Leave no-one behind: why digital inclusion matters
eCampusOntario and the Ontario Digital Service are accepting digital inclusion research grant applications until June 15.
In the almost twelve months that I’ve served as Special Advisor on technology-enhanced education to Deputy Minister Levy at the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development, I’ve had amazing opportunities to work with many excellent teams.
One of these teams is the Ontario Digital Service. Their mission: to design and deliver better digital services. For everyone. This, of course, comes with a set of head-scratching challenges alongside the occasional light bulb moment as we work to figure out what constitutes “better” and how better can best be delivered.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how we can “do digital better” in a number of contexts, in particular post secondary education. As a faculty member at Ryerson and former Director of eLearning, I often consider how we can serve our students better through technology. Do students need and want more online content and classes? How can we provide engaging learning opportunities using technology? What kinds of stumbling blocks do students — and faculty members — face, when trying to immerse digital content into face-to-face learning opportunities? What challenges related to access do all kinds of learners face when we engage them in digital learning opportunities? The answers to these questions are often surprising and always enlightening, but almost never obvious.
Students told me that they wanted more digital content that they could access whenever, and as often as, they needed, but, they also told me that they wanted high-quality, engaging and interactive digital content that was meaningfully tied to their classroom learning experiences. Most of all, they very much still wanted to preserve their face time with professors and colleagues.
Replacing the personal with the digital wasn’t always the right answer and had to be done for the right reasons. But when digital was the right answer, it had to be done well and with thoughtfulness. It also had to always be done in an inclusive way. With a classroom full of students with markedly diverse backgrounds, talents, challenges and needs, this meant paying careful attention to who might be either disadvantaged, or worse, left behind with a move to more technology-enhanced learning experiences.
We talk a great deal about young people being “digitally immersed” and “digital natives”. While it’s true that most of the students in my classrooms have never known a life before the Internet, a “let’s be digital by default” approach can leave many learners behind. For example, students who don’t have access to the Internet or to a device at home. Students in families who share a single computer or device among everyone. Those students you see working on the borrowed laptops in the university library are often not borrowing them out of mere convenience, but out of need. The students studying assigned readings and drafting essays on their tiny phone screen often aren’t doing it because they “prefer mobile”, it’s often their only accessible device.
So when I first sat down with the Digital team to discuss ideas of digital inclusion, I got very excited. While we were talking about digital inclusion across a variety of contexts, the kinds of guiding values we were talking about were the same.
· Use digital services for the right reasons and always thoughtfully.
· Think carefully about who might be disadvantaged or excluded.
· Put things in place to support both access to digital services and meaningful engagement.
When we consider the value of “digital inclusion”, we are talking about making sure people, groups or communities are not left behind — no matter who you are. Here are some more “facts” about digital inclusion. We know that it refers to ensuring that individuals, groups and communities — especially those that might be traditionally marginalized or excluded — can benefit from digital technologies in their lives. Digital inclusion is not just about access to all things “digital” but also about meaningful engagement with digital content, adoption of digital tools and technologies, and application of knowledge.
Digital exclusion, on the other hand — through lack of access to the Internet, or to the hardware, software, content, services or ability to engage in the digital space — can result in negative outcomes for individuals and communities. Digital exclusion also results in lack of access to important services, information and knowledge that people and communities can use for their benefit. We know, very broadly, about who might be traditionally digitally excluded and how we can enhance access for those groups and communities.
But do we know enough?
Head scratch. No, probably not.
We want to know more. So we’re excited to support new research on digital inclusion. Through our eCampus Ontario partners, a new funding call was announced — to support exploration into digital inclusion in Ontario. This fund will provide support for researchers who wish to explore digital inclusion and related areas of focus, such as inequities in access to the Internet and digital skills, practices of design which exclude groups or individuals, and explorations of the concrete ways in which people can benefit from the application of digital skills and access across sectors (e.g., healthcare, education, civic participation) as well as ways in which people may be put at risk as a result of lack of knowledge, or skills in digital technologies.
It will also support researchers and teams who want to explore the benefits and outcomes of digital inclusion and related interventions in Ontario, with outcomes that can be applied in a real-world context in communities.
We’re interested in learning about digital inclusion as it relates to three broad areas of focus: (access, adoption and application). Research proposals can be from across a variety of contexts, including education, health care, economic development, social inclusion, employment, civic engagement, and public safety. We also encourage collaborative research proposals, with team members not only from academic backgrounds, but also from a wide variety of community groups and grassroots organizations.
We’re always interested in doing new things, in taking action, and in taking steps to put new and exciting digital services in place.
That’s at the very heart of what the Ontario Digital Service does, every day. But we also always want to find the fine balance between engaging with theoretical approaches as outlined in the literature and the exciting real-world, hands-on approach to solving complex problems related to digital inclusion.
Partnering to support research is one way we’re working to find that balance. Ultimately, we see this as an exciting opportunity to explore how we can support Ontarians and our communities in using digital technologies to make lives better.
