Universities must stop presuming that all students are tech-savvy

Many people make an assumption that everyone has a computer or laptop and the internet at home. I'm sorry to disappoint those with that belief but there are 100s of homes without this technology for various reasons e.g. internet isn't available in that area, seen as a luxury that some families cannot afford. Several years back in London students would frequent internet cafes in Blackburn and Bradford things were much the same. I know of a few universities have loaned students laptops if they didn't have IT resources at home, but what use is the laptop without being able to access the university student portal and its online library or even the www. I've observed a student being turned away from the university library because he hadn't booked a space online, even after he explained the no IT access the member of staff said it was the rules and turned him away despite their being empty seats. So not only are public libraries and internet cafes closed, it seems that some university libraries are closed maybe not by the policy of the university but by some 'jobs worth' who aims to make life difficult for students no matter what the circumstances.

"In fact, class, race and gender are often important factors" Surpised we had to wait until paragaraph 4 for this entirely unexpected revelation

What if the household does have one computer or laptop, yay! but there are 2-3 children/university students in the household who all need to use it for home schooling and university lectures? Perhaps the parents need it too if they are now working from home... Ultimately, in some households one would need to have one computer/laptop/tablet per person.

With the rise of distance and virtual learning in the past year, do you think this assumption has hurt student learning outcomes at various levels? Students of all ages were tossed into virtual learning with a ‘sink or swim’ feeling, which makes me wonder if some students are falling behind because of access to required technology or their understanding of how to use the programs.