The process of learning has also undergone a change with advance in technology in the recent past due to the increased use of the internet and other items. From conventional face-to-face lessons to present day advanced electronic learning environments in education has grown significantly. But not everyone can benefit from these improvements. The technological divide meaning the difference between persons with access to new technology and those without one can be viewed as a major difficulty in the way to equality in education. This is why in this blog post we will discuss the digital divide and its implications for higher education, analyses the place of e-learning platforms and present solutions to make education more digital for everyone.
EXPLORING THE NATURE OF DIGITAL DIVIDE
Digital divide comprises technology deficit, internet deficit, and digital literacy deficit. As most institutions adopt digital education, a good number of students do not access materials to fully engage in the learning process. Labour markets today are split by socioeconomic status, geography and demographic, applying to both urban and rural communities.
BASIC FACTS THAT SHOW THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY
INTERNET ACCESS: As recent statistics show, more than half of the world’s population does not have easy access to the Internet and cannot fully participate in e-learning activities.
DEVICE AVAILABILITY: This, combined with a lack of access to a separate computer for each student, as seen among many learners in disadvantaged households, makes learning inconsistent.
DIGITAL LITERACY: However, even if students have the devices and the internet connection, they are unlikely to be able to fully use all the various tools available for digital education if they are not digitally literate.
Issues in Closing the Gap in IT for Improvement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Learning Institutions
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INFRASTRUCTURE DEFICIENCIES
Most rural and Remote Areas do not have adequate infrastructure to support connectivity to the internet. The expansion of PPA institutions means that many HEIs in these areas are failing to innovate digital education adequately.
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COST OF TECHNOLOGY
Some of the issues the economically disadvantaged student face includes, laptops, tablets and smart phones are too expensive to purchase. However, monthly pay for internet subscription services may be high-priced.
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LACK OF EFFECTIVE E-LEARNING PLATFORMS.
The main advantage of e-learning platforms is flexibility but it often means that not all platforms are created with the understanding of different students’ needs. The last factor – accessibility, multilingual support for screen readers and other devices, as well as easy-to-use interfaces – is even more often absent, deepening the divide.
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LACK OF TEACHER TRAINING
They also, identify the difficulty that the educators’ experience in the process of change towards the use of digital tools. Consequently, students who have failed to undergo adequate training in the method are likely to deliver substandard online instruction thus reducing the quality of educational services offered online.
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CULTURAL AND LANGUAGE PROBLEMS
Several learning platforms primarily perform their functions in global languages, which limits the students who are more fluent in local languages. This tilts the ground further against students pursuing their higher education.
CHALLENGES ON THE PATH TOWARD REDUCING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
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EXPANDING INFRASTRUCTURE
This means that there is a need for governments and private sectors to invest much more in the expansion of the Internet. There are also such opportunities as the availability of free Wi-Fi zones, connection in remote areas through satellite Internet, and community technological centers.
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PRICED FOR THE PEOPLE: TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMMES
Progressive and ultimately achievable in affordable device programs through collaboration between educational institutions and tech companies. It means that supporting vending of laptops, tablets, and subsiding the costs of the internet in low-income families will improve the e-learning platforms.
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DESIGNING INCLUSIVE E-LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Accessibility remains prominent, learning platforms must include features like screen readers or subtitles; offer the content in different languages. They should also allow us to download course contents in case some areas do not have a stable internet connection.
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DIGITAL LITERACY PROGRAMS
By so doing, students and their families will have been equipped with the knowledge and skills that are required to fully benefit from the tools. Seminars and working sessions may help them be receptive to what e-learning has to offer is the most important thing.
- TEACHER TRAINING AND SUPPORT
The general concern on the part of higher education institutions should be the development of provision for the regular professional development of educators. This involves a coursework on how to teach students how to use the gadgets, how to create content that would capture the attention of the students when delivered online and how to solve problems that may arise during the delivery of the content online.
THE CONTRIBUTION OF E-LEARNING PLATFORMS IN REMOVING THE GAP
Years of deep and selected e-learning solutions provide the ability to be a system-strong link in solving the problem of the digital divide. It provides a preferable and highly customizable model that is capable of addressing students in the remotest areas. Here’s how:
Accessibility in Learning E-learning options enable the student to study at any time from any where. This is especially helpful especially to those students who are in a position to balance the studies with jobs and or families.
Online learning means opening up to a global resource which was not available before. It allows students to listen to the lectures of great teachers from all over the world, use Internet resources such as libraries, and participate in online conferences with representatives of universities all over the world.
Special Approaches Owing to sophisticated mathematical models e-learning platforms can deliver unique learning experience to the learner based on his or her requirements. This is helpful in combating learning style and rate variations in students within the classroom.
CONCLUSION
Closing the digital divide is now of paramount importance in order to help children around the world get the education they need in the future. This is why stakeholders in higher education those are governments and private sectors should come forward and make sure that we can give every student a good digital learning. This paper looked at challenges like inadequate infrastructure, elevated costs, and lack of adequate e-learning skills and showed how we could assertively make the world of learning an inclusive and connected common good through mitigating these drawbacks and harnessing the power of e-learning platforms.