Harvesting (digital) Alternation in Ways that Knock-down Inaccessibility of New Generations (HAWKING)

Harvesting (digital) Alternation in Ways that Knock-down Inaccessibility of New Generations – HAWKING

STRAND 2

Duration: 36

Budget: 793,464

Keywords: inclusive education, digitalization, equal opportunities, digital divide, students with disability, transition to higher education

Summary:  Even though for the past couple of years digitalization process in the Western Balkans has been gaining pace, with the educational sector being put on the spot with introduction of online learning contents as a result of COVID 19, numerous literature reviews showcase that severe digital divide and gaps prohibit the educational efforts for many students and their families. This is especially perceived with students with physical and/or mental disabilities many of whom do not attend university level education despite their talents, as well as female students that are included in technical study programs much less that their male counterparts, even though the digital transformation provides new avenues for the economic empowerment of women and can contribute to greater gender equality. Hence, HE digital competences, contents, methods and tools as well as university services need to be properly adjusted to different cohorts of students enabling both fair access and completion of desired study programs. Acting now to reverse these trends pays off immensely: greater inclusion of women in digital economy and increased diversity of learners bring both social and economic value. HAWKING bridges the digital divide by putting forth the provision of e-accessibility, digital improvements and optimizations of existing and creation of new support structures and services at university level and modernization of teaching and learning methods and tools supporting different students’ needs in digital environment. The project establishes various mechanisms that underpin fair digital transition from secondary to higher education and enhance institutional and infrastructural environment at partners HEIs and improve teaching methodology, in a way that will bridge digitalization gaps in education & support provision to students. In enabling comprehensive impact, HAWKING targets active involvement of educational managers, teaching and non-teaching staff, students and parents.