Understanding the use of digital finance among older internet users in urban China: Evidence from an online convenience sample

Inclusive digital financial services should welcome older populations and make them beneficiaries of the digital and financial revolution. To understand older adults' experience of using digital financial tools, we conducted an online survey of 268 older internet users aged 60 or above from urban areas of 14 Chinese provinces after China's nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in 2021. Our results revealed that older internet surfers were active in digital financial activities and engaged most with activities that were highly compatible with their lifestyles. Active users significantly differed from inactive users in sociodemographics, confirming that a digital divide related to social stratification exists among older internet users. Digital finance active users were also distinguished from inactive users' attitudes and perceptions toward digital finance. Logistic regression results indicated that perceived usefulness, access to proper devices for digital finance, risk perceptions, and perceived exclusion if not using technology were associated with their adoption of these advanced tools. Older adults reported the perceived inconvenience of in-person financial services during the lockdown. They also expressed a willingness to participate in relevant training if provided. The findings of this study could help aging-related practitioners to understand older adults' engagement in digital finance and guide policy and project design in the area of financial inclusion of the aging population.

Student Perspective of Online Pedagogy Post COVID-19. A Missed Opportunity?

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed education and caused unprecedented disruptions. These changes may disappear once the schools resume face-to-face classes in full force. Likewise, a positive change may not be necessarily what we want in education. This may be due to the existence of digital divide among students which cannot be ignored. During the COVID-19 pandemic, OneNote Class Notebook is used as an interactive digital whiteboard and has been evident as one of the best alternatives to the traditional whiteboard in the teaching and learning process. In this study, we aim to analyze students' perceptions of OneNote Class Notebook and the level of their continuous intention to use OneNote Class Notebook as an interactive digital whiteboard to replace the traditional whiteboard when school reopens with face-to-face lessons in the classroom in full force. The findings show that the students perceived that OneNote Class Notebook is indeed a useful tool to be used for calculus learning. But, it cannot be perceived as suitability to continue to be used during post COVID-19 period, when school reopens with physical classes in full force. In this regard, it reminds educators of the importance of rethinking education in the new normal post COVID-19 era from the perspective of curriculum studies. © 2023 IEEE.

The digital divide: An ongoing state of emergency in adult literacy programs

COVID-19 and closures of in-person interactions with support programs, education providers, government services, and consumer offerings have raised concerns that vulnerable populations may not be able to mitigate the effects of the digital divide. Our chapter discusses the digital divide with a focus on programs for adult learners who have not completed high school. These include literacy, high school completion, and vocational programs. We look specifically at Ontario as a case sample that shares similarities with programs across Canada. These programs are operated by community-based non-profits, school boards, and community colleges. They are usually marginalized within the broader education system and have not been considered as part of comprehensive supports and initiatives when schools and post-secondary institutions were closed. The digital inequalities learners experience have parallels in the very programs they attend to mitigate their own digital learning divide. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Beyond the pandemic: Towards a digitally enabled society and economy

Besides the widespread harm and dreadful impact COVID-19 has caused, it brought about change. Interpreting the pandemic as a 'change agent', it is possible to observe how it accelerated the use of digital technologies, facilitating the migration of many activities to the virtual sphere and thus changing the interaction between the physical and virtual worlds. Although the pandemic accelerated the diffusion and adoption of digital technologies, allowing many to avoid or reduce the harms caused by the pandemic, not everyone benefitted to the same extent. The pandemic exacerbated existing digital divides while creating new ones, simultaneously elevating important policy debates regarding digital infrastructure and inclusion policies. © 2023 the authors.

Undertanding the Experience of Universities Flexible Learning in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case for Two Universities in the Philippines

The school system was greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need to assess the implementation of flexible learning in academic institutions. The study intends to describe the flexible learning as practiced in the highly urbanized University and the countryside University during the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey research aims to explore students' and faculty members' perceptions of the flexible learning modality implemented in the two institutions of higher learning. It also aims to discover the challenges, preferences, and support students and faculty need. Based on the results, learning becomes not workable given reasonable factors: strength of internet connectivity, quality of modules provided, the validity of the assessment, availability of learning devices such as smartphones, availability of budget for net data subscription, conduciveness of respective households for learning, et cetera. There should be standardized, normativized, and effective modules that are produced out of the intervention of various stakeholders. Requirements must be simple, reasonable, and workable given the students' time, resources, and capacity. Assessments should not be traditional and objective but should be authentic assessments. The digital divide should never be promoted directly or indirectly. The default system for all degree programs has to be the modules. The synchronous and/or asynchronous sessions should be made available to students but not mandatory;the University and teachers have to monitor every student's learning progress effectively. © 2022 IEEE.

