Global student perspectives on digital inclusion in education during COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic globally disrupted education, forcing a shift to remote learning that excludes many learners. This paper examines student perspectives of the changes to their education. In October 2020, students worldwide participated in the Digital Inclusion Challenge, a hackathon-style event hosted by Convergence.Tech, a digital transformation company. Participants described barriers to learning and proposed solutions to increase inclusivity and effectiveness. Using thematic analysis, student-identified barriers and their proposed solutions were coded and explored. Overall, themes of four barriers to digital inclusion in education and themes of six solutions were identified. The findings demonstrate what students value in their education, and what they felt they had lost in the transition to online and remote learning. This research contributes to knowledge on the severe impacts of the loss of in-person learning and explores technological and conceptual innovations ideated by youth. Further, it provides insight into global student experiences in accessing education during the pandemic and offers considerations for future research.