Your Call to Action is a research-based persuasive paper
to propose a course of action to address a digital inequity in your
community. The final paper is a culmination of the writing assignments
within the course and should be between 3000-4000
words (about 12-15 double spaced
pages) in APA format. You should
have a clear idea of your audience and keep them in mind as you develop the
work. A presentation will accompany your call and should be specifically
targeted to leadership bodies in your community for consideration of the
proposed approaches to address digital inequities. The presentation will
be given in the last week of class. Details are provided below.
Components
of the Call to Action paper:
1. Community Context:
Characterizing the Digital Divide Assignment (week 2). Using data and anecdotal information from
your community describe the nature of the digital divide that is the focus of
your Call to Action. Historical, political, socio-economic, and cultural
considerations should be addressed (500 words; 2 double spaced pages).
2. Digital Divide Literature Review:
(week 4). A literature review is a presentation/discussion of peer-reviewed
studies and policy related to the research topic or thesis of a written
work. For this literature review address
the following: a) define digital divide
as a phenomenon and describe the nature of today’s digital inequities; b)
provide a discussion of research and policy regarding the specific digital
inequity you are addressing in your call to action including the nature of the
divide, who is impacted, and outcomes of this inequity if not addressed; c) offer
potential interventions, policies, practices, or strategies that show promise
in addressing the digital inequity. These suggestions come from findings and
recommendations of peer reviewed studies and official policy documents.
Provide a variety of options in this section (1250 – 1500 words 5 double spaced
pages).
3. Promising Practices:
(week 5) This section of your paper will bring the recommendations from the
literature review into focus within the context of your community. It is at this point that you will narrow your
focus to the interventions, strategies, and/or approaches that have the best
chance of succeeding in your community. Identify and fully describe an approach
or strategies that could be enacted to address the digital divide in your
community. This should be a potential plan of action that leaders could
implement (maybe with some adjustments). The following details should be
included: a) The plan suggests how to begin the work and identifies what
is necessary to sustain it. b) The plan describes who will be involved; c)
a timeline for
implementation; and d) measures or indicators that will be monitored
to determine the effectiveness of implementation; e) implications or potential
outcomes of successful implementation should be discussed. This portion
of the paper is born from the literature review. All suggestions and
plan components should be aligned with appropriate research and policy
(1250- 1500 words about 5 double spaced pages) Any tables or charts that are
developed in the section of the paper should be referenced and described, but
appear in the Appendices.
4.
Conclusion: This is your last opportunity to persuade your
audience. What are the highlights you would bring together to drive your
message home? (250-300 words)
