Boosting Digital Inclusion: How Digital4All Training Made a Difference

What happens when you bring together educators, technologists, and digital inclusion advocates from across Europe to tackle barriers in online education? You get the Digital4All project—a European Union-funded initiative making real impact in how we teach and learn in digital spaces.

Between December 2023 and November 2025, six partner organizations from Ireland, Finland, Greece, Cyprus, and Belgium are working together to improve digital accessibility in higher education. A big part of this effort is a comprehensive online training course aimed at university faculty and staff. Now, with the first round of learners completing the course, it’s time to ask:
Did it work?

Figure 1. Screenshot of the Digital4All training course homepage on the Moodle platform (https://digital4all.ucd.ie/), where the training modules on accessibility and inclusion were hosted.

Understanding the Training

Hosted on a dedicated Moodle platform (see Figure 1), the Digital4All training modules guide participants through topics such as:

  • Inclusive teaching practices
  • Accessible digital design
  • Universal Design principles
  • The role of AI in inclusive education
  • Practical strategies for inclusive assessments

The training is part of a broader effort to develop a toolkit, an Open Educational Resource (OER) repository, and other resources to help universities become more inclusive and equitable in the digital age.

 

Measuring the Impact: A Before-and-After Look

To understand the effectiveness of the training, participants took a pre-test before beginning the course, and a post-test after completing it. These tests were identical, covering the full scope of the five modules.

 

These are the results from the training course delivered in Ireland by University College Dublin (UCD):

  • Average Pre-Test Score: 7.85 out of 19
  • Average Post-Test Score: 15.15 out of 19
  • Average Learning Gain: +7.30 points

Every single one of the 20 participants improved their score—an impressive outcome that clearly reflects knowledge gained.

“It’s great to see such consistent improvement,” said one of the trainers. “It shows that even those with limited prior knowledge were able to significantly boost their understanding.”

 

More Than Just Scores

Beyond the test scores, participants were asked to rate the training experience itself. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive:

  • Overall Satisfaction: 4.85 out of 5
  • Content Quality: 4.8
  • Ease of Navigation: 4.7
  • Improved Skills: 4.7
  • Likelihood to Apply in Real Life: 4.8

Participants highlighted how practical, accessible, and relevant the content was. Many said they were already planning to apply what they learned in their own teaching or course design.

“The storytelling elements really made things click for me,” shared one learner. “It helped me see the human side of digital accessibility.”

 

Key Takeaways

This evaluation makes one thing clear: Digital4All training isn’t just informative, it’s transformative. From higher test scores to glowing feedback, participants walked away with sharper skills and a deeper understanding of how to make digital education more inclusive.

 

Here’s what we’ve learned:

  • Targeted training works—structured, well-designed courses can shift knowledge quickly.
  • Everyone benefits—teachers, technologists, and students alike find value in inclusive education.
  • Digital inclusion is achievable—when supported with the right tools, change is possible.

Looking Ahead

With such promising results, the Digital4All team is excited to move forward with more workshops, additional content, and expanded outreach. As one of the participants put it, “This training has sparked ideas I didn’t even know I needed.”