Critical Success Factors in Moving Toward Digital Equity

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to focus on critical success factors for moving education towards digital equity to support learning opportunities worldwide. The limited access and use of Information Technologies (IT) are widely regarded as a global challenge that exclude individuals, schools, educational systems and communities from opportunities to experience powerful learning chances made possible with information technologies. This chapter is focused on understanding the factors that are embedded in successful efforts to move toward digital equity in different contexts. Dimensions for digital equity (Resta & Laferrière, 2008) are used for identifying success factors to foster widespread awareness about the potential value of learning technologies. The chapter discusses several exemplary efforts to help bridge the digital divide and the factors that appear to have contributed to their success. The examples from different parts of the world illustrate how advanced information technologies can enhance teacher effectiveness and learner achievement in culturally and socio-economically diverse contexts.