A new report from Every Learner Everywhere says digital learning tools can help narrow the equity gap.
Every Learner Everywhere is a network of organizations with expertise in evaluating, implementing, scaling, and measuring the effectiveness of educational technology, curriculum and course design strategies, instructional practices, and support services in blended and online learning environments. Their report, “How Digital Learning Impacts Underrepresented and Poverty-Affected College Students: 12 Instructor Stories,” describes how digital learning tools can transform education for vulnerable student populations, including Black, Latinx, Indigenous, students affected by poverty, and first-generation students.
Written by Content Development and Special Projects Manager Patricia O'Sullivan and teacher Christy Forget, the report recounts the experiences of 12 instructors from two- and four-year colleges who implemented digital learning tools to promote equity and improve learning outcomes for historically marginalized and under-resourced students. They detail the problems they were trying to solve, why they chose certain tools, and their students' reactions to those tools.
The reports highlight the successes and challenges teachers have faced as they implemented digital learning tools into their classrooms, and in some cases include data on student retention, success rates and engagement, as well as insights into student confidence and connection.
Digital learning tools have been found to help motivate students, strengthen connections between teachers and students, and increase student ownership.
The report concludes that while there is no one-stop solution, with a willingness to try a variety of digital tools and institutional support, teachers can make progress toward closing the equity gap.