THE PARTNER
University of Thessaly (Uth), Greece
The University of Thessaly (UTh) stands out in the Greek educational system with 37 Departments and 8 schools, offering diverse undergraduate and postgraduate programs for over 43,000 students.
UTH is dedicated to promoting scientific knowledge through research and contributing to the cultural and economic development of the local community and society at large.
Recognised for its exceptional research performance, UTH aligns with international standards and boasts well-equipped Laboratories in various Departments and Research Units, supported by trained researchers.
With a team of 610 teaching and research staff, 120 temporary teaching staff, 450 administrative staff, and 100 Special Technical Laboratory Staff, UTH has a substantial impact on programs promoting sustainability, circular economy, and environmental initiatives, showcasing its unique contributions in these areas.
Department of Special Education – University of Thessaly
The Department of Special Education (SED) was founded in 1993 and started its operation in September 1998. It is part of the School of Humanities of the University of Thessaly and is located at the city of Volos, Greece.
SED is the only public university department in Greece fully specialized in Special Education. SED’s main mission is to educate special teachers for pre-school and primary education, as well as advance research and development in special education. SED’s program of studies offers specialization in the education of the following categories of people with special needs:
- students with learning disabilities
- hard of hearing and deaf students
- students with visual impairments
- students with intellectual disability
- students with autism spectrum disorders
THE PEAPLE
Michail Kalogiannakis
Professor at the Department of Special Education
Michail Kalogiannakis is a Professor at the Department of Special Education at the University of Thessaly in Greece.and an Associate Tutor at the School of Humanities at the Hellenic Open University.
He graduated from the Physics Department of the University of Crete and continued his post-graduate studies at the University Paris 7-Denis Diderot (D.E.A. in Didactic of Physics), University Paris 5-René Descartes-Sorbonne (D.E.A. in Science Education) and received his PhD degree at the University Paris 5-René Descartes-Sorbonne (PhD in Science Education).
His research interests include: the use of digital technologies in science education (e.g. gamification, mobile learning, etc.), assessment of learning in STEM, and artificial intelligence in science teaching. He has published over 150 articles in international conferences and journals and has served on the program committees of numerous international conferences.
Dimitrios Sotiropoulos
Member of teaching and laboratory staff
Dimitrios Sotiropoulos is a physicist whose academic background includes a master’s degree in science education and a PhD in Digital Educational Technology in Science Education from the Pedagogical Department of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
He is currently employed as a member of teaching and laboratory staff at the Department of Special Education at the University of Thessaly, in the field of “Science Education and ICT Applications in Education”. He has also served as an academic associate at the European University Cyprus, specialising in “Technologies in STEAM Education” and as an adjunct lecturer, at the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications at the University of Thessaly.
Dimitrios’ academic interests lie in the disciplines of science and the use of emerging technologies in education. His research is focused on exploring the beneficial integration of digital technology in the educational process, with a particular emphasis on the application of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in science education.