Bridging the Gap: Ensuring Digital Equity through WiFi Hotspot Lending

Since colleges and universities across the country moved to emergency remote learning for the spring 2020 semester, it has become abundantly clear there is a very real digital divide among students and families who have access to a home computer and/or reliable, high-speed Internet and those that do not. With many classes again being offered through online modalities for the Fall 2020, and social distancing guidelines limiting computer lab space, this divide will continue to inhibit students' abilities to easily complete their course work. To ease the digital divide and improve students academic success, Montana State University MSU Library requests funding for four Wi-Fi hotspots and data plans to increase access to the Internet for those students most in need. The Wi-Fi hotspots will be loaned to students on medium- to long-term check-outs to enable them access their course content either as on-campus or online students. The hotspots will be offered through an application process to identify students with high-need and marketed to programs on campus that already work closely with underrepresented students.

Project Details

Organization Name

Montana State University

Organization Type
Academic institution
All of Us
Project Lead

Meghan Salsbury

Location
Montana
Start Date
August 17, 2020
End Date
April 30, 2021
Funding Amount
$12000
Demographics
Library or Information Professional
Student, College & Post-grad
Adults (19-64 yrs.)
Teens (13-18 yrs.)