Digital Communities at the Service of Post-Pandemic Virtual Education: Case of Canton Riobamba

Abstract

A digital community is an area of interest that uses digital technologies such as mobile phones, the Internet, and email to communicate, network, and disseminate information. In this context, this article aimed to evaluate the results in the implementation of free internet access points in the communities of urban and rural parishes of the Riobamba canton as a tool for access to virtual education. The focus of the research was qualitative at the application level, it is prospective-transversal; theoretical methods such as descriptive, inductive were used; as well as empirical methods such as documentary analysis and the use of  the ArcGIS Insights Program for data entry as well as to evaluate the results proposed in the objective. In the development of the research, 1459 homes in five urban and 13 rural parishes were visited.  The informants were 1488 students of different levels of instruction. Making a semi-structure interview in the diagnosis, 56.68% have devices, 43.32% do not. 19% have mobile data, 18.34% have broadband, only 4% with fiber optic broadband. 28% have no connection, 8% do it through friends: so, the Decentralized Government of the Riobamba canton installed 86% of Wi-Fi points in urban parishes while 24% did so in rural parishes. This is an investigation that may lead to further investigations.