Summary of the e-Inclusion pilot course

Abstract

The e-Inclusion pilot course was designed to develop knowledge and capabilities to work against social reproduction in virtual educational settings. The course had 3 ECTS credits of workload and it was planned and implemented within the project Building capacity for inclusive educa􀆟on in digital environments (e-Inclusion), co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. The pilot course was intended to enhance the expertise in building and nurturing meaningful elearning experiences for a diverse range of university students – regardless of their socioeconomic, occupational and health backgrounds. I sought to facilitate higher education institutions to adopt organisational cultures that promote virtual environments which are inclusive, academically challenging and of a high quality. The pilot course was aimed at educators, as architects, implementers, and mediators of student experiences in higher education institutions. The course focused on preparing and equipping to teach in digital settings inclusively from many different perspectives. Three different challenges were provided to work on. As an overview, these challenges took participants on a journey of personal reflection about their own background and needs as educators, as well as those of their students. They learned how to apply the principles of inclusive education in virtual settings and create truly engaging learning environments, with a strong sense of social virtual presence.