Today, 73.2 per cent of the world is online. Internet adoption continues to grow with a 5.1 per cent year-on-year growth; there is still one third of the global population with little or no access to the internet, mostly in developing countries within the Global South (ITU and GSMA). Digital Frontiers is based in South Africa, and as part of the Global South, we fully understand the challenges faced by individuals wanting to access online education.
In the Global South, because of issues such as systemic inequality and infrastructure deficits, countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India, among others, have limited or no access to the internet or digital products (Freethink, 2024). These digital barriers include low connectivity, limited to no Wi-Fi, no 5G, and poor connectivity infrastructure, resulting in low bandwidth. Countries that do have connectivity infrastructure usually only provide for those in urban centres, with minimal provision for rural and remote areas (IEA, 2024). And for those who may have successfully found a way to navigate these bandwidth challenges, there are still issues around unstable electricity supply and limited access to devices, resulting in many only having access to online resources through their mobile phone, and the high cost of data in these regions.
For online education, these low-bandwidth contexts and challenges mean that students struggle to stream videos or complete complex interactive elements. They are thus unable to engage fully with video content, battle to connect to complex and image-heavy learning platforms, and find themselves excluded from virtual class calls and online peer learning sessions.
At Digital Frontiers, we aim to address low-bandwidth and these challenges that exclude students from online learning opportunities. We design our courses and learning solutions to be as inclusive and accessible as possible, providing opportunity and scale through access.
We tackle low-bandwidth and these challenges from two directions:
- Technology
- Learning Design
1. Technology
LMS selection
We have selected a Moodle-based platform as our Learning Management System (LMS). Moodle offers key features that enable students from low-bandwidth contexts to have the best possible user experience.
Mobile-Friendly
Firstly, we leverage Moodle’s mobile-friendly features, selecting tile themes that structure the content into visual, clickable tiles, rather than long accordion menus. This makes navigation faster and more intuitive for small screens and reduces cognitive load for the student. These features improve usability for low-bandwidth environments by limiting heavy page rendering and enabling learners to access learning units quickly.
Course Downloads
Moodle also provides students with the ability to download the entire set of course resources, including video and media files, as a single ZIP file when they have internet access. This enables students to access materials when they are offline, reducing overall data usage and providing continued access to learning materials in unstable connectivity environments.
Moodle’s Offline Functionality
In addition to downloading the course resources, students can also use Moodle’s offline mode. This enables users to download and complete supported activities, such as quizzes and interactivities, and complete them without an active connection. Students’ responses are stored locally on the device, and then automatically synchronised with the Moodle LMS once the device reconnects to the internet, updating completion criteria and the learner’s gradebook.
Streaming Options
As well as offline options, all our courses include varying streaming options. Every video includes an alternative link in the form of a JW Player link. The JW Player provides low-bandwidth optimisation through adaptive bitrate streaming, automatically adjusting video quality based on the user’s bandwidth and device performance. The player selects the most appropriate stream in real time through intelligent buffering, allowing video quality to adjust dynamically based on connection strength while minimising load times and playback interruptions.
We also choose to use the Zoom platform for our class calls due to its built-in functionality of adjusting to different networks, connection types, and, like the JW Player, being able to adjust streaming quality in real time.
Incorporating tools that provide different streaming options enables students in low-bandwidth contexts to still access online content and take part in class calls.
Authoring Tools
When designing for low-bandwidth contexts, we select tools such as H5P and Articulate Rise that support low-bandwidth and mobile-responsive learning experiences. H5P is a browser-based authoring tool that enables lightweight, interactive content that loads inline within our Moodle LMS, minimising media weight. Articulate Rise delivers structured, responsive courses that adapt cleanly to mobile screens, with simplified navigation and efficient content rendering. In low-bandwidth environments, both tools support better accessibility by breaking content into small, modular interactions rather than large media-heavy interaction files.
2. Learning Design
Leveraging appropriate technology is only part of the story. To truly cater for low-bandwidth and accessibility, we need to include key considerations in how we actually design and create our courses.
Mobile-First Design
The first consideration in our learning design is recognising that many students will be accessing the content via their mobile phones. This means we need to be mobile-first in our learning design. We design courses to have limited complex interactions, with mobile-appropriate learning units, and accessible font sizes in videos and images that will be viewed on a smaller screen.
Chunking of Content
Designing for mobile also means considering how we group, or chunk, content so that it fits and makes sense when displayed on a mobile phone. Long paragraphs and text pieces need to be carefully reviewed for how they will appear on screen, and reconsidered in light of smaller units that facilitate short bursts of learning.
Strategic Use of Text
Low-bandwidth limits using videos and other more graphic means of content delivery, meaning learning designers need to resort to text. However, the use of text needs to be done strategically through appropriate formatting. Texts need to be designed to include headings, short paragraphs, and short sentences that enable legibility on a small screen and facilitate learning. Using textual features, such as bolding, bullets, and alignment, all help break up texts, making them easier to engage with, especially on a smaller screen. Where possible, text should be augmented with resolution-limited graphics to help demonstrate concepts without data-heavy imagery or video.
Video Alternatives
Videos remain a core part of online learning as they are an effective and impactful means to convey content. However, we reduce the reliance on video by providing video alternatives. Every video, including interview videos, has an accompanying transcript that users can download. This ensures that students who may not be able to stream or download the video still receive the key information presented in the video.
Transcripts are also helpful for hearing-impaired students and for students who learn better from text than graphics. They also enable students to revise content without needing to access or stream the video again, helping to limit the need for connection and the cost of data.
Virtual Session Recordings
Like video, virtual sessions with technical experts or peers are an important component of online learning. We thus include class calls and virtual sessions in our learning design. However, so as not to discriminate against those who may not be able to access the calls, virtual sessions are never compulsory, so that these students are not penalised in any way. Every virtual session is recorded, and the recording, as well as any content or resources shared in the session, is made available on the learning platform the next day so that those who were unable to join can still engage with what was covered to keep up with their peers.
At Digital Frontiers, we are passionate about inclusivity. We believe that designing for the most marginalised student, the one who will experience the lowest bandwidth and the most barriers, means designing the best possible solution for everyone. By choosing appropriate technology and designing with intent, accessibility, and inclusivity in mind, we are mitigating potential barriers to access and making learning solutions for everyone possible. As internet access continues to improve globally, we believe that designing and developing accessible online learning for all means paving the way for education at scale, avoiding potential obstacles in the delivery of any learning solutions.
By Digital Frontiers’ Blaze Haselau (Digital Learning Solutions Senior Manager), Megan Carver (Learning and Development Manager) and Tristan Swain (Senior Learning Technologist)
(Article also shared on Digital Frontiers Institute on 19 May 2026)