The school closures all over Europe during the spread of COVID-19 triggered a shift towards digital learning. However, not all teachers and students were prepared for the sudden need of implementing digital learning. For instance, in Germany, a majority of teachers still relied on traditional forms of teaching during the school closures (e.g., Hillenbrand, Börnert-Ringleb, & Casale, in preparation). In previous research as well as research conducted during the school closings, several factors can be identified that might hinder digital learning processes. These factors can be classified as a) interventionist/teacher-related factors (e.g., willingness to implement the intervention), b) organizational/school-related factors (e.g., access to needed materials or equipment), and c) recipient/student-related factors (e.g., individual profiles of students) (see Börnert-Ringleb, Casale & Hillenbrand, under review). Whilst school-related and teacher-related variables are discussed in public and policy as target variables ensuring a wider implementation of digital learning, student-related variables remain a blind spot. However, especially student characteristics might impede successful learning in digital learning. In order to ensure successful digital learning, special attention must be paid to these student characteristics. There are at least three important core competencies that students need for digital learning: (1) Self-regulation skills, (2) motivation to learn, and (3) technical knowledge/technical equipment. First, digital learning requires high levels of self-regulation skills. Students need to be able to coordinate, initiate, maintain, and reflect the learning process in order to reach the individual learning goal. Whilst in traditional teaching and learning students can still rely on forms of external regulation and guidance by their teachers or fellow students, individuals with low self-regulation skills are at risk for failure in digital learning environments that do not provide external regulation. Second, digital learning requires high motivational skills of the students, since learning engagement and task completion are done asynchronously and thus autonomously. Third, technical knowledge about the use of technical equipment (i.e., hardware and software) is a basic prerequisite for digital learning. Previous research indicated that in particular some groups of students can be characterized by lacking the aforementioned competencies (e.g. students with learning difficulties). If the design of digital learning environments does not consider the specific profiles and characteristics of all students, the risk increases of widening the gap between students who had been struggling in learning before the school closures and their peers. Teachers need to be aware of students’ needs during the development of digital learning environments, but at the same time, the students need to be empowered by receiving specific support promoting self-regulation skills, motivation to learn, and technical knowledge in digital learning environments. Therefore, the goal of the project is to address the aforementioned student-related obstacles in the implementation of digital learning and by that means to ensure the learning and school success of all students. Students should be addressed within a digital learning environment that a) considers their individual characteristics (e.g. motivation and interests, knowledge, self-regulation), and b) empowers them for future digital learning processes by reinforcing and training key competencies of digital learning (e.g. self-regulation skills). In order to achieve this goal, six partners from the European educational context work together in the SLIDE project in a participative and co-constructive way. The aforementioned project results should tackle the systematic disadvantage of students with special educational needs in digital learning and thus promote the social inclusion of all students in digital learning environments even after the COVID-19 pandemic.
We aimed to support innovative practices in a digital era, social inclusion and tackling early school leaving and disadvantage of students with special needs. The project addressed the "Europe 2020" strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth which sets targets on opening up education: Innovative teaching and learning for all through new Technologies and Open Educational Resources and thus contributing to the "Europe 2020" goals of boosting EU competitiveness and growth through better skilled workforce and more employment. The purpose of this project was to address central issues that arise from the situation of closed schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic: insufficient delivery of digital classes in many of the EU communities, and in particular those within the partnership and their associate partners across other EU countries. This project supported the EU actions, both locally and nationally addressing priorities such as: helping learners to acquire digital skills, supporting development and availability of open educational resources, connecting classrooms and deploying digital devices and content, mobilising all stakeholders to change the role of digital technologies at education institutions.
The goal of the project was to address the student-related obstacles in the implementation of digital learning and to ensure the learning and school success of all students, including those with special educational needs. The theoretical background was the knowledge that there are several factors that might hinder digital learning processes: interventionist/teacher-related factors (e.g., willingness to implement the intervention), organizational/school-related factors (e.g., access to needed equipment), and recipient/student-related factors. We aimed to support students within a digital learning environment considering their individual characteristics (e.g. motivation and interests, knowledge, self-regulation), and empowering them for future digital learning processes by reinforcing and training key competencies of digital learning (e.g. self-regulation skills). We aimed to tackle the systematic disadvantage of students with special educational needs in digital learning environment by finding and describing the effective digital learning methods for all students and by providing tools for teachers and for students to support both of them in a modern digital learning environment. We addressed the need of being included in schools.