Measuring School Connectivity in Underserved Regions
This workshop brings together three key initiatives—Internet Society Pulse, M-Lab’s Internet Quality Barometer (IQB), and the Giga Connectivity initiative—to explore how improved measurement and community-led solutions can help close the digital divide in education.
Details
Access to high-quality, reliable Internet is a prerequisite for meaningful participation in education, especially in an increasingly digital world. Yet, many schools in rural and underserved areas remain unconnected or suffer from poor connectivity. This connectivity gap not only limits access to digital learning tools but also hampers broader social and economic development.
IQB, a new framework developed by M-Lab with funding from the Internet Society Foundation, offers a contextualized view of Internet quality over time and geography. Coupled with Giga’s school mapping efforts and the Internet Society Pulse global measurement insights, there is a unique opportunity to build a coherent, evidence-driven understanding of connectivity challenges—and solutions—in schools across underserved areas.
The objectives of this workshop will be to:
- Introduce and explore the IQB and its relevance for measuring school Internet performance.
- Identify key connectivity metrics and measurement challenges specific to rural and underserved regions where schools are located.
- Identify the challenges and possible approaches of how the IQB or other methodologies could be applied to these contexts.
- Investigate the potential and challenges of Community Networks in supporting measurement and improving access in hard-to-reach areas.
- Facilitate collaboration between researchers, implementers, policymakers, and local communities on data-driven strategies for school connectivity.
Registration is opening soon.
Agenda
9:00—9:30 Registration
09:30–10:00 Welcome and Opening Remarks
Context from ISOC Pulse, M-Lab, and Giga. Framing the workshop agenda and objectives.
10:00—10:30 Challenges in Internet Measurement and Quality Assessment
Framing connectivity measurements from a school connectivity / digital education perspective.
10:30—11:30 Connectivity Challenges on the Ground
Panel discussion: Case studies and group discussion on the role of community-led networks to understand and track connectivity in school in underserved contexts.
11:30—12:00 Break
12:00–13:00 Quality Assessment Framework – Interne Quality Barometer and the Way Forward for Education
Presentation from M-Lab on IQB development, methodology, and pilot findings. Discussion on applicability for school measurements.
13:00—14:00 Lunch Break
14:00–15:30 Scalable Measurement Solutions in Underserved Regions
Interactive breakout session: identifying challenges and potential solutions in data collection in low-resource environments.
15:30–16:45 Reflections & Way Forward – Towards an Integrated Measurement Framework
Co-design session: mapping how IQB, Internet Society Pulse, and Giga data could be integrated for regular, transparent, and actionable insights.
16:45–17:00 Closing Remarks
Summarise key takeaways, outline potential pilot projects or collaborations, and identify research or implementation gaps.