Exploring Connections Between Poverty, Global Access and the Digital Divide

by Vince Ruffolo and Mo Kassanga

Impact of Digital Learning on poverty and Digital Divide

How inequality and poverty affect people around the world. Digital learning has significant impact on both poverty and the digital divide, with various positive and negative implications. By Mo K.

Digital learning can be defined simply as: “learning that is supported by Technology.” Walker, Mark. (2024) Poverty is defined as the state or condition in which people or communities cannot meet a minimum standard of living because they lack the proper resources. These include (but are not limited to) financial resources, basic healthcare and education clean drinking water and infrastructure (poverty, n.d.)

Here are the notes associated with the understanding that has taken place on this topic:

• Some insight is given first on the meaning of the terminologies used in the topic title followed by the bulleted list of impacts with relevant explanations.
• Digital Learning encompasses a broad range of educational practices that utilizes digital technologies to facilitate learning. It includes various modes of delivery such as:
• Online Learning – A form of distance education where the primary delivery mechanism is via the internet.
• Blended Learning – This combines both online and face-to-face teaching.
• Hybrid Learning – Similar to blended learning, but often involves a more significant redesign of the learning experience. Students do the majority of their learning online, coming to campus only for specific face-to-face activities that cannot be done satisfactorily online.
• HyFlex Learning – This model gives student the choice of how they participate in the course, whether online or in-person, and allows them to switch between modes as needed.
• Open learning – This includes open educational resources (OER) like open text books, which are freely accessible and can be downloaded by students and instructors.
• MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) – These are fully open courses available online to any one, and often for free.
• Flexible learning – This approach provides student with more choices regarding when, where and how they learn.

Digital divide is a term that refers to the gap between demographics and regions that have access to modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and those that don’t or have restricted access. This technology can include the Telephone, television, personal computers and Internet connectivity. (digital-divide, n.d.)

Positive Impacts can be described as follows:

Increased access to education:

• Digital learning provides educational opportunities to individuals in remote or underserved areas where traditional educational infrastructure is lacking. This helps in bridging the educational gap between urban and rural areas.

• A developing country can draw on teachers with superior knowledge from advanced countries rather than local teachers who first have to learn the requisite skills before they can train others. Khan, H. & Williams, J. (2006).

Flexibility and Convenience:

• Digital learning offers flexibility, allowing students to learn at their own pace and on their own schedule. This can be particularly beneficial for working adults or those with family responsibilities.

Cost-effective education

• Digital learning reduces the cost associated with traditional education, such as transportation, housing, and physical text books. Open educational resources (OER) and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) provides free or low cost learning materials.

Skill Development:

• Digital learning platforms often offers courses in high demand skills, such as coding, digital marketing and data analysis, which improves employability and potentially lift individuals out of poverty.

Negative  Impacts can be described as follows:

Access Inequality:

• Not everyone has equal access to the necessary technology and internet connectivity required for digital learning. This is particularly true for low income families and those in rural or remote areas, exacerbating the digital divide.

Quality of Learning:

• The quality of digital learning can vary significantly. Student from Wealthier backgrounds may have access to better resources, such as high quality devices and faster internet, as well as more support from parents and tutors.

Digital Literacy:

• Effective participation in digital learning requires a certain level of digital literacy. Those who lack these skills, often from poorer backgrounds, may struggle to benefit fully from online education.

Support systems:

• Student from low income families may lack the necessary support systems at home, such as quite place to study or parental guidance, which can hinder their ability to succeed in a digital learning environment.

Mitigation Strategies can be exampled as follows:

Government and Institutional Support:

• Government and educational institutions can provide subsidies or loans for digital devices and internet access for low income families. They can also invest in public Wi-Fi hot spots and community centers with internet access.

Teacher Training:

• Training teachers to effectively use digital tools and platforms can improve the quality of Online education and ensure that all student receive a high standard of education.

Digital Literacy Programs

• Implementing digital literacy programs can help equip student and their families with the necessary skills to navigate and benefit from digital learning platforms.

Policy Interventions:

• Policies aimed at reducing poverty, such as improving economic opportunities and social services, can indirectly improve access to digital learning by addressing the root cause of the digital divide.

In conclusion, while digital learning has the potential to reduce educational inequalities and provide opportunities for those in poverty, it also risks exacerbating existing disparities if not carefully managed. Ensuring equitable access to technology and support systems is crucial for maximizing the benefit of digital learning for all.

Controlled Access: How China’s Internet Policies Shape Learning

How China’s Communist Party policies affect the digital learning landscape in China: Positive and Negative Points about China’s Online Infrastructure. By Vince R.

How China’s Policies Affect Student Learning and Education in China

The Chinese government has made efforts to build a nationwide digital learning system with abundant open resources to promote education equity. This initiative has been met with both positive and negative features when related to the learning quality for Chinese students. It is evident that a more constructive learning outcome is associated with better DLE equipment and network conditions, which positively affects learning performance in students. This also highlights evident negative features which denote that positive learning performance is linked to economic conditions.

