Estella Oncins (UAB)
During the COVID 19 pandemic, teaching and learning practices were immediately shifted from face-to-face to online environments. Teaching professionals were forced to conduct online education, regardless of their level of preparedness. Adapting to this new reality was difficult at all levels of education (OECD, 2021). Many countries provided support for teachers and trainers through online training, workshops and seminars (UNESCO, 2020). This support aimed at upgrading the ICT skills of teaching professionals for the use of online platforms to assist them with the preparation and delivery of online sessions. However, are teaching professionals prepared to adapt and create accessible and inclusive curriculums and course materials for the development of their online courses? Are these professionals able to address the diverse needs of their learners in online teaching?
Digital accessibility and inclusive teaching and learning are the central axes of the IDE@ project, a co-funded project of the European Union Erasmus + Partnerships for Digital Education Readiness. The project aims at defining the necessary competences and developing open resource materials to train the new professional profile “Certified Trainer in Inclusive Distance Learning”.
This presentation will first provide an overview of the challenges faced by teaching professionals in terms of inclusion, diversity, and accessibility when conducting their online courses during COVID-19. Second, the proposed competences for the professional profile “Certified Trainer in Inclusive Distance Learning” will be outlined. Finally, the created open source materials of the IDE@ project will be presented.
Estella Oncins Phd in Accessibility and Ambient Intelligence from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. She has a large experience in providing accessibility for live events as a freelance translator, subtitler, surtitler and respeaker for Spanish television companies and conferences, and as an audio describer for Liceu Opera House. Her research areas are audiovisual translation, digital and media accessibility, and creative industry. She has collaborated with the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG) from W3C/WAI. She is a partner in different Erasmus+ and H2020 projects in the field of digital and media accessibility.