Concerning rural undergraduates’ knowledge absorption in large-scale online learning: inspired by three digital divides and beyond

The massive online learning resulting from COVID-19 has exposed the digital divide in urban and rural areas. However, there is little research in such an environment. This study examines the digital divide in large-scale home-based online learning among Chinese university students during the pandemic. Through interviews and questionnaires (N = 3,961), the study analyses the three digital divides that exist between Chinese rural and urban university students. The results show that (1) within the first digital divide, the access divide, despite the positive overall rating, significant gaps existed in Internet quality in terms of urban/rural areas, network cost pressures, and digital device performance; (2) within the second divide, the skills divide, a significant difference existed in Internet proficiency between urban and rural undergraduates; (3) a new divide—the (knowledge) absorption divide we proposed in this study—existed. With more family support, urban students used online learning strategies better than rural students, who had shorter learning time due to more household chores. These factors may result in a gap in knowledge absorption. This new framework (access-skills-absorption-outcome) will complement current models of the digital divide. The findings imply that the public sector should be concerned about the diversity of the digital divide.