Exploring educators? perceived possibilities and obstacles related to access and use of ICT: Revealing the digital divide in Norwegian Adult Education centres.

As many other countries, Norway has seen a political strategic emphasis on digital infrastructure and literacy in primary and secondary education. While digital literacy has been included in the curricula for adult education, little research has been undertaken to monitor experience with ICT in adult education. Local adult education centres are the first contact point for many immigrants who are obliged to take part in Norwegian language and social studies courses for immigrants. In addition, the centres are responsible for primary and secondary education of adults and offer courses in basic skills, including ICT literacy. The data was collected by sending an online questionnaire to public adult education centres. A total of 894 educators, teachers and educational managers answered the questionnaire. Findings indicate that the majority of the educators experience was that the use of ICT is meaningful for teaching adults, because it helps to motivate and differentiate in the learning process. In addition, the use of ICT in the classroom can help adult learners to prepare for a technology-driven society outside the classroom. The majority of educators report having enough digital resources; however, on average ICT is used 4 hours or less during a week in the classroom. The main obstacles are the lack of digital infrastructure in the classroom, insufficient internet capacities and insufficient training opportunities for teachers. This could explain traces of the digital divide when it comes to the opportunities for using ICT in adult education centres.