NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY DIGITAL DIVIDE: STUDENT INSIGHTS

The digital divide continues to be an issue for many Native American individuals in rural tribal areas. This research used a qualitative grounded theory method from the data collection of semi-structured interviews with Native American university students. The open coding of the transcribed responses was used to analyze the text data from individual Native American experiences. The data analysis codes included cost, location, access, digital literacy, and technology knowledge as continuing issues. The coding also shows limited technical support or training availability in the communities. The absence of technology use increases the need to understand factors that remain digital divide barriers for Native American communities. The digital divide - individual experiences model (DD-IEM) is based on three main categories: community, education, and home environments. Six propositions produced the DD-IEM that encompasses digital environments within the three settings that are unique to each individual

How Wearable Technology Will Replace Verbal Authentication or Passwords for Universal Secure Authentication for Healthcare

Technology use is increasing in healthcare services, creating a concern for privacy, security, accessibility, and sharing of personal information. The issue increases for persons with disabilities. Cognitive, physical, or multiple disabilities make identification of individuals difficult or impossible, thus increasing the need for a caregiver or family member to verify the individual’s identity. The paper will present a conceptual model of knowledge contribution in patient authentication without verbal information exchange through the following factors: authentication with wearable technology, central location for personal information, and an authentication context model direction

Digital Divide in Rural Native American Homes: A Student Perspective

Native American homes located in rural western North Dakota have seen increased availability of broadband and fiber optic Internet but continue to have low access numbers. Native American homes in the region located outside population centers continue to have difficulty accessing the Internet. Many households continue to struggle with economic factors compounded by the cost of a device to access the Internet for personal, educational, or employment use. A qualitative study with semi-structured interviews and the grounded theory method investigated the Native American home environment. Interviews were conducted with Native American students attending a state university with insight into diverse digital environments. The cost of access and technical knowledge continue to be issues in the home. This research deepens the understanding of digital divide factors in Native American households, emphasizing the perspective of Native American students

Native American Rural Community Digital Divide: Student Insights

The digital divide continues to be an issue for many Native American individuals in rural tribal areas. This research used a qualitative grounded theory method from the data collection of semi-structured interviews with Native American university students. The open coding of the transcribed responses was used to analyze the text data from individual Native American experiences. The data analysis codes included cost, location, access, digital literacy, and technology knowledge as continuing issues. The coding also shows limited technical support or training availability in the communities. The absence of technology use increases the need to understand factors that remain digital divide barriers for Native American communities. The digital divide - individual experiences model (DD-IEM) is based on three main categories: community, education, and home environments. Six propositions produced the DD-IEM that encompasses digital environments within the three settings that are unique to each individual