Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented changes to the way faculty and students were expected to teach and learn. Several vulnerable populations were disproportionately affected by this sudden switch to a online learning environment, given the erroneous assumption that in every home, students had immediate access to electronic devices (computers, iPads, Chromebooks), broadband connectivity (strong remote connection and speed), and the technical skills needed to successfully navigate learning on-line. Many Americans in rural areas, those with lower incomes, less than elementary and/or high school completion and members of the Hispanic community have less access to broadband Internet access at home, and more than a quarter of residents do not have broadband at home and 10 percent of Americans are not online at all (Pew Research, 2019). With COVID-19, the required closure by government mandated “stay-at-home” orders caused massive layoffs for students, disproportionately impacting low-income students who are more likely to be women, members of underrepresented ethnic minority groups, and first-generation college students (Carnevale & Smith, 2018). In response, our efforts to reduce textbook costs revealed unanticipated challenges embedded in the technological design solution we devised to level the playing field. Different levels of digital distress are evident for students who rely heavily on the university campus onsite resources to complete their class assignments. In this paper, I consider challenges and opportunities to keep students connected with no cost solutions to ensure equal access to remote online instruction during a pandemic and after.
Presenters
Elaine CorreaProfessor and Chair, Child, Adolescent, and Family Studies, California State University, Bakersfield, California, United States Alexander Reid
Assistant Professor, Child, Adolescent, and Family Studies, California State University Bakersfield, California, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2021 Special Focus: Considering Viral Technologies: Pandemic-Driven Opportunities and Challenges
KEYWORDS
Open Educational Resources, Affordable Learning Solutions, Access, Connectivity, Remote Learning
