The European University Association (EUA-Sept 2020) survey on “Digitally enhanced learning & teaching” reports that 95% of the Higher Education Institutions (HEI) opted for distance learning during COVID crisis. According to the The Economist (25th July 2020) new scenario opens to new challenges for HEI and their technological readiness, financials and business model will require a deep assessment and a probable reshape. In this context, teaching will have to be readapted and redesigned based on the digital learning tools and their capacity to engage with students so to be attractive and to offer valuable content. Therefore, the provision of high quality digital learning materials and contents in an effective, attractive and engaging way will happen only if the whole digital education experience is inclusive, accessible and easy to understand and use by all students, regardless their abilities, digital readiness and cultural background. The eTEACHERS project is going to develop a toolkit that will support and empower higher education teachers in building inclusive education materials, helping to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students with disabilities and contribute to the digital transformation of education, making it inclusive and attractive, contributing to the changing and reshaping of the present models. The objectives of the eTEACHERS project include: - To analyse the current situation with regards to digital inclusive education readiness of higher education teachers. - To identify, reuse and share good practices on innovative and open methods and tools for the provision of high quality inclusive digital education at university level. - To develop an online toolkit with selected resources based on user needs, test and validate it. - To develop a set of guidelines containing recommendations on inclusive digital education that can be scaled up to other European universities. - To collaborate across sectors to disseminate project results and engage universities and other stakeholders beyond the partnership. The project partners are European knowledge leaders in delivering digital inclusive education. The consortium is composed by three higher education institution with wide background on accessibility: JKU in Austria, UNED in Spain and MU in Czech Republic. For the market trends perspective and consiering its innovation capabilities, Funka Nu AB, a Swedish SME, market leaders in accessibility, completes the consortium. The main activities that will be carried out include: - Analysis of needs and requirements regarding digital inclusion competences for higher education - Collection of relevant open educational resources and tools to foster high quality digital inclusive education - Development of an online accessible toolkit for inclusive digital education - Testing, evaluation and refinement of the online toolkit for high quality digital inclusive education in the 3 pilot sites (AT, ES, CZ) - Elaboration of practical guidelines on how to foster inclusive digital higher education The project will mainly target: - Higher education teachers. - Accessibility support services staff within in higher education institutions. - National networks of accessibility support services. - National public providers of assistive technologies (AT) to people with disabilities. The project is expected to have an impact at the local, regional, national and European levels generating: - Increased knowledge and capability of the HE teachers and accessibility support services on how to develop high quality digital inclusive education. - More accessible teaching and learning materials that will directly benefit the students with disabilities at local and regional level. - The provision of more inclusive training supported by selected knowledge and open resources (toolkit).
The eTeACHERS project aimed to foster quality inclusive digital higher education by providing a toolkit with selected resources to increase knowledge and stimulate professionals working in higher education to implement accessible digital education environments. This would facilitate the full participation of students at higher risk of exclusion in the digitisation process, which has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The specific objectives included analysing the current situation of digital inclusive education readiness of teachers and student support services, identifying and sharing good practices, developing an online toolkit based on user needs, creating a compilation of best practices and guidelines on inclusive digital education, and collaborating and engaging universities and stakeholders beyond the partnership. By implementing the project, the consortium sought to support higher education teachers and accessibility support services in delivering inclusive education materials, reducing the negative impact of the pandemic and the digitisation of education on students.
The eTeACHERS project was initiated in response to the shift towards distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This new scenario posed challenges for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in terms of technological readiness, and educational models, requiring them to reassess and adapt. To ensure the provision of high-quality digital learning materials and an effective, engaging educational experience, it was crucial to make digital education inclusive, accessible, and user-friendly for all students, irrespective of their abilities, digital readiness, and cultural background. The project aimed to address the needs associated with digital inclusive education for higher education teachers and the creation of inclusive digital educational environments. By developing a toolkit and guidelines for implementing inclusive education, the eTeACHERS project sought to reduce the pandemic's impact on students with disabilities and contribute to the digital transformation of the European higher education, making it more inclusive and attractive, and fostering the changing and reshaping current models.