The education landscape has transformed significantly over the past two decades. Increasingly it is being shaped by information and communication technologies (ICT) which affords personalised and collaborative learning with peers.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, educators everywhere utilised ICT to provide students with access to education, not by choice but by compulsion.
Because of the school closures, students had to leverage ICT-enabled education to continue learning, relying on online methods to interact with teachers and peers.
Post pandemic, ICT will continue to play an important role in education in an ever-digitalising world.
However, a key challenge remains.
TECHNOLOGY ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH
In reality, technology in itself is not enough. Computers itself cannot transform the education system.
We need to nudge them to engage with technology-assisted learning.
The transformation that we so direly need requires a generation who is motivated to lean on technology to adapt to the changing socio-economic landscape. It depends on how we change student’s and educator’s mindsets into really embracing ICT and be self-motivated to keep developing digital competencies to pursue the opportunities in an increasingly digitalising world.
While there’s a lot of research being done into ICT adoption for learning, there’s comparatively little research being done on the adoption of ICT for learning amongst students from vulnerable communities – the socio-economically disadvantaged, racial and ethnic minorities, students in unfavourable environments.
Yet, these are the children who need help the most, as continuously, research has shown that they are most likely to drop out of school out of disinterest, involved in crime, and substance use such as alcohol and drugs.
Now, more than ever, we need to address the situation that our vulnerable children are in. It is not just the right thing to do, it is absolutely necessary for the future of our nation.
Inequalities divide and destabilise nations. They are a threat to our social progress as well as economic and political stability. They threaten development, human rights, peace and security of our nations.
Therefore, conscious engagement of vulnerable children, and assisting them to procure digital literacy will help them gain high-valued skillsets, and enable them to attain higher education.
Investing in developing digital literacy for these vulnerable children will help them advance their knowledge, gain employment, and secure their future, enable their upward mobility, and thereby securing our nation’s economic future as they grow into contributing adults in the workforce.
As part of Sunway University’s RDICE (Research, Development, Innovation, Commercialisation, and Economy) ecosystem which leans on a collaborative model with industries, start-ups, policymakers to solve sustainability challenges in our country. In recent years, our researchers at Sunway University have studied the factors that would engage vulnerable students in computer use.
We looked at how much they enjoyed the use of computers for learning and how the use of ICT would lead to their academic development and how it helps them develop creativity.
We explored the key factors influencing computer use for learning to understand whether computer use for learning could lead to improved academic enthusiasm and creativity.
We had wanted to see if these students from vulnerable communities would develop greater interest and motivation in school through the use of computers, therefore curbing truancy rates, and increasing their interest in school.
From our study, we found that only a little more than half of the students from vulnerable communities had limited access from computers in urban areas, and less than half of children in rural areas had access to computers.
We also found that students are more encouraged to use computers when their families, teachers, and peers believe that they should use it.
Most importantly, we found that the availability of the proper resources, support, and knowledge would encourage students to use computers for learning.
The findings showed that computer use for learning amongst students from vulnerable communities leads to increased academic enthusiasm. They are more interested, more motivated and understood subjects better in schools and develop their creativity when they use computers.
“IT DOES TAKE A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD”
Teachers, who are generally viewed as authority figures could play a key role on how well students use computers for their learning.
They can show students how computers can help them acquire the relevant resources and information they need to improve their learning experience. In rural schools where the library is under-resourced, computers provide students access to the “global digital library” and knowledge networks.
As a result, students would be more aware of how technology can be leveraged to enhance their learning, subsequently reinforcing their perceptions of technology use for learning purposes.
It would behoove us to develop capability among teachers to be proficient in using the digital teaching and learning platforms and adopt creative learning curriculum design, delivery modes, and student assessments using technology.
A more holistic approach to developing a computer-aided educational ecosystem will go a long way to increase computer use among students from the vulnerable population.
Currently, we are lacking technology-integrated learning materials in different languages. Teachers have an opportunity to develop new digital content.
Subsequently, this new content could be an important source of home-grown intellectual property that could benefit the education system, in which teachers who develop the content could be rewarded in the form of financial incentives and recognition.
Teachers can then apply these newly developed content in their technology-integrated classrooms when teaching the core subjects.
As a result, this could heighten student interest in their education, contextualised to the local environment. Additionally, teachers would also encourage greater collaboration and engagement in classrooms, which will reinforce group-based learning among students.
Since the peer group was found to impact computer use for learning amongst students, schools should endeavour to create ICT champions amongst students.
For example, schools could implement a ‘buddy system’ whereby a student ICT champion is entrusted with a student with lower ICT literacy. The ICT champion initiative amongst students will have several spill-over impacts. Students can nurture their leadership and communication skills through this initiative.
This initiative can be mutually beneficial for students as they can learn from each other. Furthermore, students who are at a higher proficiency level can assist other teachers and students who are less proficient at using computers in formal and informal learning environments.
This formation of the ‘support group’ within the school will be critical for encouraging teachers and students who are laggards in using technology to catch-up with others who are more proficient in computer-aided teaching and learning.
For teachers in rural areas, where computers are available only in schools, they could employ innovative teaching pedagogies using technology to create an enjoyable learning experience by integrating quiz or game-based elements in classes as a form of a learning exercise for students.
There are studies that have shown parental involvement in schools also affects student engagement and academic success.
One way that parents can be involved in their child’s school experience is through the parent-teacher association. For example, parents can form an ICT task force through the parent-teacher association to oversee students’ involvement and use of technology in teaching and learning in schools.
Additionally, parents can volunteer their service or invite industry professionals to schools as guest teachers. For example, parents with a career in the IT industry could offer to give talks to students and mentor some of the teachers in the use of computers. This will enrich the student learning experience and foster stronger cooperation among parents, teachers, and schools in ensuring that the students get the most conducive learning environment.
As key stakeholders, policymakers play an important role in implementing strategies and policies to enhance technology-integrated learning in schools. Policymakers could seek to ensure that computers, or technology used in schools, are user-friendly for students and teachers. These include providing adequate resources to upgrade and maintain the ICT facilities and laboratories in the schools.
User-friendly educational technology which are vernacular-based would also be helpful to students.
In areas where schools have less access to computers, schools can encourage computer learning after school hours.
Corporations and others can help by identifying schools that are lacking in computers and donating refurbished computers to these schools instead of discarding their devices, which then ends up in landfills and pollute the earth.
Policymakers could consider the types of computer-aided programs coupled with extra-curricular activities that can be piloted to students from vulnerable communities in other national school systems. A well-curated computer-aided program in the national school system can go a long way to increase academic enthusiasm, reduce truancy rates, and enable students to acquire skill sets that will prepare them for an information-driven workforce.
Recognising the importance of computer education in transforming the lives of children from vulnerable communities, Sunway Group in partnership with Sunway University has contributed to the establishment of new computer labs for students from vulnerable communities in Malaysia.
Sunway’s contribution is also channelled to support further research in understanding the role of computer education in enhancing creativity and academic enthusiasm among children from this community. Sunway’s ICT literary initiative isn’t aimed to just be a one-off program, but also to ensure sustainability and to also produce students who are able to adapt to changes taking place in the global landscape and to be future leaders who will contribute positively to society. These endeavours are aligned to meeting the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 – providing quality education for all segments of the population.
By Professor Mahendhiran Sanggaran Nair, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research Engagement & Impact), Sunway University and Fellow of Academy of Sciences Malaysia
