NC Digital Equity Plan
In partnership with North Carolina Central University (NCCU) and the Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI), the Program Evaluation and Education Research (PEER) Group at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation led the effort to manage the development of a Digital Equity Asset Inventory for North Carolina, conduct a series of listening sessions across the state and facilitate the implementation and analysis of a statewide digital equity survey to help the North Carolina Department of Information Technology Division of Broadband and Digital Equity (NCDIT) develop a five-year digital equity plan.
Though a topic of academic study for many years, more information is needed to develop a common definition of “digital literacy” and measures for assessing it. With the Covid-19 pandemic rapidly increasing the shift of many vital resources and services to virtual platforms, researchers anticipate an uptick in information as pandemic relief programs are studied and reported. The deliverables below highlight available research on efforts to close the digital divide (see “Digital Literacy and Equity: Key Concepts and Best Practices”) and the need for further examination of elements that indicate digital literacy and related measures (see “Synthesis of Findings for Covered Populations”).