ID. Account Settings
    
22. I signed up with my Gmail ID/personal email address. Is this a problem?
    It’s indeed a problem. Due to security reasons and to verify student authenticity, it’s mandatory to use your G-Suite email ID. To change your email address, log in to your buX account. Then change your email ID by visiting this link Account settings .
    
23. I cannot enroll in my course. It says the enrollment is closed
    Please contact your respective faculty and ask them to fix their enrollment dates or ask them to enroll you to the course.
    
24. I cannot view certain units/materials/videos/pdf/etc.on my course.
    Please use a supported browser to be able to access all the materials properly. The best browser to use for this platform is Google Chrome and Firefox. The platform is also compatible with Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, and Safari.
25. My course does not show up on buX.
    This is probably a glitch.  You can insert the course code into the URL below to reach your course: simply *replace ‘CSE110’ with your course’s code. https://bux.bracu.ac.bd/courses/course-v1:buX+CSE110+2021_Summer/about
    
26. I did not receive anything after clicking “Forgot Password.”
    Did you check your spam folder? Sometimes it takes a little bit of time. Did you enter the correct email? It’s very common to make a typo when inserting your email.

Assessment Related Questions: 

27. How will midterm exams be conducted?
    It is up to the course teachers how they will design their midterm exams.  However, all midterms will be designed so that students with poor interconnectivity will be able successfully to complete the exam.  In courses with many sections, the midterms maybe like a traditional midterm, but taken online. In these cases, numerical answers, and short answer-type questions may be emphasized.  This is to prevent the need for students to submit pictures or long calculations.  The time duration of such exams will be longer than for traditional exams. For example, for a 90-minute midterm, in some courses, students may be given a 4 or 6-hour window in which the exam can be started and finished.  You will not need to have continuous internet service during the exam.  This will be more like filling a Google Form.  You will receive a question paper. Then within the next 4 hours, you will be required to submit your answers.  

In smaller courses, exams may be more like vivas.  In other courses, exams may be more like take-home exams, which are like assignments that have to be completed within say, the next 24 hours. 

It would be natural to expect that courses with large numbers of sections to have exams that are more traditional. Such courses are ECO101, MAT110, etc…  It may be more natural for advanced courses, such as 400 level courses to have more assignment-type exams.  This is particularly true for courses with only 1 section.

28. Will the grading policy be the same as summer 2021?

The University will follow standard grading policy for Summer 2021.

29. Can I cheat on an online exam?
    We rely on your honesty.  However, in order to prevent honest students from being penalized for not cheating, we will devote significant effort to detect cheating.  Any student who is suspected of cheating may be asked to sit for a viva.  A few students in every exam will be randomly selected and asked to appear for a viva in which they will have to explain the reasoning of their midterm/final exam answers.  Students who cannot explain their logical reasoning during the viva will be subject to disciplinary action, which will include automatic failure of the course and even expulsion from the university.
    
30. What happens if I am accused of cheating by course faculty?
    In cases where the evidence is circumstantial, such as the student cannot reproduce the answers/logic of most of their exam answers during a viva after the exam, automatic course failure may occur.  In cases where the evidence is stronger, expulsion from the university may occur.
    
31. Who will grade the midterms and final exams? 
    In multi-section courses, the teaching will be done jointly. This means that the section a student belongs to is largely irrelevant.  The exams will be made jointly by ALL the section teachers.  Every section, apart from a few exceptional cases, will have the same midterm and final exams.  

In large multi-section courses, the exam’s answers may be numerical values or short answers.  These exams will be very easy to grade and not subject to the graders’ prejudices.  

In other courses, where the exams are more assignment style, a marking scheme will be created. The marking scheme will explain in detail what is required to get for example full marks, what is required to get 1 mark, 2 marks, etc…

Navigating buX Related Questions: 

32. How can I learn more about what the course is about?

Read the “About” section of the course page to learn more about the motivation, goals, and course content.

33. What are the basic components of buX courses?

Each course is prerecorded and managed by the instructor(s). The basic components of the courses include lecture videos, course texts, notes, and slides.  Problem-solving and example classes and overviews of the lectures in Bangla are also crucial parts of each buX course, particularly courses with multiple sections.  In addition, there will be assignments and projects in some courses.  

34. What is my dashboard?

Your dashboard is the screen that you see after you log in to buX. It shows what courses you are enrolled in, and the course starts and ends dates.

35. How do I search for courses?

Click on “buX Courses” at the top of the page.  Use the search bar to search for your courses.  You may search by course number or course name or department.  To enroll in a course, click on the “Enroll” button. 

36. How do I enroll in a course?

To enrol in a course, click on the “Enroll” button. 

