Maria Concetta Carruba

/ Associate Professor /

Associate Professor at Pegaso University, Department of Education and Sport (DISES), specializing in Special Education, Inclusion, and Technology for Inclusive Education. She holds a PhD in Education, co-supervised with the University of Pittsburgh, with her doctoral research focusing on accessibility for inclusion and the use of technology to support students with special educational needs in the classroom.

Her research activities center on educational innovation and inclusion, with a particular emphasis on the role of technology in enhancing accessibility, autonomy, and academic success. Her work examines digital tools for inclusive education, ranging from Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and e-learning to gamification strategies and immersive technologies such as AI, VR, and AR in special education. Additionally, her research explores teacher training in digital pedagogies and active learning methodologies, fostering personalized and inclusive learning experiences.

Her overarching goal is to promote equitable and engaging learning environments through innovative approaches that embrace student diversity while supporting academic achievement, well-being, and lifelong skill development.

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9316-6509

/ People /

Carolina Mele

/ PhD Student /

Carolina Mele is a psychologist specializing in development and learning processes and a PhD student in Digital Transformation at the Pegaso Telematic University (cycle XXXIX). Her academic and professional training has developed through a multidisciplinary path that integrates psychology with technological innovation applied to the school context and learning processes.

Over the years, she has gained solid experience both in the field of research, participating in the drafting and development of numerous scientific projects that have allowed her to refine advanced methodological skills, and in the clinical field, working in particular in the educational and school context. Through participation in various training courses, she has obtained the title of SLD Tutor, strengthening her skills in supporting students with Specific Learning Disorders.

Driven by a deep passion for school inclusion and the improvement of teaching strategies, her research project focuses on assessing the impact that innovative technologies applied to teaching can have on learning processes, with the aim of analysing how advanced digital tools can foster the acquisition of knowledge and skills in students throughout the academic cycle, from primary school to university.

Her main interests lie at the intersection of psychology and assistive technologies, with a particular focus on the inclusion of students with Special Educational Needs and the strategies required to support their learning process. In addition, she is interested in analysing the evolution of cognitive processes in relation to the use of new educational technologies, exploring how digital innovation can influence educational dynamics and promote more effective and personalised learning for the entire class group.

https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7954-6244

/ People /

Lucia Miranda

/ PhD Student /

Lucia Miranda is a Speech-Language Pathologist and a PhD student in Digital Transformation at the University Pegaso (XXXIX cycle), with a strong passion for innovation in education and rehabilitation. Since 2020, she has been working in the assessment and treatment of speech, voice, swallowing, and learning disorders, with a particular focus on Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD).

Thanks to her academic background—enriched by a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Sciences of Health Professions—she has developed strong skills in research, teaching, and healthcare management, which she continues to strengthen through specialized training.

Her current research, carried out in collaboration with the European IA-ME project at Neapolisanit, focuses on the integration of artificial intelligence into education to support teachers in addressing the needs of students with Special Educational Needs (SEN). Through the development of advanced digital tools, she aims to make teaching more accessible, effective, and personalized. In parallel, she is investigating strategies for the early identification of gifted students, with the goal of optimizing their educational pathways and nurturing their potential.

She firmly believes that technology can revolutionize education by breaking down barriers and creating new opportunities for all. Her ambition is to combine research and clinical practice to develop innovative solutions that make learning truly inclusive.

https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9701-3880

/ People /

Nicolò Maria Iannello

/ Researcher /

Nicolò Maria Iannello is a researcher in Developmental and Educational Psychology at Pegaso Telematic University (Department of Psychology and Health Sciences). He obtained his Phd In Psychological and Social Sciences at the University of Palermo in 2017. His research interest concerns the positive youth development of children, adolescents, and emerging adults. In particular, he is interested in studying factors that might foster or hinder their optimal growth. Religiosity and spirituality among adolescents and emerging adults are one of his main areas of research. He has also investigated bullying and ethnic bullying in school contexts and the radicalization process among youth and emerging adults. He is also interested in studying interethnic relationships, as well as democratic competences and civic engagement in children and adolescents.

/ People /

Grazia De Angelis

/ Researcher /

Researcher in Developmental and Educational Psychology and member of the ‘Laboratory for Advanced Human-Technology Interaction’ and of the ‘School Psychology Laboratory’ at Pegaso Telematic University. Guest Editor for the journal Frontiers in Psychology and reviewer for several papers published in national and international journals. Author of several contributions presented at national and international conferences, as well as of approximately 25 publications, including scientific articles and book chapters, primarily focused on the relationship between morality and behavior, and on school psychology.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5276-7962

/ People /

Giovanna Celia

/ Researcher /

Giovanna Celia psychologist, psychotherapist, PhD, senior supervisor, tenure track assistant professor of Dynamic Psychology at Department of Psychology and Health Sciences, Pegaso Telematic University. Member of the ‘Laboratory of the ‘School Psychology’ and member of the interdepartmental study center ESG and DE&I at Pegaso Telematic University. President of Italian Society for Strategic and Integrated Psychotherapy, Director of the Scupsis post-graduate School in Psychotherapy of Rome. Director of the journal “Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy today”. Currently, Giovanna Celia is carrying out research, clinical and training activities both in the field of strategic psychotherapy with a neuroscientific approach and in the field group dynamics from a strategic perspective (phases, defenses, leadership) and storytelling in clinical and non-clinical groups, the reduction of anxiety and stress in students, the improvement of positive emotions through techniques of mind-body integration. In particular the use of genomic hypnosis ( MBT_T) and BWM ( Brain modulation wave). Author of numerous publications and several contributions presented at national and international conferences. Ted x speaker.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9154-9124

/ People /

Angelo Rega

/ P.I. - Associate Professor /

Angelo Rega, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Developmental and Educational Psychology. His research activities have a strong focus on technology-enhanced learning and the inclusion of students with special educational needs. Angelo Rega is also a psychotherapist specializing in systemic psychotherapy. For 11 years, he served as a member of the Board of the Order of Psychologists of the Campania Region, including 5 years as Treasurer and Acting Director. For the same organization, he was the coordinator of the working group for research and intervention in the field of school psychology.

His research focuses on the application of the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) paradigm to special educational needs, combining traditional psycho-pedagogical approaches with emerging technologies to improve access to and the effectiveness of learning for students with specific learning disabilities, cognitive difficulties, and special educational needs in general. The design, development, and implementation of digital educational tools, such as interactive platforms, serious games, chatbots, and systems based on augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), represent a fundamental pillar of his work, aimed at promoting inclusion and supporting learning processes. He integrates psychological sciences and artificial intelligence (AI) to create adaptive interfaces for monitoring students’ progress and providing real-time personalized feedback, as well as to implement Adaptive Tutoring Agents to support learning enhancement processes. This approach is based on the construction of prototypes that allow him to collect useful data to evaluate the effectiveness of TEL tools in relation to cognitive and behavioral phenomena.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0641-7347