Digital Inclusion Alchemy by Internet Backpack: ICT Policy Implications of Edge Computing & Cyber-Physical Infrastructure for Education

This paper assesses the broadband policy implications of the results of a STEM education research project bringing edge computing and cyber-physical infrastructure for broadband connectivity, trusted devices, and secure cloud and privacy and rights-protecting cognitive computing and wireless services, to underserved New York City school children at Timothy Dwight PS 33X in the South Bronx, New York City.

The objective of the digital inclusion study was to determine if new innovations that include edge bandwidth management capabilities, specifically the Internet Backpack, would improve quality of services and learning experiences for students in underserved communities.

The research question was whether this novel cyber-physical infrastructure would have a significant effect on science content mastery, by improving digital inclusion.

Our data shows statistically significant improvement in science mastery when uninterrupted Internet connectivity is provided, allowing students to engage in both curricular and extracurricular science projects unimpeded by digital divides.

This finding of improved academic performance from improved digital inclusion has several substantial policy implications.

First, it is not sufficient to provide intermittent connectivity if students are to be expected to perform in online learning environments, as so many have experienced throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Second, measures local school districts have taken, such as providing a Hotspot or lending laptops or tablets, while significant, may not be sufficient without enhanced edge computing capabilities, such as those made possible by the Internet Backpack.

Keywords: Internet Access, Digital Divide, Science Content Mastery, Internet Backpack, Edge Computing

JEL Classification: D1, D8, D9, H2, H4, H5, H7, I24, I25, I28, O3