Within the framework of the call “2020 Round 1 KA2 – Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices”, the NEOLAiA consortium submitted its project “E-learn for all: Inclusive education through virtual learning environments (INEVIR)” in October.

This project is one of the many initiatives which has stemmed from the collaborative work that has been carried out by the members of the consortium since they started their cooperation for the European Universities call over a year ago.

It aims at equipping education and training systems to face the challenge inherent in the recent sudden shift to online and distance learning, including supporting teachers to develop digital competences and safeguarding the inclusive nature of learning opportunities to students with geographical or social obstacles, cultural differences or educational difficulties.

The INEVIR project brings together key figures with ample experience working together in the field of e-learning, inclusive education, and student-centred methodologies from six countries that span the whole of Europe (the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Romania, and Spain). This project also incorporates, for the first time, Örebro University as an associated partner, which will contribute to the implementation of specific project tasks and support the dissemination and sustainability of the project. This university is now a full-fledged member of the NEOLAiA consortium.

This project aims to fill a much-needed niche affecting catering to diversity within virtual learning environments by offering research-based evidence and concrete resources to improve higher education and make the online learning experience a more inclusive reality for all. This remit is particularly pertinent in the wake of the global pandemic, whose effects have rippled across higher education systems and whose ramifications have been particularly complex vis-à-vis the accessibility of digital education for all.