Attending (to) Class: An Intersectional Study of COVID-19 Adaptation in Universities in Canada and Africa [Funder: Carleton University COVID-19 Rapid Research Response Grants]

With universities across the globe rapidly moving their curriculums online, this pilot study examines the gendered, socio-economic, racialized, and rural/urban contexts that shape access and participation in distance education for women and men students. Focused on one university in each of Canada, Kenya, and Sierra Leone, this project will examine access and use of the technology (phones, computers, internet) needed for distance education, and the differences in class, race, and rural/urban locations, alongside other obligations, including caring roles, that women and men students navigate when undertaking their studies. The four lead researchers, Professors Aisha Ibrahim (University of Sierra Leone), Sarah Kinyanjui (University of Nairobi), Blair Rutherford and Doris Buss (Carleton University), together with student researchers from each university, will conduct interviews and focus group discussions with students and university administrators at each institution. The resulting data on intersecting inequalities and student access to distance learning will inform ongoing COVID-19 responses.