Open AccessThe 'Digital Access Divide' at a South African Dental School - A cross-sectional study - Part 1
Author(s) -
Thomas Corné Postma,
Leanne M. Sykes,
André Uys,
Paul Dieter Brandt,
Elmine Crafford
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
sadj
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2519-0105
pISSN - 1029-4864
DOI - 10.17159/2519-0105/2020/v75no7a4
Subject(s) - digital divide , psychological intervention , perspective (graphical) , the internet , internet access , medical education , reliability (semiconductor) , quality (philosophy) , cross sectional study , psychology , computer science , multimedia , medicine , world wide web , nursing , power (physics) , philosophy , physics , epistemology , pathology , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence
This study sought to investigate the digital divide, from an access perspective, of dental students at the University of Pretoria. Second to final year students (n= 218 (87.2% response rate) completed a custom-designed survey at the end of 2017. The investigation enquired about the digital devices and infra-structure they owned and used for study purposes. They were also asked to reveal the networks and resources they used to access online platforms and to comment on any other related access issues such as the quality of the Internet, speed and reliability, as well as cost and personal implications related to usage. A clear divide could be detected for a minority of students (±1/7). Individually targeted interventions will be required to ensure an equitable and fair online learning experience.