Digital trial connects regional secondary students

Digital trial connects regional secondary students

A new project from RMIT and Telstra is providing laptops and internet access to Shepparton high school students as part of a study into the importance of digital inclusion.

RMIT University and Telstra have provided laptops and two years of wireless broadband to one hundred year 11 students from Greater Shepparton Secondary College (GSSC) and their families as part of the Telstra Connected Student project.

The two-year research project will examine the benefits of connectivity for families who could not previously afford it.

RMIT lead researcher Dr Jenny Kennedy said the trial would provide much needed insight into how the challenges of affordability impacted digital inclusion for low-income households.

“The everyday experiences of families who are on or below the poverty line are poorly understood and inadequately documented,” she said.

“What's more, the digital disadvantages these families face translate into social and educational disadvantages for their children.”

She said while it was known that low-income households were especially vulnerable to digital exclusion, this was the first time researchers would be able to examine what happens when affordability barriers are removed.

“This study will enable us to actually measure how households and students fare when key affordability barriers are removed, helping us to better understand diverse participation needs and develop future digital inclusion strategies for low-income households.”

24 April 2020

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mobile-hand The project will provide laptops and two years of wireless broadband to one hundred year 11 students.

Telstra Regional Affairs and Sustainability Executive Jules Scarlett said the project would provide technology and internet connection to students and families who need it most to help them keep learning at home.

“The project would allow researchers to gain deeper insights into how important digital inclusion is and the difference being connected can make. I’m thrilled we’ve been able to roll it out to students and families in Shepparton,” she said.

The project builds on the Australian Digital Inclusion Index, which in 2019 found that affordability continues to be a key barrier for improving digital inclusion in Australia.

Greater Shepparton Secondary College principal Genevieve Simson said the project would provide significant support to Shepparton families who needed it most.

“With the challenges presented by coronavirus, this partnership could not have come at a better time for those GSSC students lacking laptops and internet access for home learning,” she said.

The college has almost completed the laptop handout and the first research data is expected to be available in six months.

 

Story: Grace Taylor

24 April 2020

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RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

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