The impact of COVID-19 on the right to education

This chapter examines the impact of the measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 on the fundamental right to education. School closures and the transition to online learning have worsened the pre-existing digital divide and educational inequalities. We discuss how students with limited or no access to internet connectivity and necessary digital equipment were the most severely affected by these changes. We conclude by repeating the need for digital equity as an inherent aspect of the right to education. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Bangladesh Women Varsity Students Face Covid-19 Online Education and Inter-sectionalist Insights

Online education made the digital divide visible during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on gender, economic class, locations, and different types of opportunities. Bangladeshi female varsity narratives on gender role stereotypes, economic conditions, household characteristics, family atmosphere, and online teaching strengthen the need for intersectional feminist insights. The study further examines online education potentials and pathways for more online education along intersectional lines. Qualitative methods help gauge how female university students shape their experiences with online education, and emphasize the epistemological importance of voice and women's perspectives for deeper understanding of their experiences. An ‘auto-ethnographic' approach undergirds the paper's analysis, elevating reflexive demonstrations and recommendations for more inclusive online education for female university student. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.

Social-Class Inequalities in Distance Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Digital Divide, Cultural Mismatch, and Psychological Barriers

The COVID-19 pandemic forced universities to move towards distance learning, requiring increased use of digital tools and more independent learning from students. In this context, the present study examined two previously documented barriers that contribute to social-class disparities in universities: the digital divide and the experience of cultural mismatch. Cultural mismatch refers to the disconnect between the highly independent cultural norms of universities and the interdependent cultural norms common among working-class students. Our goals are to (1) replicate the findings related to these barriers in a European context (2) provide pandemic-specific data related to these barriers, and (3) examine how the digital divide and cultural mismatch relate to psychological factors and learning behaviors necessary for academic success. Two thousand two hundred and seventy-five students in France answered questions about their digital access/use, self-construal, psychological factors (i.e., sense of belonging, self-efficacy, intentions to drop-out from the university), and learning behaviors (e.g., attending class, asking questions). Results showed that working-class students have less digital access and value interdependence more than their middle/ upper-class peers, suggesting they are more likely to experience a cultural mismatch. Structural equation modeling revealed that both the digital divide and the experience of cultural mismatch undermines working-class students' psychological experience (e.g., belonging), which, in turn, hinders their learning behavior. The distance learning required by the pandemic led to increased needs for digital access and independence, and therefore more negatively affected working-class students, which could fuel and widen the social-class achievement gap. © 2023 The Author(s).

Lessons learnt from teaching an Applied Drama and Theatre pedagogy online in a digitally divided South Africa

An Applied Drama and Theatre pedagogy is rooted in principles of embodiment, participation and collaboration, praxis and immersion in social contexts. Over the past fourteen years, the Drama for Life department at the University of the Witwatersrand prioritised the implementation of an Applied Drama and Theatre teaching and learning practice that is premised on our bodies operating within social and cultural contexts. Furthermore, the experiential pedagogy is reliant on physical presence and human contact for the purposes of reflection, transformation and education. With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, this complex pedagogy faced a threat. How can we migrate an Applied Drama and Theatre curriculum to online learning platforms? Can we fully honour its pedagogical objectives remotely? The study explored how Applied Drama and Theatre educators re-envisioned and implemented strategies to maintain the integrity of the embodied pedagogy as it moved online. These collective approaches transpired amidst a disruptive digital divide within a South African context, which impacted connectivity, access and the hopes of a synchronous learning experience. From 2020 to 2021, the ethnographic study tracked and observed Drama for Life and its Applied Drama and Theatre educators as they;1) responded to the pandemic and identified its threats to the pedagogy;2) through processes of experimentation, transitioned the curriculum to online learning platforms;and 3) reflected on their discoveries, challenges and interim solutions throughout the journey. The study found (based on literature and data) that the pandemic provided higher education institutions and practitioners with an opportunity for directed change. Central to the collective strategies remained student centredness and pedagogical alignment. Although certain aspects of the Applied Drama and Theatre pedagogy have undeniably been compromised online, the study demonstrated that with increased efforts to bridge the digital divide, the strategies can be navigated continually with a carefully negotiated balance.

