THE DIGITAL (IN)EQUITY CRISIS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: Narratives from the Field

Digital inequity was considered a smoldering crisis by many experts long before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. With the global spread of the virus, face-to-face teaching was forced into emergency remote teaching almost overnight, and digital inequity turned into a major crisis which could no longer be ignored. This qualitative inquiry aimed to explore this crisis through the first-hand experiences of 46 educators who were also graduate students at a US university. Thematic analysis of the narratives resulted in three themes: 1) the alarm mode, 2) the shift mode, and 3) the hot wash mode. The researchers concluded that digital inequity was neither a single nor an isolated occurrence, but a multilayered crisis, encompassing political, economic, and social factors. To bring about a large-scale comprehensive digital reform globally, decision makers had to collaborate to reduce inequalities because waiting around for another crisis was not an option. © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Simone Maddanu and Emanuele Toscano; individual chapters, the contributors.