Ohio State research looks at students’ tech needs

Approximately 16% to 19% of college students lack the technology necessary to fully participate in online learning, according to a new report by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact.

The report, The Digital Divide Among College Students: Lessons Learned From the COVID-19 Emergency Transition, is based on research from The Ohio State University and Indiana University.

Assistant Vice Provost Shanna Jaggars, who leads the Office of Student Academic Success’ Research and Program Assessment team at The Ohio State University, and Benjamin Motz, Director of the eLearning Research & Practice Laboratory at Indiana University, are the lead authors of the report, which provides a timely resource for evaluating and improving access to the technologies needed for online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Based on the results of several surveys conducted in the spring or summer of 2020, Jaggars and Motz estimated that in colleges across the country, including in the Midwest, approximately 16% to 19% of students lack the technology necessary to fully participate in online learning.

Moreover, they documented significant digital inequities by race/ethnicity, family income, and urbanicity. For example, higher rates of technology inadequacy were observed among Black (17%-29%) and Hispanic (23%-28%) students relative to White students (12%-17%). The survey results also indicated that regardless of demographic background, technology inadequacy results in a diminished academic experience and multiple challenges to student success.

Jaggars and Motz followed their summary of research with an analysis of recent state legislation in the Midwest that could help bridge the digital divide for college students and their communities. They showed that states have implemented various policies to expand access to broadband Internet by streamlining regulatory models, supporting community and private sector engagement and leveraging CARES Act funds. (For example, in Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine’s new two-year state budget includes more than $250 million to invest in broadband.)

The report concludes with a set of recommendations for both institutions and states to work together to reduce the digital divide, such as providing large-format, WiFi-enabled mobile devices to students (as Ohio State does through its Digital Flagship program) and investing in ubiquitous wireless broadband.