With our high internet penetration rate and buzz surrounding all the new technologies and innovations, it’s easy to forget that digital divide still exists in developed nations like Singapore and the United States. We are honoured to have Prof Mega Subramaniam from the University of Maryland to talk about tackling the ‘usage’ and ‘performance’ gaps in the digital divide through a community driven initiative. This event consists of a seminar and two workshops.
Group photo with seminar participants at innovation 4.0
During the seminar, Prof Subramaniam presented the Marylanders Online Project, which focuses on empowering all Marylanders with cognitive skills and knowledge to use computers, the Internet, and digital resources to achieve their objectives. This project consists of a digital literacy repository that every Marylander can access, a customisable train-the-trainer content for instructors, and online call centers. She also shared some of the pain points, and spoke fondly of the immense joy of doing such work.
The seminar recordings are available here:
Group photo with research workshop participants
In the research workshop, Prof Subramaniam delved into principals of design-based implementation method that can help researchers develop a ‘ground-up’ digital literacy curriculum. For example, her team conducted stakeholder needs assessment, ran a state-wide Digital Literacy Summit, curated existing resources, and conducted 1:1 interviews with Marylanders.
Closed-door Workshop Discussion
Prof Subramaniam, together with Assoc Prof Natalie Pang, from the National University of Singapore, also led meaningful conversations among policymakers in a closed-door workshop. Some pertinent discussions surround the challenges of reaching out to vulnerable groups, and the role of AI in digital literacy.