The world has dealt with many challenges that arose out of COVID-19. In the education system, poor attendance and a lack of student engagement have been a concern for many schools, particularly in areas where attendance and engagement were low before COVID-19. While online learning and homeschooling allowed school to continue throughout restrictions and lockdowns, not every school and student had a positive learning experience. And with the flow-on effect of absenteeism and lack of student engagement meaning the potential for funding and teaching staff cuts, schools need solutions that will engage students and increase attendance. Digital inclusion is one way that schools can address persistent truancy and low student engagement. Keep reading to learn how technology is important in driving positive learning outcomes and how companies outside the education sector can contribute.
Technology plays a key role in the modern classroom
According to the University of New South Wales, 83 per cent of teachers agree that socio-economic factors impact students' access to the technology they need to learn. With technology becoming commonplace in learning environments, from laptops to ICT equipment such as big screens and phones or tablets used for interactive learning, the ability to provide a modern and engaging learning experience has grown in recent years. However, a decline in students’ ability to learn over the last three to five years presents new challenges. The technology may be available, but how can it be best used to create an engaging and individualised learning experience without leaving particular regions behind?
Digital inclusion can improve student engagement
Driven by the move to a digitised economy, digital inclusion and literacy is a key step that could be taken to engage students in the classroom following the last two years of remote learning. In Australia, 3 per cent of households aren’t connected to the internet. Equating to 1.3 million homes, mostly in rural areas, there are school students who don’t have access to the digital connectivity they need to be engaged to learn. Organisations such as the Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance (ADIA) have developed roadmaps that strategise how Australia can close its “digital connectivity gap”. According to the ADIA, school students without internet access and appropriate devices find it more difficult to keep up at school — academically and socially.
Solutions such as affordable internet plans and supporting low-income and vulnerable populations to access devices are two key actions suggested to boost digital inclusion. With these resources available, teachers and students alike can foster technology-enabled learning approaches, such as virtual reality, video content, absorbing content at home for practical application at school, online quizzes, educational apps, multimedia assessments, and gamification. If internet service providers and Government organisations are looking to develop more affordable data services for those who need them, companies can do their part by sustainably procuring their devices.
Quadrent’s Green Lease helps companies boost digital inclusion
Quadrent’s Green Lease allows companies to become part of the circular economy and contribute to boosting digital inclusion. With its customer-centric sustainable technology lifecycle, Quadrent manages all end-of-lease activities, such as securely decommissioning devices. And by doing these activities before devices become too old or overused, laptops can remain in use longer by having a “second life” in a less intensive corporate environment. In the case of Quadrent’s Green Lease, this “second life” can be in the form of a laptop being provided to students for education purposes. This not only helps companies lower their environmental footprint with less devices ending up in landfills, but it also provides positive social impacts.
Companies can play a critical role in improving digital inclusion with Quadrent’s Green Lease, while Government and telecommunications organisations improve access to data services. Not only can this help companies measurably contribute to ESG objectives, but the broader positive social impacts make it a valuable financing option that keeps devices in use for longer.
Quadrent works with organisations helping them proactively address their ESG risk by accurately managing their leased technology. With a team that has in-depth leasing knowledge and specialised accounting backgrounds, we’ll help you get the most value out of your assets while addressing growing ESG requirements and reporting expectations.
Start your ESG journey simply and effectively with Quadrent. Click here for more information.
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