Using Technology to Advance Equity in Higher Education by Rebecca S. Natow

Because the COVID-19 pandemic made socially-distant teaching necessary, higher education professionals have now experienced the use of technology in course delivery and other operations more than ever before. Instructors learned to deliver course content and to mentor students via new and unfamiliar forms of technology. Student affairs professionals learned to develop virtual panels, game nights, and other socially distant activities to foster co-curricular student development during the pandemic. Academic conference organizers learned to engage attendees in interactive online sessions.

The increased use of technology was also helpful in expanding access to new opportunities for higher education. Synchronous online video technology enabled learners and scholars to engage with guest speakers from across the globe who visited classes and conferences. Online courses, particularly asynchronous ones, allowed students with small children, ill relatives, or essential jobs to continue their education during the pandemic. Virtual academic conferences made events accessible to a more diverse range of participants who find traveling to attend place-based conferences burdensome or cost-prohibitive. This includes students and scholars with disabilities, low-income, or caregiving responsibilities, as well as immigrants, graduate students, independent scholars, and others with little or no institutional support (Blumenstyk, 2020; Liu, 2020). As these examples show, technology can help higher education move toward equity in access and participation. Virtual guest speakers and academic conferences have the added advantage of reducing the carbon footprint of higher education (Liu, 2020).

But there are also downsides and inequities related to educational technology. A recent survey found that more than half of all college students incur substantial costs in order to access the Internet, with low-income students, underrepresented students of color, and students who are caregivers more likely to report such costs (Parker et al., 2021; Whistle & West, 2020). Moreover, technology is not always accessible to students with disabilities (Fichten et al., 2014). And without proper training – which can be prohibitively expensive – students and instructors may be unable to use educational technologies effectively (Natow et al., 2020). In these ways, technology can exacerbate inequality with regard to higher education access and success.

With proper functionality and adequate resources, colleges and universities can use technology to advance equity and expand participation in higher education. Some ways to accomplish this are:

• Support Universal Broadband Policies. For technology to advance equity in higher education, it must be universally accessible. Policies that provide free or low-cost broadband can help to “bridge the digital divide” (Whistle & West, 2020). Such policies would benefit low-income students, underrepresented students of color, students in rural locations, and others for whom accessing online technology can be difficult (Parker et al., 2021; Whistle & West, 2020).

• Include Technology Prices in Student Financial Aid Calculations. As researchers at the Institute for Higher Education Policy have recommended, the cost of educational technology should be included when calculating students’ financial need for purposes of determining student aid allotments (Parker et al., 2021).

• Use Technology to Teach Students with Different Learning Needs. Technology can help instructors implement teaching strategies that engage different kinds of learners, including students with disabilities (Morra & Reynolds, 2010). The principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) encourage teachers to engage learners through a variety of teaching methods, formats, and activities (Al-Azawei et al., 2016). Technology-enabled instruction can be used in this effort to make course content accessible to a broad array of learners (Morra & Reynolds, 2010).

• Expand and Improve Online Courses and Degrees. Opportunities for students to complete courses and degrees online should be expanded so students who are unable to attend in-person classes – such as those who live in remote areas or whose caregiving or work schedules conflict with class schedules – would still have the ability to obtain a postsecondary degree.

• Expand and Improve Virtual Events and Student Support Services. Opportunities for students and other higher education stakeholders to participate in virtual activities and events should be expanded. As noted above, providing virtual options enables broader participation and more diverse participants than fully in-person events often allow (Liu, 2020). Also, because student activities and services can have positive influences on college students (Mayhew et al., 2016), expanding events and services that can be experienced online would benefit students enrolled in fully online programs.

• Provide Affordable and Effective Training on Technology. Without appropriate training, students and instructors may encounter difficulty using educational technology (Natow et al., 2020). Institutions and policymakers should provide free or low-cost training to enable all teachers and learners to use technologies most effectively.

COVID-19 compelled postsecondary educators to use technology in new ways to provide socially distant courses and activities. In the years to come, college leaders and policymakers can draw from this experience to advance equity in higher education by using technology to expand opportunities for student access, connectivity, and success.

References

Al-Azawei, A., Serenelli, F., & Lundqvist, K. (2016). Universal design for learning (UDL): A content analysis of peer-reviewed journal papers from 2012 to 2015. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 16(3), 39-56.

Blumenstyk, G. (2020, September 16). Bye-bye to these 10 practices already endangered by the pandemic. Chronicle of Higher Education (The Edge). https://www.chronicle.com/newsletter/the-edge/2020-09-16

Fichten, C. S., Asuncion, J., & Scapin, R. (2014). Digital technology, learning, and postsecondary students with disabilities: Where we’ve been and where we’re going. Journal of Postsecondary Education & Disability, 27(4), 369-379.

Liu, G. (2021, August 21). The surprising advantages of virtual conferences. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-surprising-advantages-of-virtual-conferences/

Mayhew, M. J., Rockenbach, A. N., Bowman, N. A., Seifert, T. A., & Wolniak, G. C. (2016). How college affects students: 21st century evidence that higher education works. John Wiley & Sons.

Morra, T., & Reynolds, J. (2010). Universal design for learning: Application for technology-enhanced learning. Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges, 15(1), 5.

Natow, R. S., Reddy, V., & Grant, M. (2020). Technology use in developmental education: Experiences, challenges, and rationales. Community College Journal of Research & Practice, 44(10-12), 738-756.

Parker, A. G., Santos, J., & Dancy, K. (2021, May). Online isn’t optional: Student polling on access to Internet and devices. Institute for Higher Education Policy.

Whistle, W., & West, E. B. (2020, September 24). Congress should help students bridge the digital divide. The Hill. https://thehill.com/opinion/education/518068-congress-should-help-college-students-bridge-the-digital-divide