Sustainable Methodology for Operational and Formal Digital Skills Acquisition: A Case Study of e-Health Inclusion

Susana Muñoz-Hernández, Clara Benac-Earle, Angel Herranz Nieva and Mayte Gonzalez-McGuinness
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Susana Muñoz-Hernández: Departamento de Lenguajes y Sistemas Informáticos e Ingeniería de Software (DLSIIS), Campus de Montegancedo, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28660 Madrid, Spain
Clara Benac-Earle: Departamento de Lenguajes y Sistemas Informáticos e Ingeniería de Software (DLSIIS), Campus de Montegancedo, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28660 Madrid, Spain
Angel Herranz Nieva: Departamento de Lenguajes y Sistemas Informáticos e Ingeniería de Software (DLSIIS), Campus de Montegancedo, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28660 Madrid, Spain
Mayte Gonzalez-McGuinness: Departamento de Lenguajes y Sistemas Informáticos e Ingeniería de Software (DLSIIS), Campus de Montegancedo, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28660 Madrid, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 17, 1-20

Abstract: This study explains the rationale of a methodology developed by the Universidad Politécnica of Madrid (UPM) group TechPeopleCare as applied to the e-Health Inclusion through ICT Training project partly funded by the European Institute of Technology EIT-Health in 2019. An initial sample of 168 participants with different lifestyles and migrant backgrounds, with high female participation, were recruited in three different countries by three different organisations following strict ethical protocols that limit the data that can be shared. The learning materials were aimed at people lacking the operational and formal skills to use digital media, for example, using a mouse, a keyboard, and navigating the Internet. This learning would enable these cohorts to become beneficiaries of e-Health interventions, such as making a doctor’s appointment, accessing a health record, finding the location of a health centre or the nearest open pharmacy. By the end of the training programme, we found that the motivation to learn was high. The possibility of reviewing learning content at the individual’s pace and without the need of an instructor was appreciated, especially by younger cohorts with migrant backgrounds. A majority reported being satisfied with their learning of the health systems, unique to each country, and willing to learn more regardless of the training method. However, allowing for individual and independent learning “by doing” appears more accessible to suit different lifestyles and more sustainable than traditional computer classes. Since social and digital inequality are intertwined, sustainable and innovative learning programmes in developing countries within communities specifically addressing the acquisition of operational and formal skills are a pre-condition to move forward and bridge the gap of being on the wrong side of the digital divide.

Keywords: adult learning; digital inequality; sustainability; e-Health; digital learning methodology; digital skills; older learners; digital inclusion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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