Rural–Urban, Gender, and Digital Divides during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Multi-Layered Study

This study explores digital divide issues that influenced online learning activities during the COVID-19 lockdown in five developing countries in South Asia. A multi-layered and interpretive analytical lens guided by three interrelated perspectives—structure, cultural practices, and agency—revealed various nuanced aspects across location-based (i.e., rural vs. urban) and across gendered (i.e., male vs. female) student groups. A key message that emerged from our investigation was the subtle ways in which the digital divide is experienced, specifically by female students and by students from rural backgrounds. Female students face more structural and cultural impositions than male students, which restricts them from fully availing digital learning opportunities. Rich empirical evidence shows these impositions are further exacerbated at times of crisis, leading to a lack of learning (agency) for women. This research has provided a gendered and regional outlook on digital discriminations and other inequalities that came to the forefront during the COVID-19 lockdown. This study is especially relevant as online learning is being touted as the next step in digitization;therefore, it can inform educational policymaking and help build inclusive digital societies and bridge current gender and regional divisions. © 2023 by the authors.

Technological Devices and Digital Competences: A Look into the Digital Divides for University Continuity during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Virtual education has gained great relevance in recent years, due to the pandemic. The access to electronic devices and services represents an urgent necessity and thus the concern for acquiring digital competences, which allow a proper interaction within the teaching–learning process. Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of having digital resources and the adaptability of their use from the university students' homes during the pandemic crisis. This research intends to identify the relevant challenges regarding the accessibility to technological devices and digital competences that university students had to face to obtain suitable learning during the lockdown, due to the pandemic. The sample information consisted of 9326 Peruvian university students. The data was obtained from the National Homes Survey from the Statistics and Information National Institute, and it was distributed in twenty-five regions (in groups of five macro-regions) over a period of three years (2019–2021). The results showed significant differences in the number of students with internet access from home: between 40% and 60% access classes with a desktop or laptop, and digital competences have improved in the last year. This is evidence that digital divides set limits on the opportunities for a quality education.

Bridging digital divide during COVID-19 pandemic with the remote learning program on community radio

This article explores the remote learning program conducted by community radios in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program was aimed at solving the increasing digital divide after the Indonesian government had enacted Study from Home policy. While some schools were able to carry out online learning, there were schools which encountered difficulties in doing the same due to digital divide. These schools had to look for alternative remote teaching methods. The research uses a qualitative multi-case research method by limiting research subjects to radio stations that once broadcast the remote learning program from mid 2020 until April 2021. This time limit was chosen with the assumption that these radios were able to provide in-depth information about how learning on community radios bridging the digital divide during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Researchers analyzed seven community radio stations in seven regions in Indonesia. Data was collected from interviews with community radio managers. The results revealed that the emergence of remote learning program in each community radio stations took place as a response to the obstacles faced by locals in accessing digital facilities such as internet access in blank spots areas, access to technological gadgets, and purchasing internet quota. Some areas might face two or even all these problems. Some remote learning initiatives came from the radio management and some other from local school. The programs initiated by the community radio management collaborated with the schools as main partner. Meanwhile, the program that was initiated by schools was managed independently. © 2023 Asian Media Information and Communication Centre.

