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While the pandemic caused educational institutions worldwide to reassess their use of technology to extend access to more students, our new reality includes many students who are being left behind. These are the students living in learning deserts—areas where there is limited access to education opportunities.
This limited access can be caused by distance from schools, lack of access to technology or edtech tools, or lack of infrastructure, including unreliable Wi-Fi connections. And I believe it’s the most pressing obstacle to an educational system that’s truly accessible to everyone.
While this is a massive challenge, I’m optimistic about the future. However, reducing and ultimately eliminating learning deserts will mean that all of these groups will need to work together: educators, institutions, parents, businesses, the edtech industry, etc.
According to my company’s report, access to technology has the greatest impact on student success and engagement, but many students still struggle with the accessibility gap. One-quarter (27%) of students and educators surveyed believe they live in a learning desert.
Growing up in a learning desert can have devastating consequences, such as continuing the cycle of poverty. A student I met used to drive 90 minutes each way just to get internet access. This was the only way to get assignments, research topics, take tests and more. In addition to academic costs, added transportation costs, study time and time missed driving, this student was at a disadvantage compared to her classmates. Having regular access to these resources could have changed her life.
I think removing barriers to higher education opportunities is the best way to help people avoid poverty. In 2022, only 4.3% of the people with a bachelor’s degree or higher were living below the poverty line in the U.S.
Learning Deserts Are Everywhere
While learning deserts might be a more prominent challenge in developing countries, we must understand they can exist in our own backyard. It’s not always easy to spot a student who is struggling to keep up while living in a learning desert.
An estimated 42 million Americans cannot purchase broadband internet due to financial, geographic or service limitations. This means that in the U.S., approximately 1 in 4 students don’t have access to reliable devices or adequate internet connections. And “kids from homes with incomes of less than $25,000 a year are 10 times more likely to be doing little to no remote learning than their peers from homes making more than $100,000 a year.”
According to a 2023 report, “Globally, only 40% of primary, 50% of lower secondary and 65% of upper secondary schools are connected to the internet; 85% of countries have policies to improve school or learner connectivity.” Despite the proportion of the challenge that this represents, I’m encouraged to see governments, communities, districts and edtech providers working together to shrink these learning deserts.
In the past decade, the learning management system (LMS) has become the hub of learning for classrooms worldwide. (Disclosure: My company provides a LMS, as do others.) Many have recognized the importance of accessibility and have introduced features such as mobile access and the ability to access curriculum offline. This way, students with unreliable broadband access can still keep up with assignments and submit work when they’re away from their school internet connection.
In the Philippines, where many students don’t have reliable internet access, we’ve seen efforts to get them mobile access and focus on getting students ready for jobs quicker. Instead of pushing potential higher education students to take courses that may not help them in their future careers, they’ve begun utilizing microcredentials to more quickly upskill workers for careers in tech.
Now that so many districts in the U.S. use edtech tools, they’re gaining more insights that could keep a student from falling through the cracks. If a teacher sees a student only logs into their LMS system sporadically, this could indicate that the student doesn’t have reliable access to educational resources. These types of analytics can help teachers identify students who may need unique attention based on their learning situation.
Big problems like learning deserts require big solutions, and it takes working together. Among the most important ways to address technology is by approaching advancements in technology with an inclusive mindset. In 2023, generative AI came to the forefront of the learning experience. Educators and edtech companies are racing to understand the implications of AI. Initially, the main concern was around cheating, but I believe we should be more focused on equitable access.
Generative AI has the potential to increase access to high-quality learning resources by providing personalized tutoring experiences. But we must ensure this isn’t technology available to the fortunate few. The real power of AI can only be realized if it’s available to every student. As we develop new learning solutions, how can we extend access to students who traditionally have been excluded? This means providing training on how to use AI.
We’ve seen some positive steps as educational institutions, state employees, legislators and edtech stakeholders have worked together to address accessibility issues. For example, my company worked with a state university system after they realized students in rural areas didn’t have the ability to take the same courses as their counterparts in more populated areas. By embracing hybrid learning environments, they allowed rural students to take courses previously only offered in the larger universities.
It won’t be one school, one company that solves this problem. By sharing courses across institutions, providing statewide training and standardizing technology, schools can make it easier for students to work toward degrees, wherever they might reside.
The challenges are varied, and each of these solutions addresses just one piece of the puzzle. We can work collectively to build a more seamless educational experience for every student. I’m encouraged by much of the work we’re seeing as government, edtech, the private sector and more work alongside educators to make learning more accessible. If we can collectively come together in a meaningful way, we can shrink learning deserts.
Sourced from Forbes
