The Impact of Digital Learning on Minoritized and Poverty-Affected College Students: A Literature Review

The focus of this resource paper is to assess the effectiveness of digital learning in decreasing equity gaps as well as the impact digital learning has on specific student populations: those who identify as Black, Latino, and Indigenous; students from low-income backgrounds; and first-generation students. In this study, digital learning includes a broad range of curricular models, content and communication tools, design strategies, and instruction that personalizes instruction for students in both blended and online learning environments. This does not include emergency remote instruction during the lockdown and shelter stages of the COVID-19 pandemic as the variables of that situation—such as illness, trauma, and lack of digital learning tools and broadband access—cannot be reasonably included in data collected during normal campus operations. Rather, this study will focus on specifically designed curriculum and pedagogy for online and blended classes.