Fit for purpose? The patents regime, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and sustainable development

This article uses data from several publicly available databases to show that the distribution of intellectual property for frontier technologies, including those useful for sustainable development, is very highly skewed in favor of a handful of developed countries. The intellectual property rights (IPR) regime as it exists does not optimize the global flow of technology and know-how for the attainment of the sustainable development goals and is in need of updating. Some features of the Fourth Industrial Revolution imply that the current system of patents is even more in need of reform than before. COVID-19 vaccines and therapies and the vast inequality in access to these has highlighted the costs of inaction. We recommend several policy changes for the international IPR regime. Broadly, these fall into three categories: allowing greater flexibility for developing countries, reassessing the appropriateness of patents for technologies that may be considered public goods, and closing loopholes that allow for unreasonable intellectual property protections.

Digital literacy needs for online learning among peri-urban, marginalised youth in South Africa

As online learning modes become more common, this can exacerbate educational inequalities for learners who do not have the ability to utilise these modes effectively. This has been seen in the COVID-19 crisis where there has been a shift to remote and distance learning modalities despite the limited ability for all learners to benefit equitably. In particular, digital literacy remains a fundamental barrier to benefitting from online and blended learning. This paper reports on a study that investigated the digital literacy needs and preferences of peri-urban, marginalised youth when utilising online and blended learning in South Africa and how online education platforms can be designed to better suit such groups. It is argued that for online courses to truly support marginalised groups, it needs to be ensured that these learners are digitally equipped and digitally literate in terms of accessing, utilising, and benefitting equitably from online learning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Clinical and Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Telemedicine Engagement in an Urban Community Health Center Cohort During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: To examine chronic diseases, clinical factors, and sociodemographic characteristics associated with telemedicine utilization among a safety-net population. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults seeking care in an urban, multisite community health center in the Northeast United States. We included adults with ≥1 outpatient in-person visit during the pre-COVID-19 period (March 1, 2019-February 29, 2020) and ≥1 outpatient visit (in-person or telemedicine) during the COVID-19 period (March 1, 2020-February 29, 2021). Multivariable logistic regression models estimated associations between clinical and sociodemographic factors and telemedicine use, classified as "any" (≥1 visit) and "high" (≥3 visits). Results: Among 5,793 patients who met inclusion criteria, 4,687 (80.9%) had any (≥1) telemedicine visit and 1,053 (18.2%) had high (≥3) telemedicine visits during the COVID-19 period. Older age and Medicare coverage were associated with having any telemedicine use. Older and White patients were more likely to have high telemedicine use. Uninsured patients were less likely to have high telemedicine use. Patients with increased health care utilization in the pre-COVID-19 period and those with hypertension, diabetes, substance use disorders, and depression were more likely to have high telemedicine engagement. Discussion: Chronic conditions, older patients, and White patients compared with Latinx patients, were associated with high telemedicine engagement after adjusting for prior health care utilization. Conclusion: Equity-focused approaches to telemedicine clinical strategies are needed for safety-net populations. Community health centers can adopt disease-specific telemedicine strategies with high patient engagement.

Double burden: Exploring the digital divide in the Burmese educational system following the 2021 coup d' etat and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021 military coup d'état in Myanmar and the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic commencing at the end of 2019 have had major impacts on the already existing digital divide in this Southeast Asian country. This paper aims to explore the effects of these two events on the digital divide and their consequences on the learning practices of students in Myanmar. Following a broad review of relevant literature, primary data were collected from students in Myanmar about their use of IT for online learning and the outcomes. The raw data resulting from this field research has been shared with stakeholders who analyzed, evaluated, and commented on it during expert interviews. The main findings are: IT usage for online education among students in Myanmar is a matter of major concern. A majority of students nationwide have no access to computers. The IT skill level in the country corresponds to this finding and is only on an average level. Smartphones are more accessible but are often old or of lower quality. Internet connections are available but are vulnerable to disruptions initiated by the military regime. Therefore, it can be concluded that students in Myanmar in many cases did not have the technical equipment or skills necessary to learn effectively through the usage of IT during the national crises. Nevertheless, it can be stated that IT helped and was also supportive in sustaining and improving the well-being of students in Myanmar.

