NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Monday, December 10, 2018

By Meighan Stone

We’ve been told smartphones will save education—and even better, on the cheap. From hackathons for refugee students to helping women in developing countries earn university degrees, we’ve been sold the idea that technology is the key to making higher learning equitable and accessible to everyone.

But is mobile education snake oil?

Thanks to AI, big data, and automation, we’re on the edge of an education revolution. But due to gender barriers as old as time, it’s one that risks leaving the next generation of women behind. Mobile education holds tremendous promise for millions ready to learn—but only if we solve some social and infrastructure problems first.

Photo courtesy of Ava Systems.