Pair technology access with targeted investments in infrastructure, staffing, and support, and pilot initiatives with dedicated budgets¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 qualitative), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

The report recommends treating infrastructure investment as inseparable from technology adoption: "upgrading network capacity, ensuring device access, addressing data privacy, and building in accessibility from the start rather than as an afterthought." A practical starting point is piloting initiatives with a dedicated budget for infrastructure and support, then using that data to justify broader investment. Support should extend beyond technical help to pedagogical guidance, multilingual resources, and accommodations for students with disabilities.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Sustained investment in infrastructure, staffing, and support explicitly reflected in funding decisions

Constraints¶

• Smaller or less well-resourced institutions face persistent infrastructure and licensing-cost limits

Target Learners¶

• Higher education students, especially those from underserved backgrounds

Target Learning Goals¶

• Equitable access to AI, OER, and digital learning technologies

Claims¶

• Equity commitments in technology adoption face ongoing constraints from infrastructure, funding, and organizational capacity [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Make nine 'big plays' across three focus areas — sustaining access infrastructure, upskilling the educator workforce, and upskilling students, families, and caregivers — in state digital equity and BEAD plans
• Sustain broadband and device access beyond grant funds by inserting permanent upgrade clauses in ISP contracts and adopting 'device as service' procurement models at state scale
• Invest in dedicated instructional technology leadership roles and role-specific professional learning for AI literacy
• Prioritize sustained, pedagogically grounded faculty TPACK development over one-off technology workshops and infrastructure investment
• Invest in technological infrastructure for evidence generation, including synthetic data, shared platforms, and privacy-enhancing technologies
• Pair literacy accountability indicators with funded professional development and aligned mandates

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Jacob, S., Miceli, H., Schneider, H., & Peters Hinton, V. (2026). Institutional conditions for integrating emerging technologies in higher education. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/294