DIGITAL 4 ALL

Digital4ALL aims at strengthening universities’ readiness, and faculty and staff’s skills in supporting all learners to equally participate in digital learning experiences. This aligns and supports initiatives such as the European Education Area’s strategic framework to offer equitable education in the digital era as well as the European Disability Rights Agenda 2021-2030 that directs toward actions that promote access to all environments, including the digital ones, and quality, inclusive education, and lifelong learning. Changes caused by the Covid-19 pandemic led to an increased demand for digital educational technologies and accelerated the use of digital tools. Educational institutions across Europe had to switch to distance education; half of the students’ world population was forced to learn via a partially or fully virtual mode (UNESCO, 2021). Existing inequities among learners within education systems intensified and were doubled, not all had access to or support for the new virtual modality. Vulnerable and minority students with diverse backgrounds in terms of gender, ethnicity, financial status, abilities, and educational needs, were affected the most and are still suffering from digital exclusion, having limited support to deal with the additional obstacle of remote learning (OECD, 2020). Higher Education Institutions within the EU need holistic systemic approaches and practices for developing digital HE systems that are resilient and cater to the needs and well-being of disadvantaged groups.