The objective of the Interdepartmental Postgraduate Studies Program (IPSP) entitled ‘Educational Sciences through Innovative Technologies and Biomedical Approaches’ is to provide specialized pedagogical knowledge to domestic graduates and holders of equivalent foreign qualifications who are currently serving or intend to serve in General Education as well as Special Needs Education (S.N.E.) at the primary or secondary levels, and/or in early childhood education and care, and who are interested in acquiring specialized knowledge (some of which is in cutting-edge fields such as Pedagogy, General and Special Didactics, Psychology, and Counseling) and in developing a critical awareness of the issues emerging in these fields and their interconnection with New Technologies and Biomedical Sciences.

The purpose of the Interdepartmental Postgraduate Studies Program (IPSP) is to maximize the potential of its graduates in the educational field, on the one hand, by acquiring a holistic approach to modern Pedagogical Science and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) processes, and on the other hand, by updating students’ knowledge and skills in the aforementioned cognitive fields.

In this context, the IPSP focuses on bridging Biomedical Sciences and New Technologies with various sectors of Education, while also aiming at the dissemination of modern interdisciplinary approaches through theory, research, and application in the field of Educational Sciences. The contribution of the Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University of West Attica, which covers the subject area of Biomedical Sciences and their Technological Applications, is of crucial importance to the Program. This is because it possesses the appropriate scientific personnel to support such an approach, as well as the necessary high-technology specialized laboratory equipment to offer students specialized knowledge in fields such as Biology, Neurobiology, Genetics, etc. As documented by contemporary studies, these fields play a significant role in the learning process and reframe areas such as Special Education and Inclusive Education. This approach is pioneering, modern, and unique among domestic postgraduate programs.

A further significant innovation of the IPSP lies in its functional integration of the inclusive dimension into its Curriculum. Thereby, it fully aligns with contemporary national and international mandates for the promotion of inclusive education and the removal of barriers to equal access to education for all students with disabilities and/or special educational needs. Specifically, by integrating the inclusive dimension, the IPSP aligns, inter alia, with:

• Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which underscores the necessity for persons with disabilities to access quality, inclusive education;
• the new European Disability Strategy 2021-2030, which promotes the principles of inclusive education;
• the National Action Plan for Disability, which provides for the creation of a new institutional framework for inclusive education for the benefit of students with disabilities and/or special educational needs, as well as the implementation of a Strategic Action Plan with interventions in all educational sectors aimed at promoting the inclusive goal;
• the new legislative framework for the internal and external evaluation of school units, which establishes inclusive education as one of the central axes for evaluating the educational work of school units, placing particular emphasis on issues of supporting students with special educational needs, applying differentiated learning practices, and implementing individualized interventions.

Furthermore, the inclusive dimension of the Program aims to train teachers, special educators, and related professionals active in the field of special education and, more broadly, in the education of students with disabilities and/or special educational needs, on issues directly related to this field, including, among others:

• theoretical approaches in the field of special education and inclusive education;
• specialized applications of Neuroscience and Genetics in the field of developmental disorders (e.g., Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Specific Learning Disorder – dyslexia, dyscalculia, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD));
• inclusive philosophy and policy;
• the educational and social inclusion of students with disabilities and/or special educational needs;
• learning and teaching in inclusive and special educational settings;
• the design and application of the principles of differentiated instruction and Universal Design for Learning (UDL);
• the design and implementation of targeted educational programs for students with disabilities and/or special educational needs in formal and non-formal learning environments;
• the utilization of alternative forms of intervention (drama, music, visual arts) as well as assistive technology in the education of individuals with disabilities and/or special educational needs.