37. How do I communicate with my course teacher? 

The contact details that course faculty will use this semester, such as  Discord, Messenger or Facebook or Twitter or Slack, or Piazza will eventually be posted on the buX webpages of each course.  If the information is not posted there yet, contact your instructor. 

Online Teaching Policy Related Questions: 

38. What is team teaching? 

For example, in CSE111 there are 16 sections.  Normally each section would teach the course independently of the other section teachers.  This semester we are implementing team teaching. This means the section teachers for all 16 sections will work together to produce ONE set of video lectures, ONE set of homework assignments, ONE set of example/problem-solving classes, ONE set of quizzes, ONE set of overviews in Bangla, and ONE midterm and ONE final exam. Team teaching is being implemented in all large multi-section courses.  

39. Do I need to watch the lectures live?

No, you can watch the lectures anytime you want. The philosophy of buX is “learn anytime and anywhere.”  All content is pre-recorded and uploaded on buX. 

40. If the courses are pre-recorded, why attend the live classes? 

Live classes will keep you engaged with the material. You can ask questions and benefit from the experience of scholars.  Attending live classes will also help prevent you from falling behind.  It is too easy to procrastinate and defer watching classes when there is no interaction with the instructor.   

41. What about attendance?

Attendance is not mandatory for live classes.  

42. How will assignments be submitted? 

Your instructor will provide instructions.

43. Will the labs be conducted?

Integrated labs will still take place online.  Course teachers will explain how and when the labs will take place. 

44. What about the courses that are totally dependent on labs if the labs do get canceled?

These will be fused with the theory contents.

45. How will the hardware labs be conducted?

There are lots of simulators available. Ask the respective faculties about them.

46. How will the classes be conducted?

Classes will take place on  “buX.” It is similar to Coursera, Udemy, edX, etc. The classes are segmented into 15-minute chunks. There will be quizzes or discussions between the video segments.  Supplementary resources such as problem-solving classes and Bangla language overviews will also be placed on buX. 

47. Will each faculty record their own lecture?

All the faculties taking a course are working together as a team to make the content of that certain course rather than going solo. Hence, irrespective of what section you take, the course will have a single stream of videos.

48. Who will be giving the lecture then?

The course team in each course will deliver the lectures. It may be a single person or multiple people. The content will be prepared by the whole team; not by a single person.

About buX Related Questions: 

49. Who built the platform?

buX was developed and is managed by the Online Learning Team at Brac University. The Online Learning Team is led by the School of Data & Sciences. It is built on scalable servers making the likelihood of system crashes low.  buX is a work in progress and is still being built.

50. Is BracU creating the content or is it just combining/fetching courses from other websites?

Almost all buX courses are being built from scratch. In some cases content is pulled from other sources, but will be replaced by content that takes into account a Bangladeshi and BracU context.

51. Will the quality of online courses be worse than physical classes?

Nothing can replace the in class interaction with dedicated and highly capable teachers.  However, many students prefer classes in which the lectures are very tightly made and don’t stray off topic, which are highly structured, and in which the lectures are broken up into bite size pieces that can be rewatched multiple times.  For such students, buX may be a very rewarding experience.  

52. I don’t like online classes, should I drop the semester and start when classes become in-person? 

buX and online learning will remain a fundamental part of all classes even when in-person classes resume.  Thus, dropping classes to avoid the online experience may not be a good decision.

53. Will there be any live classes apart from the recorded lectures?

Class times will be used as discussion sessions and question and answer sessions. Attending live classes is not mandatory and anything covered only in the online classes is not examinable.  These live classes will be recorded and uploaded to bUX. 

54. Important Tutorials and Links:

Go through the  link to the recorded orientation (Summer’21) session: 

1. Batch 1 (2.30 PM) : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d8cVvtjnhCbS9ORikTLFRY4jGr681Ps2/view
2. Batch 2 (4.00 PM) : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cmJytbhq_WD1EAlLlNrI__Wsoqp6T3YH/view
3. BRAC University uses its online platform “buX” to conduct academic activities.  To check the tutorials and guidelines on how to use buX  visit the following link: BuX Tutorials and Guidelines
4. Student Assistance Fund information for Summer 2021: Website Notice

These tutorials will help you in the next semesters when you have to do the advising(add/drop courses) on your own.

1. Google Site for Students: https://sites.google.com/g.bracu.ac.bd/bracu-cse-student-info/home
2. University Student Information System  explanation video:  https://youtu.be/ruKW0_zKnH8
3. Step by Step guideline to do Pre-Advising: https://youtu.be/SKzXkKReWh4
4. Student Advising Dashboard: 2021 Summer CSE Undergraduate Registration Student Dashboard
5. Tutorials on Advising and Discord: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W9xTLZe78Vcqf5LO7iEqtmgQ8gISC2uF1qcRTRhQnPU/edit?usp=sharing