The topic 3 readings got me thinking more about the concept of ‘Digital Redlining’ and the affect that has on how accessible educational resources are to you and how it begets the possibility of discrimination occurring based on how these resources are prevented from being accessed. Digital Redlining essentially creates boundaries/limitations on the knowledge that is made available to students due to organizational policies put in place by administration at learning institutions. These arbitrary boundaries are seemingly predatory as the article examined the inequities that occur between community colleges and other post-secondary institutions. Namely how ‘Digital Redlining’ reinforces class boundaries as information that may be readily available at a university with more prestige can be hidden entirely in the context of a community college due to filters blocking the online access of those materials.
I believe that digital redlining is a very ominous occurrence that discredits the education you ultimately receive. As someone pursuing a post-secondary education this is a practice that feels entirely dishonest and can end up having a huge ramifications on your future goals and career choices due to the limitations placed on your capacity for learning.
Digital Redlining and Accessibility
This introduces the danger of perpetuating misinformation and discrimination based on socioeconomic/demographic factors. This can also guide a student’s knowledge and educational journey unbeknownst to them as they are unaware of the information that is inaccessible; meaning that to them that source of information on a topic essentially does not exist. This is an ironic practice in the sense that an institution that is dedicated to educating the masses at the same time places limitations on how much education they are able to receive. It places a glass ceiling on the upper limits of learning and stifles a students’ creative processes by pigeonholing their access to ‘open’ educational resources available on the internet. This also begs the question of how much are you willing to spend in order to get a formal education that is free from outside controlling factors?
The Digital Divide
There is an assumption that goes alongside the argument for OER-enabled pedagogy which is that all students have reliable access to the internet and the necessary technology to access those online educational resources. This digital divide brought on by an individual’s socioeconomic standing brings to light how the implementation and approach of OERs needs to be carefully monitored as there exists the risk of exacerbating current existing inequalities further.
Further Implications of Digital Redlining in OERs
According to Munro (2019) there are certain inequities that are built into many digital algorithms, namely in this context algorithms that exist within search engines that compile and present scholarly output to the public (i.e., Google, Bing, etc.). Munro further adds that these inequities can also become prevalent within academia, and subsequently OERs, as the existing scholarly communication infrastructure is reliant on said search engines and other technologies that make scholarly content available to student researchers. This calls for the careful monitoring of the underlying processes within these technologies in order to eliminate barriers to equitable resources for students. Administrative policies must be put in place in order to stay diligent and not recreate environments which perpetuate existing biases and stereotypes.
Here is a useful link which is coincidentally an OER that expands further on the history and concept of Digital Redlining. I found this to be an excellent supplementary ‘lesson’ that helped to round out my knowledge on this matter.
References:
Gilliard, C., & Culik, H. (2016, May 24). Digital Redlining, Access, and Privacy. Common Sense Education.
Munro, K. (2019). Renewing the system: Thinking broadly about equity, diversity, and inclusion in scholarly communication. College & Research Libraries News, 80(7), 374. doi:https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.80.7.374
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