Addressing Digital Divides in International Higher Education

As digital technologies become central to teaching, learning, and research, international higher education faces challenges related to unequal access and participation. The digital divide shapes who can benefit from global academic opportunities. These disparities are visible between institutions and students in high- and low-resource contexts, affecting academic success, cross-border collaboration, and educational equity. Addressing digital divides in international higher education may reveal new challenges in social justice, inclusion, and the future sustainability of global knowledge exchange. Addressing Digital Divides in International Higher Education explores how education systems worldwide can be transformed to meet current demands. It examines current challenges in digital divides and showcases forward-thinking strategies that integrate technology, community engagement, and culturally responsive pedagogy. This book covers topics such as instructional design, educational technology, and neural networks, and is a useful resource for educators, academicians, researchers, and scientists.

Dr. Jabbar Al-Obaidi , Ph.D. is a Professor of Media Studies and Communication Technologies at the Department of Communication, Bridgewater State University (BSU). Al-Obaidi obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; a master’s degree from Hartford University, Connecticut; and a bachelor's degree from Baghdad University, Iraq. Currently, Al-Obaid serves as the Special Advisor to the President for Global Partnerships at the Minnock Institute for Global Engagement at Bridgewater State University (BSU). He also served as the chair of the Department of Communication (2005-2011), and as an interim chair in 2017 and 2019, and the director of the Center for Middle East (2011-2020), the Academic Director of Global Programs (2019-2023), the academic director of International Student Recruitment (2023-2024), the co-chair of the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and the latest 17th International Conference on Multidisciplinary Education. Al-Obaidi initiated and facilitated the implementation of academic international partnerships with many universities in the Middle East& North Africa (MENA), India, and other countries. He served as Co-Project Director for two consecutive grants from the U.S. Department of Education's Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Languages Program (Grant #P016A200027, 2020-2023, and Grant #P016A240005, 2024-2026). Al-Obaidi also led several study tour programs and undergraduate research in Bahrain, India, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He served as the Co-Chair of Bridgewater State University's self-study for reaccreditation in the fall of 2022, guided by The New England Commission of Higher Education ( NECHE ). Al-Obaidi also served as the chair of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC) and the All University Committee (AUC) at Bridgewater State University. Professor Al-Obaidi’s administrative contribution, scholarly work, and teaching cover curriculum and programs, management and leadership, assessment, media ethics and law, communication and politics, COIL, virtual teaching, intercultural communication, and media in the Middle East. Al-Obaidi was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Collaboration to Improve Teaching in 2021. Professor Al-Obaid taught in Iraq, China, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Al-Obaidi’s publications include several books: Mass Communication; Mixing Views (2001), Media Censorship in the Middle East (2007), Broadcast, Internet, and TV Media in the Arab World and Small Nations, The Role of Educators as Agents and Conveyors for Positive Change in Global Education (2023) SCOPUS Index, Changing Global Media Landscapes: Convergence, Fragmentation, and Polarization (2024), Emerging Technologies Transforming Higher Education: Instructional Design and Student Success (2025), and Addressing Digital Divides in International Higher Education (2026). Al-Obaid published many articles covering regional and global media and participated in and presented scholarly research in numerous international conferences. Al-Obaid is the producer and host of InFocus cable television, BTV Access Corporation, Bridgewater, MA.

Madhusudana N. Rao obtained his Ph.D. in Geography from Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA, and obtained his Master’s and M.Phil from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Geography at Bridgewater State University (BSU), Massachusetts, USA, and serves as the Director of the Middle East & North Africa Studies Program, BSU. He served as a Project Director for two consecutive grants from the US Department of Education's Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Languages Program (Grant #P016A200027, 2020-2023, and Grant # P016A240005, 2024-2026). He has published in several peer-reviewed scholarly journals and presented research papers at major national and international conferences. He is the co-editor of Emerging Technologies Transforming Higher Education: Instructional Design and Student Success (2025) and The Role of Educators as Agents and Conveyors for Positive Change in Global Education (2023).