The Agency’s Inclusive Digital Education (IDE) activity examines new priorities and demands in relation to inclusive digital education and blended learning.
A collaboration with the Institut für Technologie und Arbeit, Germany, the IDE activity builds on a wealth of previous Agency work on digital education. Focusing on recent international literature, conferences and projects, the activity aims to provide policy-makers with information and recommendations and identify areas that need further investigation.
The activity’s main Inclusive Digital Education report gives an overall picture of the desk research results. It describes inclusive digital education themes and trends across Europe, as well as issues remaining to be tackled. It also considers issues of vulnerability and exclusion, which can be both reduced and exacerbated by the increased use of digital solutions in education. As well as definitions of terms, project examples throughout the report illustrate the concepts and themes.
A corresponding Policy Brief presents the report’s key findings in four interrelated policy areas:
- Technology
- Learners and teachers
- Educational institutions
- Regional and national governance of the education system.
As a background to the activity, a methodology paper outlines the team’s desk research methods. A project examples paper provides an overview of Erasmus+ projects that deal with inclusive digital education issues.
The IDE desk research shows the importance of involving the education sector in designing and developing education technology to ensure it is relevant and appropriate. Universal design approaches make technology accessible to everyone, which can help to prevent exclusion. However, to be successful, teachers require relevant training and support in using and teaching about digital methods and tools.
Overall, the IDE activity shows that digital transformation and inclusive education are interconnected and interrelated. As such, when designed and implemented appropriately, digital tools can help to build resilience and create more inclusive education systems.
For more information and to download the activity materials, visit the Inclusive Digital Education web area.