Panic buying and fake news in urban vs. rural England: A case study of twitter during COVID-19

This paper explores the potential association between the spread of fake news and the panic buying behavior, in urban and rural UK, widely accessible on Twitter since COVID 19 was announced by the WHO as a global pandemic. It describes how consumer's behavior is affected by the content generated over social media and discuss various means to control such occurrence that results in an undesirable social change. The research methodology is based on extracting data from texts on the subject of panic buying and analysing both the total volume and the rate of fake news classification during COVID-19, through crowdsourcing techniques with text-mining and Natural Language Processing models. In this paper, we have extracted the main topics in different phases of the pandemic using term frequency strategies and word clouds as well as applied artificial intelligence in exploring the reliability behind online written text on Twitter. The findings of the research indicate an association between the pattern of panic buying behavior and the spread of fake news among urban and rural UK. We have highlighted the magnitude of the undesired behavior of panic buying and the spread of fake news in the rural UK in comparison with the urban UK.

A digital divide in direct market farmers' online sales and marketing: Early pandemic evidence from California

The use of the internet for sales and marketing has been on an upward trend in the past decade. The early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted an increase in direct market farmers' use of online sales and marketing. This paper analyzes California direct market farmers' use of online sales and marketing technologies during the first ten months of the pandemic to understand (1) how their use interacted with farmers' sales and profitability and (2) which direct market farmers were more likely to use them. Research on farmers' access to online sales and marketing technologies is important since consumers increasingly use the internet to buy or find information about products. The findings are based on 364 responses to an online survey administered in January–April 2021 and 13 follow-up interviews conducted in September 2021–August 2022. We used quantitative and qualitative analyses to answer the following questions: (1) How did the use of online sales and marketing technologies interact with direct market farmers' gross income and profitability between March–December 2020? (2) What barriers did direct market farmers face in accessing online sales and marketing technologies? And (3) What farm and farmer characteristics were most associated with using online sales and marketing technologies in 2020? Our findings show that, between March–December 2020, direct market farmers who had an online presence or added online sales after March 2020 were more likely to increase their sales and profitability than farmers who did not use online sales and marketing at all. However, farmers who used online sales at the start of 2020 and continued using it as a market channel were likely to increase their sales but not profitability. We argue that (1) using online sales and marketing technologies likely helped direct market farmers access markets during the pandemic, (2) there are barriers to accessing these technologies, and online sales may not be the right fit for all direct market farms, (3) many farmers need training and reliable internet to be able to navigate online technologies, and (4) more research is needed to understand how direct market farmers experience and navigate the trend toward market digitalization, and how this is related to already-existing inequalities among direct market farmers.

Bridging the urban-rural gap: A qualitative examination of perceived access, barriers, risks and opportunities of children's digital learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has tremendously reshaped the landscape of education worldwide, shifting digital learning from a substitute to a possible necessity in a time of uncertainty. This study explored the digital learning experience for children in China during and after the lockdown periods from February 2020 to January 2022, with a particular focus on the urban-rural divide. Forty-eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifth- and sixth-grade students, parents and teachers to obtain multiple perspectives regarding children's digital learning in YY County in southwestern China. This study revealed that the urban-rural digital divide is not rooted in differences in minimal access to digital devices per se but rather in meaningful access to make full use of those devices for extended learning purposes. The major barriers that give rise to the digital divide include teachers' technology challenges, internet addiction among children and a lack of parental supervision of children's digital use. However, digital learning also offers an opportunity to address educational inequality. This study calls for empowering rural teachers and parents to better support children's digital needs and boost their digital learning experience. Well-designed virtual interventions, school- and community-based programmes and policy interventions are potential solutions to address the needs of rural teachers, parents and children.

Public Services: Forced Digitalization in a Pandemic- The Nuances of Management

The aim of the article is to assess the digital transformation quantitatively and qualitatively in the management of public services against the background of the pandemic. The E-Government Development Index (EGDI) analog for evaluating the effectiveness of digital public services was developed. Qualitative and quantitative changes in digital transformation in the management of public services on the background of the pandemic were determined. It was found that no more extensive range of non-mandatory actions aimed at improving the client -oriented nature of public services and communication is observed in the innovative regions of the Russian Federation. It is established that the main transformations are qualitative, as the trend of increasing digitalization of public services was observed even before the pandemic, but during the pandemic the requirements for the expansion of such services, their efficiency, "customer centricity", and communication both within the organization and with users have increased.