Over the past 18 months, we’ve talked a lot about how the COVID-19 pandemic called longstanding workplace models into question and drove a permanent shift to remote and hybrid work. But another knock-on effect of the pandemic has been to bring the idea of equity in education front and center.
When the crisis hit its peak, over 188 countries around the globe closed their schools as a precautionary public health measure. That’s estimated to have affected more than 90% of enrolled students worldwide. During the suspension of in-person learning, many of these educational systems shifted to all-digital distance learning models, which naturally relied heavily on three key elements: a reliable Internet connection; a software suite that’s optimized for the demands of e-learning; and a capable client device for students.
Among some households and school districts, these elements were already in place. Even prior to the pandemic, many districts were making use of solutions like Google for Education, which pairs teacher- and student-friendly digital workspaces with budget-friendly Chromebooks to provide a comprehensive platform for e-learning.
At the same time, the widespread adoption of distance learning has highlighted serious disparities in resources. Some districts, for example, simply aren’t able to equip all of their students with school-issued Chromebooks. Often there are essential legacy or specialized Windows apps that won’t run on tablets or older devices that students might have at home. Disparities like these can create barriers or gaps that prevent equal access in education.
This has real and far-reaching consequences. A study by the Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) that focused on equity in education found that in the Autumn of 2020 students in grades 4 to 6 were 5–25% behind where they would be in a typical academic year. Perhaps more worryingly, it was mostly lower-income students who were experiencing that delay.
In other words, the students who most stand to benefit from the equalizing effects of education are the ones who ended up falling behind. That’s unacceptable—not least because it runs contrary to the promise of digital technology and e-learning.
How does Virtual App Delivery help bridge the digital divide?
Cultivating true equal access in education is an effort that will span multiple organizations and sectors, but among e-learning advocates like Google for Education, Virtual App Delivery is widely recognized as an important piece of the puzzle.
Cameyo’s Virtual App Delivery platform in particular can help bring greater equity to education. That’s because it levels the differences—among individuals, households, student groups and entire school districts—that underlie so many of the barriers to inclusive access. Differences in operating systems, computer hardware, software compatibility, tech skills and even budgets are eliminated with Cameyo’s secure approach to virtual app delivery.
- Easy to use: Whether you’re approaching virtual app delivery as an IT administrator, teacher or student, Cameyo asks very little in terms of computer know-how. It’s incredibly simple to set up and configure, and there’s zero learning curve for students when it comes to accessing their familiar apps. If they can use a browser, they can use Cameyo.
- Universal: With Cameyo, it doesn’t matter if students are using an older Windows laptop, a brand-new Chromebook, a borrowed tablet or a public computer at the local library. Its HTML5 browser-based virtual app delivery allows them to securely access all of the educational apps and critical learning tools they need from any device, largely independent of its specs.
- Cost-effective: Some distance learning solutions, such as VPNs or other remote access software, require additional infrastructure and add-ons. That drives up the cost of owning and operating those solutions. Cameyo’s infrastructure footprint ranges from small (self-hosted) to none (fully-hosted in the cloud), and the platform itself scales effortlessly to right-size your digital workspaces.
- Seamless: From legacy Windows apps that no longer run on today’s OS to modern software that’s too demanding for older devices, the list of potential show-stopping compatibility issues is a long one. Cameyo’s Virtual App Delivery extends the life of legacy software and increases the accessibility of specialized apps with absolutely no redevelopment effort.
- Secure: Cameyo incorporates intelligent, best-in-class technologies like NoVPN and Port Shield to minimize vulnerabilities and mitigate the attack surfaces commonly exploited by malicious actors. That makes Cameyo as safe to use in an enterprise-scale Zero Trust environment as a dynamic e-learning environment.
Proven success in removing barriers to education
Over 60 school districts have implemented Cameyo to support their distance learning initiatives and strengthen equal access in education, including California’s San Diego Unified School District, Community High School District 99 (CSD99) in Illinois, Staunton City Schools in Virginia, and both the Baldwinsville Central School District and the Homer Central School District in upstate New York.
In fact, over the course of one single month during the pandemic, 34 separate school districts rolled out our virtual application delivery platform.
And just like our platform itself, we believe in removing as many barriers to education as possible. That’s why it doesn’t cost a cent to learn whether Cameyo is the right solution for your organization. We offer a free, no-credit-card trial of Cameyo that you can test drive in any environment you choose. Or reach out to us at [email protected] and we can schedule a dedicated personal demo. Together we can ensure greater equity in education and help current and future generations of students realize the full potential of e-learning.