Goal
The goal of the Inclusion Lab is to understand, explain, and alleviate the digital divide, information divide, service divide, and financial divide worldwide. The Lab brings together researchers (i.e., students, practitioners, and faculty) from multiple academic units, institutes, and industries who employ interdisciplinary theories and practices to solve real-world problems related to the divides. The outcomes of the Inclusion Lab will contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Sample activities
- Collect and publish datasets on digital divide, information divide, service divide, and financial divide
- Analyze data using diverse methodologies and theoretical lenses
- Propose practical solutions to bridge the divides
- Contribute to interdisciplinary theories
- Inform teaching practices and curricula
- Involve students in research to train them as researchers
- Serve local and global communities
- Present and publish research findings at local, regional, national, and international venues (e.g., journals, conferences)
- Seek funding opportunities
- Complete funded projects through collaboration
- Inform and involve practitioners
- Solve real-world problems associated with the digital divide, information divide, service divide, and financial divide
Core Group
Dr. Devendra Potnis, Director
Dr. Abebe Rorissa, Member
Dr. Vandana Singh, Member
Sample Ongoing Research Projects/Topics
- Rural libraries for digital inclusion of farming communities in rural America (funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services) See https://difc.infosci.utk.edu/
- Digital activism
- Information gatekeeping
- Information literacy of the poor in an oral culture in a developing country
- Information volunteerism in online health communities
- Information practices for countering marginalization in society
- Financial information literacy toolkit to educate borrowers
- Video-based journal publications