Given the importance of developing and offering accessible education for all, indispensable aspects of education for sustainable development (ESD) are needed. This study addresses that need by proposing a quality self-assessment for virtual education from an accessibility perspective. This proposal is based on previous literature about quality assurance in e-learning that considered accessibility and its application in the field of higher education. The bibliographic review was conducted by following Multivocal Literature Review (MLR) guidelines. The initial search returned 999 items from 5 academic databases and 32,200 professional sources from Google. After reviewing the sources, 37 of them were included. Then, the accessibility criteria were identified and integrated into an evaluation model. Such a model is divided into four dimensions: (1) organization, (2) student body, (3) teaching, and (4) infrastructure. The model also includes a set of standards (16), requirements (48), and evidence (63) that apply to each dimension. Moreover, self-assessment guidelines for accessible virtual education were proposed. They included a conceptual and theoretical framework, a self-assessment model, and a methodology for applying the model. The methodology included five phases: planning, model tuning or refinement of the model, evaluation, results, and continuous improvement. As future work, the implementation and validation of the guidelines will be carried out.

The evaluation of quality in education has gained greater relevance, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, which enhanced virtual learning and further highlighted the need for inclusive, equitable, and quality education in line with SDG 4. It has become indispensable to have evaluation models and tools supported by empirical validation to ensure their applicability and reliability in diverse educational contexts. This study addresses this need by validating a self-assessment guide designed to evaluate the quality of virtual education from an accessibility perspective. The validation process involved three phases: a preliminary phase with 4 experts to identify areas for improvement in the structure, clarity, and relevance of the content; an extended phase with 20 experts to evaluate reliability and validity; and a pilot study implemented in four higher-education institutions to verify the guide’s applicability in real environments. Reliability and validity were assessed using standard psychometric techniques, confirming high internal consistency and content validity, although some areas required clarity adjustments. The findings indicate that this guide can serve as a robust tool for institutions aiming to advance accessible and high-quality virtual education, directly supporting SDG 4’s commitment to inclusive education.

The SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) forced educational institutions to move their programmes to the virtual world. Several tech-based solutions –including virtual training and tutoring, discussion forums, access to content and information, collaborative platforms, and Open Educational Resources (OER)– were implemented to address this shift and continue to be used in the post-pandemic era due to the advantages they offer, especially for hybrid and blended learning. However, the implementation of these tech-based solutions also revealed several accessibility issues that need to be addressed to fully leverage the technological benefits. This study aims to provide a framework to facilitate the adoption of good practices related to technological accessibility in virtual Higher Education. The implementation of the framework is divided into four basic actions, each of which should be tailored to the constraints and needs for improving accessibility in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The framework's instantiation in four HEIs serves as a proof-of-concept in real-world scenarios. The preliminary results suggest that the proposal is promising, as it was adaptable to the specific needs of each HEI fostering accessibility and inclusion through technological alternatives that align with their organisational structures and current levels of attention to accessibility.

This paper presents a new approach to provide support in learning the phonetic code (language therapy) using support from ICT (mobile technologies). Our proposal can be used in therapy sessions with children with speech disorders and/or associated pathologies (brain paralysis, autism, etcetera), or as a tool to help treat speech production difficulties in children in regular schools. Spontaneous and repetitive pronunciation tests were used to determine the children’s pronunciation difficulties and the recording of activity tasks, the creation of individual reports and the generation of work plans were automated for this same purpose. Tests were applied to 32 children with a variety of disorders, attending special education centers in Cuenca-Ecuador in order to analyze the potential of this type of support tool. En este trabajo se presenta un nuevo enfoque para proporcionar soporte en el aprendizaje del código fonético (terapia del lenguaje) usando como apoyo las TIC (tecnologías móviles). Nuestra propuesta se puede utilizar en las sesiones de terapia con los niños que sufren trastornos del habla y/o patologías asociadas (parálisis cerebral, autismo, etc.) o como una herramienta para ayudar a tratar las dificultades en la producción de habla que presentan niños de escuelas regulares. Para determinar las dificultades que presentan los niños en la articulación se emplean los tests de articulación espontánea y repetitiva y se automatizan las tareas de registro de actividades, creación de reportes individuales y la generación de planes de trabajo. A fin de analizar las potencialidades de este tipo de herramientas de apoyo, se han realizado pruebas con 32 niños que sufren diversos trastornos y asisten a centros de educación especial en Cuenca-Ecuador.

According to facts given by the World Health Organization, one in ten deaths worldwide is due to an external cause of injury. In the field of pre-hospital trauma care, adequate and timely treatment in the golden period can impact the survival of a patient.