Ensuring Inclusivity in MOOCs: The Importance of UDL and Digital Accessibility

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) providers deliver courses to all students in a largely uniform manner, regardless of their individual needs. This ‘massiveness’ characteristic presents a number of challenges, most of which are connected to the lack of accessibility, inclusiveness, and personalization factors, particularly for learners with impairments and the elderly. Specifically, bridging the gap between learners' skills and individual variance owing to the lack of personalization and digital accessibility compliance, still remains burdensome. For this reason, incorporating accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into online learning in general and MOOCs in particular might help establishing flexible learning experiences for all, taking into consideration learner variability and educational requirements by design. This paper sheds light on UDL and digital accessibility considerations within MOOCs and summarizes a literature review on MOOCs accessibility, paving the way to present our ongoing research aiming at enhancing MOOC accessibility harnessing artificial intelligence.