The great equalizer: Effects of digital inclusion on access to online healthcare certificate programs for financially disadvantaged students

ABSTRACT

Digital inclusion is an opportunity to fill the digital divide, the inequity preventing access to technological resources which support participation in online learning. Specific to financially disadvantaged students, this interpretive qualitative study examines how factors of digital inclusion influence one's decision to pursue an online health certificate program. To better understand how digital inclusion may impact the decision to pursue an online program, prospective students and faculty members were interviewed. From interview data, the following digital inclusion themes emerged (a) access to reliable internet, (b) access to internet-enabled devices, (c) access to digital literacy training, (d) quality technical support, and (e) applications designed to enable self-sufficiency and participation. Themes of online education include (a) characteristics of the learner, (b) value of student engagement, and (c) supporting adult learners. Lastly, themes related to social influences are (a) financial barriers and (b) impacts of COVID-19. Utilizing a social justice theoretical lens for sensemaking and understanding of data, propositions and implications for practice that benefit higher education institutions are given. Such propositions include (a) offering digital inclusion support (e.g., access to reliable internet and quality devices) to provide an equitable educational experience, (b) understanding the stratification of generational differences in technology usage, explicitly for adult learners, (c) developing a robust Learning Management System (LMS) training strategy to support faculty and students, and (d) reevaluating communication in and outside of the classroom to provide more opportunities to improve student understanding and peer engagement. These action-based propositions provide salient steps for continued work in digital inclusion within the higher education realm. Key recommendations for higher education institutions include (a) establishing a program that provides access to reliable devices and internet service, (b) mandating a robust institution-wide training for digital literacy, and (c) cultivating an online community environment to support engagement and to centralize digital and financial resources. With these recommendations, institutions of higher education can offer equitable online education, attainable by more students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)