The project aimed to strengthen inclusive higher education by helping universities use artificial intelligence in a responsible and practical way to support students with disabilities and special needs. It aimed to build shared understanding of AI in education, including opportunities, limitations, and ethical implications, and translate these findings into clear guidance for institutions and teachers. A specific focus was inclusive pedagogy, especially Universal Design for Learning, a planning framework that removes learning barriers in advance and offers flexible pathways so diverse learners can access, engage with, and demonstrate learning in different ways. This was combined with testing a range of tools and solutions in real teaching contexts. Piloting and validation activities with teachers and other stakeholders reinforced quality and usability. The overall goal was to deliver lasting, openly available results; a framework and guidelines; a validated collection of good practices and online training; and to support wider uptake through dissemination activities, including social media, conference publications, newsletters, multiplier events, and workshops with teachers and leaders in partner countries.
The rapid emergence of AI tools, especially generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, created uncertainty in higher education and raised questions about how teaching, learning, and assessment may change. The project responded to gaps in knowledge, skills, and resources among teachers and institutional leaders on AI benefits, limitations, ethics, and bias. While some institutions reacted with restrictions or even bans of AI, the project was oriented toward identifying practical and effective ways to integrate AI into curricula for the benefit of both staff and students. Since many students already use these tools more skillfully than teachers, the project also focused on strengthening responsible AI use among educators across disciplines, not only in IT-related fields. A further driver was inclusion, with an emphasis on equal learning opportunities for students with disabilities and special needs, who may be left behind when diverse learning needs are not adequately addressed. Because lack of time and resources is a major barrier to differentiated teaching, AI was approached as support for preparing adapted materials and providing more personalized day-to-day learning support.