Resisting microaggressions in computing disciplines

The purpose of our session is to explore the microaggressions experienced by faculty, staff and students, and develop strategies for coping and persisting in the field. Microaggressions are brief and commonplace verbal, behavioral or environmental indignities (whether intentional or unintentional) that communicate hostility, insensitivity and negativity to an individual or group (Sue, et al, 2007). Microaggressions communicate beliefs about who is expected to participate in and succeed in fields of study. In computing, this plays a significant role in how those from under-represented groups perceive and experience participation, engagement and retention in the discipline. Factors such as career fit and progression, institutional fit, social and professional isolation, mentoring and career support are particularly critical to retention and career progression of people from underrepresented groups. Our two-part interactive session is motivated by two questions: How are micro aggressions experienced by faculty, staff and students from under represented groups in computing?And what strategies can we employ to reduce micro aggressions and improve representation in the field

The Challenges of Redressing the Digital Divide: A Tale of Two Cities

This paper presents a study that was designed to examine efforts undertaken by two citiesóAtlanta and LaGrange, Georgiaóto redress the digital divide. Atlantaís initiative has taken the form of community technology centers where citizens can come to get exposure to information technology and to learn something about computers and their applications. LaGrange has taken a very different approach, providing free Internet access to the home via a digital cable set-top box. This research is designed to examine the strengths and limitations of the two initiatives, with the goal of understanding why neither effort has had the impact that policy makers had hoped for with respect to solving the digital divide problem. Our findings indicate that the relationship between access and use of IT is not deterministic. Social processes that exist at both the institutional and individual levels of analysis complicate this relationship. From the institutional perspective, a persistent divide exists even when cities are giving away a theoretically ìfree goodî or service. Free goods often took the form of a training course that delivered little more than basic IT literacy and computer hardware of inferior quality and capabilities. From the individual perspective, we found that economic capital explains gaps in physical access to IT, but social capital and cultural capital explain gaps in the ability to use IT as well as disparities in the benefits that one derives from IT use. Therefore, as IT access continues to proliferate to nontraditional communities of users, sustainability of these digital divide initiatives should not continue to be measured in purely economic and technological terms. We must also consider the sustainability of the innovative elements: the participants

Barriers, control and identity in health information seeking among African American women

Qualitative research methods were used to examine the role of racial, cultural, and socio-economic group (i.e., communal) identities on perceptions of barriers and control related to traditional and internet resources for seeking health information. Eighteen lower income, African American women participated in training workshops on using the internet for health, followed by two focus groups. Transcripts were analyzed using standardized coding methods. Results demonstrated that participants perceived the internet as a tool for seeking health information, which they believed would empower them within formal healthcare settings. Participants invoked racial, cultural, and socio-economic identities when discussing barriers to seeking health information within healthcare systems and the internet. The findings indicate that the internet may be a valuable tool for accessing health information among lower income African American women if barriers are reduced. Recommendations are made that may assist health providers in improving health information seeking outcomes of African American women

A conceptual framework for examining digital inequality

Abstract As information and communication technologies (ICT

A Delphi Study of RFID Applicable Business Processes and Value Chain Activities in Retail

For this research we use Delphi technique to identify the key business processes and value chain activities that are improved by RFID. Our Delphi study involves 74 experts from different domains such as consulting, retail, academia, and third party service providers. We also explored whether there is any difference in expert perceptions about RFID applicable business processes and value chain activities across different business associations

The Bumpy Road to Universal Access: An Actor-Network Analysis of a US Municipal Broadband Internet Initiative

Universal high-speed Internet access can productively transform a nation’s economy. However, many municipalities in the U.S. have been left behind in terms of Internet penetration. Some municipal governments have tried to address this by launching initiatives that aim at offering citywide, universal broadband access. Unfortunately, most of these initiatives have either been discontinued or have ended in failure. Drawing on actor-network theory, we conducted a three-year study to investigate the evolution of the Internet TV initiative in LaGrange, Georgia, U.S. The results reveal distinct interpretations of the initiative by different actor groups (the government, the service providers, socioeconomically advantaged residents, and socioeconomically disadvantaged residents), at different stages of implementation, pointing to tensions among the various groups. These tensions reflect the structural problems embedded in the macro political, economic, and societal context. The findings offer insights for policymakers who intend to achieve universal broadband access