Bridging the Divide: Assessing Digital Infrastructure for Higher Education Online Learning

TitleBridging the Divide: Assessing Digital Infrastructure for Higher Education Online Learning
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2024
AuthorsVishnu S., Tengli M.B, Ramadas S., Sathyan A.R, Bhatt A.
JournalTechTrends
Date Published09/2024
Type of ArticleResearch
KeywordsDeveloping Country, Digital Divide, Digital gap, Digitalization, Higher Education, IT Infrastructure
Abstract

Modern life and society are heavily reliant on technology. Technology has the potential to revolutionize educational access by transcending geographical barriers and catering to diverse learning needs, paving the way for equitable and inclusive education for all. Various studies have confirmed that use of technology tools in education would democratize access, personalize learning experiences, enhance engagement and promote learning opportunities. Background digital infrastructure is a critical enabler of educational technology tools. This study is such an attempt. It tries to systematically evaluate the digital infrastructure ecosystem, needed to advance technology in education. Specifically, the study tries to assess the status of digital infrastructure for online learning in higher education. We focused this study on India, which has the third largest higher education system in the world. A composite index was developed with the use of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to evaluate the IT infrastructure by relying on relevant secondary data. Based on this index score, digital infrastructure status of various States of the country was determined. Results suggested regional disparities in digital infrastructure and areas to focus to strengthen digitally enabled higher education. The study’s findings have implications for reducing the digital divide by improving digital infrastructure and designing policy interventions, particularly in developing countries.

URLhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11528-024-00997-4#citeas
DOI10.1007/s11528-024-00997-4
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