NU-Q research project to close digital gap

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA NORTHWESTERN University in Qatar (NU-Q) has unveiled a research project in support of the country’s National Research Strategy. The research will help institutions close the ‘digital divide’ and provide a source of information for scholars of digital literacy.

The research titled ‘Effective use of the web: digital literacy in Qatar’ was presented at the Qatar Foundation Annual Research forum as a study to evaluate Arabic users’ and bilinguals’ web searching strategies using observational methods.

Led by Senior Lecturer in NU-Q’s communication programme Susan Dun, the project will analyse the level of digital literacy by measuring both the ability of searchers to complete their tasks as well their efficiency in doing so.

“Dun’s work is an example of NU-Q’s effort to advance understanding and development of digital media in the country,” said NU-Q Dean and CEO Everette Dennis.

“We have a mandate to produce media professionals with world class capabilities here in Doha, and part of that work is to contribute to the development of the media industry and the knowledge economy of Qatar,” he added.

“NU-Q and its faculty are working independently as well as with organisations such as ictQatar to identify gaps in the digital media industry and ways to bridge those gaps using innovation, technology as well as policy making.” Dun hopes that her research will produce more accurate tools to assess digital literacy.

She’s also optimistic that the results will be useful to ictQATAR – Qatar’s Supreme Council of Information and Communication – in their policy decision-making.

“The digital divide, which separates those with and without access to web resources, is a significant concern, given the explosion of resources available via the web,” Dun said.

“The need to understand, measure, and potentially improve levels of digital literacy is crucial for countries like Qatar that have already spent a great deal of effort to expand access to the Internet and to create a knowledge-based online society,” she added.