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Research Cluster for Digital Inequality and Social Change (RC DISC)

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Research Cluster for Digital Inequality and Social Change (RC DISC)

RC DISC at the 2023 World Summit on the Information Society

RC DISC was honoured to participate in several events at this year's ITU's World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) held on 13 to 17 March 2023 at the ITU Headquarters in Geneva. WSIS Forum is a global multi-stakeholder platform facilitating the implementation of advancing sustainable development, organized by ITU, UNESCO, UNDP and UNCTAD. Along with UNESCO Chair in ICT4D at the Royal Holloway University of London INIT, WWRF and ICT4D. AT and RC DISC co-convened the session “Reimagining the Interface between Digital Tech and the Physical Environment”.

The two-phased sessions on 16 and 17 March provided innovative ways of identifying and establishing the interactions between digital tech and the environment; discussed the positive and negative impacts of digital tech on the different sectors of the environment to draw recommendations for further work. In addition to attending a number of high-level dialogues and policy sessions, RC DISC held a number of meetings and discussions for future collaboration on digital inequality research and initiatives with senior stakeholders at ITU and many other organisations.

This year’s WSIS Annual Forum has the theme “ICTs for Well-Being, Inclusion and Resilience”. WSIS provided an excellent opportunity to engage with stakeholders from the UN system, governments, and civil society in the field where RC DISC works.

Cyber Safety Seminar for Parents of Multicultural and Indigenous Children

Around 75 registered parents attended the seminar jointly organized by RC DISC and Fair Canberra Inc on 26 June 2022 at Lake Ginninderra College Auditorium, Belconnen, supported by ACT Government and ACT Language School Association.

Focused on parenting in a digital world, the seminar included sessions on minimising conflict and negotiating digital media use within the family and coping with stress in a digital age. This session was delivered by Dr Catherine Jeffery, Dr Ahmed Imran and Dr Suzi Keser. Parenting in the digital age poses a new challenge for parents. This is particularly difficult for some multicultural and Indigenous parents who come from different backgrounds, ethnicities and value systems and battling to cope with this new phenomenon they did not experience when they grew up.

ITU’s Partner2Connect working group

International Telecommuniction Union’s Partner2Connect working group

RC DISC participated in the ITU’s Working Group for Focus Area– Empowering Communities and building digital ecosystems on 14 January 2022. The P2C Digital Coalition is a multi-stakeholder alliance launched by ITU in close cooperation and in line with the UN Secretary General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, to foster connectivity and digital transformation in the hardest-to-connect communities.

RC DISC crowdfunding scheme launched

Due to the nature and considerable interest within and beyond the research community, the cluster has created a platform targeting strategically important non-traditional funding schemes and spurt research through crowdfunding, instead of relying on mainstream big funding schemes. This is to cope with the changing funding landscape across the Australian university system and to remain viable and competitive.

Read more and support RC DISC

MoU signed with UNESCO chair ICT4D

A memorandum of understanding initiated by RC DISC at the Faculty of Science and Technology has been signed between the UNESCO Chair of information and communication technologies for development, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK and University of Canberra on 28 March 2022.

Summary of agreed intended outputs for the Partnership includes high-quality research and publications on digital technologies, inequalities, social change and international development, Joint workshops and conferences to explore aspects of the inter-relationships between digital technologies, inequalities, social change and international development, research visits and exchanges between partners, especially to enhance the experiences of early career researchers and policy recommendations on areas of mutual interests.

International Symposium on Digital Inequality and Social Change

First International Symposium on Digital Inequality and Social Change, 28 - 29 March 2022

Theme: Bridging digital inequality for a better and inclusive society

Hosted by the University of Canberra, the symposium offered an opportunity to initiate dialogue, share ideas and build collaborative networks with the international research community, relevant industries and policymakers on issues around digital inequality and social change and to build a network for future collaboration. The packed program for two days included four keynote addresses from highly acclaimed international scholars video message from the Hon Stuart Robert MP, The Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business and the UC Vice-Chancellor Paddy Nixon.

The program also included 13 research paper presentations, four industry case studies, two high-powered industry panels, academic panel and research Poster competition. About 75 participants from the UK, USA, Oman, Nigeria, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Netherlands, Malaysia, Samoa, KSA and Fiji and Australia joined the hybrid symposium.

Read more on our 2022 ISDISC page.

RC DISC Workshop 1: Systematic Literature Review

RC DISC Workshop 1: Systematic Literature Review and how to publish a paper from a literature study?

RC DISC organised a virtual workshop on 2 November 2021 on Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and how to publish a paper from a literature study? which was run by an international expert on SLR Associate Professor Wasana Bandara. The workshop was also benefitted by a talk by ANU’s endowed chair and eminent scholar of Information Systems Professor Shirley Gregor on Design Science Oriented. Reviews followed by Q&A. The workshops are being delivered in two phases with a gap of 4-5 weeks.

Contact us

Research Cluster for Digital Inequality and Social Change
Faculty of Science and Technology
University of Canberra ACT 2617

rc-disc@canberra.edu.au

Support RC DISC

News and events

RC DISC at the 2023 World Summit on the Information Society

Cyber Safety Seminar for Parents of Multicultural and Indigenous Children

ITU’s Partner2Connect working group

RC DISC crowdfunding scheme launched

MoU signed with UNESCO chair ICT4D

International Symposium on Digital Inequality and Social Change

RC DISC Workshop 1: Systematic Literature Review

Contact us

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