|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The LBJ School and Digital Divide ResearchThe Lyndon B. Johnson Graduate School of Public Affairs has always been concerned with undertaking participatory research to involve citizens in solving the problems of society. Much of this research has been carried out in year long core courses called Policy Research Projects. Since 1992, Professors Lodis Rhodes and Gary Chapman, as well as others at the LBJ School, have worked with graduate students and the Austin community to enhance access to technology throughout the city. The projects have ranged from finding real estate and hard infrastructure to current projects investigating the content and effectiveness of resource use. 1992: Family Learning CentersThe LBJ School began its work in 1992 helping organize and manage family learning centers (FLCs). Working with groups of teachers from Northeast Austin, the team worked to create new learning spaces for students and their parents. The first site opened at the Booker T. Washington Housing Development. This university-community partnership developed a relationship with the Department of Education to create more FLCs. Difficulties in acquisition of real estate became a problem, but obtaining materials was quite successful. Once up and running, the materials for the FLCs expanded to include technology. At this time, the research effort within the LBJ School shifted from the development of actual organizations to providing access to those communities. 1994: Universal Service PolicyIn 1994, the LBJ School began work on the Policy Research Project "Evolution of Universal Service Policy in Texas". Funded by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, the core of the research was to survey those without phones in the state of Texas. "The research strategy was based on the premise that since universal service - availability and affordability - remains a prominent goal in a rapidly changing telecommunications environment, it is important to have detailed knowledge about why some segments of our population do not have telephone service in the home" (1). This was the first such research effort in the state of Texas and led to policy recommendations that could easily increase Texas phone penetration by 2 to 3 percent. http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/research/Rhodes-PRP/universal_access/ 1995: Nothin' But Free NetTaking the idea of universal service a step further, the LBJ School went on to focus on the "technology gap" that separated some members of the community from access to personal computers and the Internet. The Policy Research Project examined investments in telecommunications as well as the concept of social capital as an analytic tool. The group took this research to the streets to help build a network of computers and a website developed by and for the community. Using the "learn and serve" method of participatory research, the team helped in the development of Nothin’ But Free Net (now Austin Free-Net) and the 11th and 12th Street Corridor Project (now East Austin Neighborhood Network). http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/research/Rhodes-PRP/universal_access/event1.html The research team also extended themselves beyond the weekday school schedule to participate with the College and Career Preparatory Program for young adult ALA members. The preparatory program was the continuation of FamilyCare, another program at the organization focused on family and technology. Many of the students from ALA were able to attend local university conferences, and the researchers gained more valuable data and provided the participants with an experience that cannot be learned in a book or structured environment. 1996: AFN-Neighborhood NetworkThe AFN-Neighborhood Network project developed the idea for an easy way for new users of the Internet and World Wide Web to tell others about their neighborhood and to share information which is important to them. New users could provide virtual tours of their neighborhoods and serve as tour guides. Families participating in Austin Learning Academy programs worked with Austin Free-Net volunteers and students from the University of Texas to develop AFN-Neighbor. AFN-Neighbor begins the first concerted effort to develop the individual and organizational capacities needed to sustain public access in Austin, the Austin Access Model. The model is a way for our community to provide equitable access to computer technologies for Austin citizens who do not have computers in their homes. The 11th/12th Street Corridor project is supported in part by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the National Science Foundation, and the Lyndon B. Johnson Foundation. http://www.alaweb.org/neighbor/index.htm 1998: Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT)EBT is the use of digital information and telecommunications technologies to assist government in the distribution of benefits to eligible constituents. These benefits can be the delivery of services, or the transfer of funds or information. Government agencies have been under pressure to cut costs and improve the efficiency of these benefit programs while providing the same level of services, and the use of EBT technology is a way to achieve these goals. EBT automates many of the administrative processes in these programs, freeing government resources and employees to more effectively serve constituents. The information on at the following site was produced and compiled by an LBJ School Policy Research Project (PRP) on Electronic Benefits Transfer, in coordination with the State's Office of the Comptroller of Public Accounts. Throughout the site, you will find information about EBT programs as well as the tools to determine if a public sector agency's programs are suited to Electronic Benefits Transfer. http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/21cp/ebt/ebtinfo.htm 1999: Dawson Neighborhood NetworkIn March of 1999, LBJ researchers and the ALA community were able to bring their network to life. The participants included the Dawson Neighborhood Association and the local library. A neighborhood church, in cooperation with the Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network, put up the first web pages on the Dawson Neighborhood website. On the last day of the program, they had a surprising turnout: more than 25 children. This meant that one of the researchers' other goals had been reached, which was to inspire participation in the technology initiative and build voluntary engagement between participants towards further community building. Social capital was enhanced among the participants in the program. Another component of this research team's project was the inclusion of other university programs and initiatives, by reaching out to neighboring programs and staying informed about their computer technology efforts. For example, they were in contact with the Management of Technology program at the University of Texas at San Antonio, which was attempting to identify effective ways of implementing computer technology in formal education settings. http://www.alaweb.org/rhodesprp98/index.html 2000: HomeFrontThe most recently completed research project investigated the benefits to families from having personal computers in their homes. First, they surveyed participants in ALA programs on computer use. They also assisted ALA with the evaluation of their FamilyCare programs. The students designed a survey which asked which community locations people felt most comfortable in, what they most often used computers to do, and what community information they wanted to be able to access via the Internet. In addition to the survey, the researchers engaged in ALA off-site activities to gain further insight into the participant’s lives and how they felt about the programs. Through these activities, researchers developed the trust necessary to move to the next phase – implementation of the HomeFront program, which placed personal computers in selected participants' homes. Program participants were chosen from one of ALA's GED classes based on criteria set by ALA. Once chosen, participants met with researchers to be introduced to their computers, discuss their familiarity with the hardware and software, and determine what software they would like to have on the computer. Then families received their computers and were offered technical support by students. As the project progressed, it became obvious that the computers provided were not of adequate quality. Participants revealed various frustrations. One family became frustrated due to constant involuntary disconnections from the Internet. The mother of another family had limited literacy in English and was apprehensive about using computer software, which was mostly structured in English. A third family mentioned the desire to enter chat rooms, but appropriate information for Internet safety and etiquette was not provided early on. Additionally, although the participants had use of computers in their ALA classes, research findings indicated that full explanation of the basics of the Internet, Internet terminology, and computer literacy had been firmly established. The policy implications of researchers' analysis was that organizations that provide Internet access for disadvantaged groups, such as students in low funded schools or working class adults in rural areas, should provide a social infrastructure as well as equipment. (2) Moreover, for an organization to increase the likelihood of program sustainability, partnerships must be built with other organizations that can help provide this infrastructure. |
Notes
this page last updated |
