Inclusive and accessible digital higher education. Experiences from a transnational study program.

Digital higher education is often portrayed as more inclusive and accessible than on-site teaching. This limited understanding of the benefits of online learning is challenged when perspectives and experiences outside Europe are considered. Digitalization and the extensive use of technical infrastructure in online learning scenarios can lead to inequalities if they are not adapted to the specific circumstances in which they are used. For example, digital higher education reaches its limits when faced with limited Internet access, low bandwidth, and a rather centralized Internet infrastructure. Moreover, disruptive environments, in particular political crises, and civil wars, can further exacerbate the challenges of inclusive digital education and further the need for alternatives to conventional forms of teaching and studying.
By drawing on experiences of the international master's program Global Studies with a Special Emphasis on Peace and Security in Africa (MA GSPSA), offered jointly by the Global and European Studies Institute at Leipzig University, Germany, and the Institute for Peace and Security Studies at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, this presentation provides insights into how online learning can be designed inclusive despite significant political and technical challenges. We want to share our experiences with continuing and transforming a transnational master’s program in times of multiple crises and how we responded to critical junctures that abruptly changed the basic parameters of our study program. To that end, we discuss the benefits and limits of virtual exchanges and blended mobility within a global study environment. In doing so, we shed light on hitherto neglected aspects within the debates on digitalization of universities in Germany, by highlighting a largely non-European context.
The digitalization of the MA GSPSA was generously supported by the DAAD within its funding framework International Programmes Digital between 2020 and 2022.