Positive: The CPC has emphasized online education in the 19th National Congress report, which demonstrates major development. China has demonstrated that it is focused on building basic infrastructure for online education, which has been referred to as the implementation of the “Modern Distance Education Project.” Development of the National K-12 Education Resource Network.

Positive: When the iPhone was introduced in 2007 it greatly accelerated Internet access across China. It was this adoption of mobile Internet which led to a significant increase in online education; shifting it from a supplementary role to a key pillar of Chinese education.

Positive: The “Double Reduction” policy was brought in to reduce homework and significantly eliminate off-campus training burdens. Also included were measures to standardize and regulate online education.

Positive: China has gone through four stages in the development of online education policies, and the future of online education in China looks promising due to the existing polices and different measures to promote lifelong learning and education for all.

Negative: Despite the rapid development of online education, challenges remain. Some issues within the development of online education are the digital divide, supervision of the teaching process, and cooperation with the enterprise, which needs more comprehensive initiatives for further improvement.

Negative: Some of the concerns which are associated with the topic include “false propaganda” and “price gouging” by some institutions that offer education.

Positive: In the last few years, there is an increase in the use of online education in the rural areas.

The Online Learning Survey conducted by the Big Data Center of the Graduate School of Education, Peking University, showed that China’s policy was indeed supportive of digital education. It determined the following: The findings of the study revealed that family income, parents’ education level, and professional status influenced online learning among students in China.

Positive: During Covid 19 the Chinese Ministry of Education mandated a nationwide shift to online learning to maintain educational continuity during the pandemic.

Negative: 18.4% of students reported inadequate equipment. 37.3% faced network issues. 46.95% of high school students reported a decrease in overall learning scores.

Positive: Governments and schools provided free access to extensive online learning materials and platforms like Zoom and Tencent Classroom.

Negative: However, some challenges were observed during the implementation of the program, including network congestion, poor quality of hardware, and limited interactions between the teachers and students. As a result, students who had access to better resources at home were able to use online resources to their advantage, which could have further amplified the existing disparities in learning outcomes between students from different backgrounds.

Positive: Over 200 million students participated in online classes as part of the official curriculum from February to August 2020.

Negative: There was a significant positive relationship between student success and equipment and internet quality. The students from the low economic class experienced more challenges. These challenges affected the quality and efficiency of online teaching negatively. Furthermore, these problems revealed the existing digital divide in China, which did not disappear during the pandemic and affected the fairness of online learning.

It is evident that China’s Communist Party policies in the field of digital learning are diverse and can be observed in both positive and negative aspects. The government’s long-term commitment to the implementation of a comprehensive digital learning system has greatly enhanced educational equality and student inclusion throughout the country. Measures such as the “Modern Distance Education Project” and the “Double Reduction” policy show a clear willingness to build online education facilities, decrease homework pressure, and regulate online education.

There are positive aspects inherent in China’s digital initiative such as strengths of China’s web infrastructure which include the fast growth of primary infrastructure, the extensive utilization of a mobile web (after the advent of iPhone), and the large-scale application of online education in rural regions. Such advancements have made it possible to have a sound online education system. Moreover this is evident with the government’s preparedness during the COVID 19 outbreak where over 200 million students were taking their classes online and there was a wide range of free online learning resources available.

Nevertheless, these advancements come with significant challenges. The issue of digital divide persists, as the quality of equipment and the access to the internet differ, leading to the creation of different learning environments. Chinese family income and parents’ education level heavily determine the online learning experience of students, thus exacerbating the disparities in the education sector. Other challenges such as network congestion, lack of hardware, and limited face-to-face interaction between teachers and students also contribute to these problems.

Sources

Guo C, Wan B. The digital divide in online learning in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Technol Soc. 2022 Nov;71:102122. doi: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.102122. Epub 2022 Sep 13. PMID: 36118102; PMCID: PMC9468296. 

Jiang, Y., Shang, J., & Jiao, L. (2023). Review of China’s Online Education Policy, 1999–2022. ECNU Review of Education, 6(1), 155-182. https://doi.org/10.1177/20965311221099581

Walker, M.D. What is Digital Learning? In: Digital Learning. How modern technology is Changing education. Sicklebrook publishing, Sheffield U.K.,2024

Khan, Habibullah & Williams, Jeremy. (2006). Poverty Alleviation Through Access to Education: Can E-Learning Deliver?. SSRN Electronic Journal. 10.2139/ssrn.1606102.

Poverty. (n.d.). Investopedia. Retrieved May 25, 2024 from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/poverty.asp

 Digital-divide. (n.d.) techtarget. Retrieved May 25, 2024 from https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/digital-divide

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