Inclusive universal access in engineering education

The context of our research is technology- enhanced learning in CS education. In the paper we extend the concept of Universal Access by including essential non- technological aspects resulting in a concept we call inclusive universal access (IA). IA aims to actively involve students in learning and assessment; to address them on all levels of learning including intellect, skills, and personality; and to employ universally accessible tools to support the educational activities. Based on the guiding principles of IA we present IA-enhanced scenarios and courses along with evaluations of IA factors for these courses. We conclude that an educational approach following the IA philosophy is well suited to engage engineering students in deeper learning experiences and to increase their employability. Our findings are based on courses with group sizes around 20 students, partly involving international students and instructors.

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