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To zoom or not to zoom: The impact of rural broadband on online learning
Author(s) -
Boerngen Maria A.,
Rickard Justin W.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
natural sciences education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2168-8281
DOI - 10.1002/nse2.20044
Subject(s) - zoom , asynchronous communication , the internet , modalities , broadband , multimedia , digital divide , variety (cybernetics) , internet access , work (physics) , computer science , digital content , public relations , psychology , internet privacy , world wide web , sociology , engineering , political science , telecommunications , social science , mechanical engineering , artificial intelligence , petroleum engineering , lens (geology)
Abstract In the midst of the 2020 global health crisis, universities have been forced to alter teaching modalities. Much of this alteration involves increased use of the internet as a teaching tool in a variety of capacities. The evolving higher education landscape has resulted in many university faculty members reevaluating basic teaching concepts such as content delivery formats. These include delivering content either synchronously or asynchronously. Although existing literature examines the effectiveness of both synchronous and asynchronous delivery, very little exists pertaining to the role of internet access in higher education, even as rural America falls behind in broadband access. This accessibility increases in importance as more courses are taught online, with the digital divide introducing barriers for many rural students. As faculty work to maintain their own personal teaching styles while being cognizant of student needs, it is important to evaluate content delivery as a function of rural broadband availability.