Closing the digital divide: addressing digital poverty in education and beyond

I love engaging with further education audiences because it’s where my career began. I’m Maxine Room, a former general further education (FE) principal and current tech entrepreneur working in and with technology. I’m at this year’s Association of Colleges (AoC) Conference with Jisc, discussing digital poverty and how digital access intersects with diversity, equity and inclusion from entry into education, to exit into the workplace.

My interest in artificial intelligence (AI) developments has grown through my work with Unyted, a virtual platform start-up. Unyted leverages AI and Web4 technologies to create immersive and secure digital learning spaces that help educators reduce costs, mitigate risks and boost engagement.

Throughout my career in FE across the UK, I have witnessed significant technology disadvantages among students in my colleges. At the time, I may not have fully recognised the extent of these issues. Let me share a personal example: growing up as a Black female child in a low-income, single-parent family in one of London’s poorest boroughs, I would have been digitally impoverished if today’s digital advantages had been available. Decades later, this remains a reality for many young people and adults across the country.

Defining digital poverty

Digital poverty can be summarised as a lack of access to technology, digital literacy, and infrastructure (eg stable internet) that creates barriers to social, educational, and economic opportunities, leading to a digital divide. This encompasses not just hardware but also the challenges and causes of digital poverty, such as:

Access to devices in a multigenerational household
Internet connectivity and data availability
Digital literacy in a fast-paced world of technology development
Costs of access to AI solutions

The digital divide

The present-day digital divide has a significant human impact, with access to technology unequal across socio-economic groups. Marginalised communities, including racial and ethnic groups, rural populations, low-income groups, older adults and people with disabilities, often face greater challenges in accessing technology. Colleges and universities often adopt a one-size-fits-all approach, assuming students are a homogenous group, which may overlook individual needs such as equal access to AI tools.

Additionally, some groups, like older adults, may actively avoid digital platforms due to privacy concerns or lack of confidence. Systemic barriers such as affordability, language, and lack of digital education disproportionately affect underrepresented groups, further exacerbating the divide.

Digital skills

Digital technology is evolving rapidly, creating complexities of education support for effective use. In 2023, Jisc’s director of AI, Michael Webb, published ‘AI 2028’, addressing student concerns about AI in education and offering solutions to each issue. However, it raises the critical question: Are educational leaders ready to tackle these challenges?

National policies and local college initiatives play a pivotal role in promoting responsible AI use. A cohesive, collaborative approach from diverse stakeholders can provide clarity on key issues such as:

Information literacy: Helping students assess trustworthiness in digital content
Data security: Safeguarding privacy and ownership in digital spaces
Detection systems: Addressing plagiarism with clear guidelines
Regulation: Balancing innovation while maintaining ethical standards
Staff training: Building confidence in AI tools among educators
Equity: Ensuring affordable, accessible AI for all
Balanced use: Integrating AI without replacing intellectual development
Employability: Preparing students for an AI-driven job market literacy; navigating trust

The role of AI in education and inequality

AI presents a double-edged sword in education, offering benefits like personalised learning, language support, the potential to bridge educational gaps and adaptive assessments that enhance individual learning experiences. However, it also poses risks, including the exclusion of students without access to AI tools and the potential for algorithmic bias that may reinforce existing inequalities.

FE institutions can play a vital role in addressing this divide by offering targeted digital literacy training for underserved communities. The pandemic underscored the impact of digital poverty, revealing long-term consequences of unequal access to online learning, a divide that also affects digital inclusion in the workplace. This lack of access limits job opportunities and career advancement for marginalised groups, highlighting the need for equitable policies around remote work and access to essential AI tools.

Call to action

Solutions to tackle digital poverty have emerged from government initiatives, non-profit organisations, educational institutions, and private sector collaborations. These solutions aim to address the root causes of digital exclusion. By coordinating strategies, these stakeholders aim to build a more digitally inclusive society where economic and geographic disadvantages do not limit educational and social opportunities.

Leaders can contribute by adopting a global perspective:

Apply a global lens to understand how digital poverty affects different regions and recognise the unique challenges and solutions in developing countries versus nations
Advocate for inclusive policies, support organisations promoting digital inclusion or contribute by volunteering expertise or donating technology

Jisc has been at the forefront of these efforts, collaborating with AoC and member colleges. Leaders at all levels should focus on embedding these strategies locally, while policymakers and government can support the mission with targeted funding initiatives.

Further resources

Listen to our Digital poverty podcast with Maxine, recorded live at this year’s AoC Conference 2024
Principles for the use of AI in FE colleges
Join our AI community to connect with over 1,000 educators working with AI
Closing the digital divide - BCS
Telecoms report on digital poverty in education