The recent COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in schools closing all across the globe, leaving over 1.2 billion children in 186 countries out of the classroom. As a result, education has seen a dramatic change, with the rise of e-learning, and teaching taking place remotely and on digital platforms. Meaning that teachers have dramatically changed their learning and working materials to digitised options. Many teachers who have never had such experience before, and who have not received sufficient training on how to deal with such a crisis in pre-service and in-service training processes, were caught unprepared for this process. Additionally, recent research suggests that online learning has been shown to increase retention of information, (Zeglen & Rosendale, 2018) and take less time, meaning the changes caused by the pandemic might be here to stay. However, with this sudden shift away from the classroom in many parts of the globe, it became clear that there is a lack of proper teacher training in online learning as only 20% of the countries in Europe provide training on distance education to teachers. In fact, the partnership during the preparation of this proposal conducted a needs analysis of teachers and one of the biggest concerns appeared to be the sudden shift to online training and their lack of training and experience in that matter. This also aligns with the increasing need for the acquisition of digital skills for high-school students, as they are an important part of life not only for their university life but also for employment later on. More and more workplaces worldwide, require digital skills. In most developed countries, digital skills have become almost necessary for employment. Around 90% of jobs in the EU require at least some level of digital skills, rising to 98% for managerial positions (European Commission, 2017). However, despite the growing evidence of the need to include digital skills in education as a core competency, very few countries include digital skills in school curricula (European Commission, 2017). Moreover, despite the importance of digital skills nowadays, 80 million Europeans are digitally excluded. Digital exclusion, according to European Commission, is part of the overall challenge of exclusion, a widespread and growing phenomenon that takes its toll in life paths like poor lifelong earnings and an increased risk of marginalization. There are many people currently excluded for reasons of low income and education, location, culture, or various disabilities, such as autism. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a disorder that affects every individual to a different degree. It is a lifelong complex developmental disorder, characterized by impairments in social communication, social interaction, and social imagination (Wing & Gould, 1979). Representing an estimated 7 million people, ASD is labelled as the fastest-growing disorder with an annual growth rate of 10-17%, according to the Autism Society. Therefore, in an attempt to minimise the digital exclusion of students with autism while at the same time, contribute to the professional development of secondary-school teachers, so that they are well-equipped to cope with the sudden shift in education due to the COVID breakout, we propose a project with the following objectives: •Develop an e-course with educational materials, a serious game, and visual thinking video tutorials (specially designed for students with ASD) to train them on the basic digital skills they are going to need when they graduate from school •To deliver a training course to directly train secondary-school teachers on online learning, a skill necessary for their professional development Results IO1 ASDigital e-course and piloting (O1), ASDigital Teacher's Guide (IO2), Serious educational game for digital skills (O3), visual thinking video tutorials for e-course (O4), ASDigital E-learning platform (O5), all interconnected. 2. 21 VET trainers, trained on how to train secondary school teachers through the use of the Educational package and the e-Learning platform (C1) 3. 35 teachers trained in distance learning (C2) 4. a number of ASD students taught basic skills in the piloting of the e-course developed 4. 7 multiplier events to promote the project, its intellectual outputs, and its outcomes among teachers, educators, individuals with ASD- and other stakeholders (SEN/ASD associations, SENCOs, education organisations, Universities, incubators, authorities, other stakeholders) (E1-E7)
Through the implementation of the project, our primary objectives were multifaceted. We aimed to create a comprehensive suite of educational resources, tools, and methodologies tailored specifically to individuals on the autism spectrum. This included the development of an online course, a Teachers' Guide based on evidence-based practices, an accessible digital game, and a Personal Learning Environment with accessible videos. Our goal was to enhance digital skill acquisition for students with autism, equipping them with essential skills for their academic and future professional endeavors. Additionally, we aimed to provide specialized training to secondary-school teachers, empowering them with effective strategies for online learning and inclusive practices to better support students on the autism spectrum. Overall, our objective was to fill critical gaps in inclusive education and digital skill development, fostering an inclusive learning environment while addressing the unique needs of individuals with autism.
We applied for this project, recognizing the pressing need to bridge significant gaps in digital skill acquisition and inclusive education for individuals on the autism spectrum. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated the changing educational landscape, has highlighted the need for specialized interventions and resources to give both teachers and students with autism the necessary digital skills for remote learning. The lack of comprehensive training materials and strategies to address this specific learning context was a crucial gap we aimed to fill, aligning with the growing demand for inclusive education practices and the requirement for digital literacy in contemporary society. Our aspiration was to develop innovative methodologies, educational resources, and training initiatives catered explicitly to the unique needs of individuals on the autism spectrum, fostering an inclusive learning environment while enhancing digital skill acquisition for both students and educators.