Application of the Inclusive Digital Competence Framework
The project promotes the digital competences of people with disabilities and develops an inclusive assessment procedure.
Duration: January 2025 – December 2025
Status: Ongoing
Educational Level: Tertiary Level
Topic: Digital Skills & Literacy
Keywords: Digitalised Teaching Modules, Test Development
Initial Situation
A preliminary project showed that a pre-assessment phase is essential for measuring digital competences among people with disabilities. The current phase of the project makes it possible to consider the participants’ individual starting points and to adapt the test setting accordingly. By carefully collecting information about prior knowledge and needs before the actual assessment phase, the tests are ensured to be fair, accessible, and tailored to the individual situation of each participant.
Previous Project
In the previous project DigCompINC, an inclusive competency model was developed to systematically capture the digital competencies of people with disabilities. The aim was to make existing barriers in the digital space visible and to promote digital inclusion by creating a framework that takes into account the specific needs of this population group, thereby providing a foundation for further research and development work.
Objectives
The project «Application of the Inclusive Digital Competence Framework (AppDigCompINC)» develops a procedure for assessing and promoting the digital competences of people with disabilities. In the long term, an online tool will be created to promote the digital participation of people with disabilities and to contribute to inclusion as well as to reducing digital inequality.
Method
The three-stage procedure – consisting of pre-assessment, assessment, and evaluation – is specifically designed for accessibility and adapted to the diverse prerequisites of the participants. Since February 2025, it has been piloted at PHBern. The data collected during this phase are being analyzed and serve as the basis for evidence-based recommendations and further development of the procedure in subsequent projects.
Planned Translation
The project develops an inclusive, three-stage procedure for assessing the digital competences of people with disabilities. The goal is to design an accessible testing method consisting of a pre-assessment, assessment, and evaluation phase, tailored to the heterogeneity of the target group. Starting in February 2025, the procedure will be piloted at PHBern. The results will be systematically analyzed and evaluated. Based on these results, recommendations will be formulated, and the procedure will be further developed and scaled for larger target groups in follow-up projects. The project makes a key contribution to digital inclusion by developing a practical, accessible, and scalable procedure for assessing the digital competences of people with disabilities. Through the three-stage methodology, individual learning needs become visible, providing a foundation for targeted support measures. In the long term, the procedure will enable the systematic integration of digital competence assessment into education, labor market integration, and assistive systems—thus contributing to the reduction of digital inequality.
