Version 1
: Received: 14 June 2021 / Approved: 16 June 2021 / Online: 16 June 2021 (12:48:11 CEST)
Version 2
: Received: 29 June 2021 / Approved: 30 June 2021 / Online: 30 June 2021 (12:28:15 CEST)
Badiuzzaman, M.; Rafiquzzaman, M.; Rabby, M.I.I.; Rahman, M.M. The Latent Digital Divide and Its Drivers in E-Learning among Bangladeshi Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Information2021, 12, 287.
Badiuzzaman, M.; Rafiquzzaman, M.; Rabby, M.I.I.; Rahman, M.M. The Latent Digital Divide and Its Drivers in E-Learning among Bangladeshi Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Information 2021, 12, 287.
Badiuzzaman, M.; Rafiquzzaman, M.; Rabby, M.I.I.; Rahman, M.M. The Latent Digital Divide and Its Drivers in E-Learning among Bangladeshi Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Information2021, 12, 287.
Badiuzzaman, M.; Rafiquzzaman, M.; Rabby, M.I.I.; Rahman, M.M. The Latent Digital Divide and Its Drivers in E-Learning among Bangladeshi Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Information 2021, 12, 287.
Abstract
The devastating COVID-19 pandemic forced academia to go virtual. Educational institutions around the world have stressed online learning programs in the aftermath of the pandemic. However, because of insufficient access to ICT, a substantial number of students failed to harness the opportunity of online learning. This study explores the latent digital divide exhibited during the COVID-19 pandemic while online learning activities are emphasized among Bangladeshi students. It also explores the digital divide exposure and the significant underlying drivers of the divide. A cross-sectional survey was employed to collect quantitative data mixed with open-ended questions to collect qualitative information from the student community. The findings revealed that despite the majority of students have physical access to ICT but only 32.5% of students could attend online classes seamlessly, 34.1% of the students reported the data prices as the critical barrier, and 39.8% of students identified the poor network infrastructure is the significant barrier for them to participate in online learning activities. This paper aimed to explore the underlying issues of the digital divide among Bangladeshi students to assist relevant stakeholders (e.g., the Bangladesh government, Educational Institutions, Researchers) in providing the necessary insights to arrange for students to undertake online learning activities successfully.
Keywords
digital divide, e-learning, covid-19, driver of digital divide
Subject
Social Sciences, Education
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
