On the basis of continuous evaluation and quality assessment, and considering new scientific developments, the Faculty of English Language and Literature revises its curriculum regularly, aspiring to provide its students with new knowledge and skills which will be useful to them as future professionals and active citizens. To fulfill these aims, the Faculty started implementing an innovative undergraduate curriculum, the planning of which began in 2003 when the curriculum innovation committee succeeded in securing a European grant through the Ministry of Education for a project which has had the following aims:

• To offer courses organized in ‘disciplinary clusters’ in order to provide students with opportunities to develop specialized knowledge in the field of English Studies they are majoring in: either Language and Linguistics or Literature and Culture.
• To plan and support innovative methods of teaching and learning with an emphasis on the use of ICT.
• To encourage multiple means of student assessment rather than assessment only through final exams.
• To increase the number of seminar-like classes which allow the exchange of ideas and project work.
• To offer support for the development of academic language skills and remedial English language training for those students who need it.
• To introduce and encourage students and staff to use ICT in their work and studies.
• To develop further the Initial Teacher Education Programme which all students of our Faculty are required to attend and to offer extra training opportunities for those particularly interested in ELT.
• To offer new elective courses in gender studies, encouraging students to become aware of and investigate gender related issues through an interdisciplinary perspective.
• To create a framework which makes it possible for the Faculty of English Language and Literature to cooperate with other academic and research units in the University of Athens or other universities.
• To design the Faculty’s website providing a wide range of information and services in Greek and English.

It is due to the funding by the Third European Community Framework of Support in cooperation with the Greek public sector that the PEDYAS project committee has succeeded in:

• Creating a fully equipped Centre for Self-Access Learning and Materials Development. This Centre provides students access to on line and off line study material for language development, self-directed work, remedial work and self-evaluation. It is also available for undergraduate and postgraduate students who wish to have access to e-journals and other materials available through the university library system.
• Developing a Mentorship Programme within the framework of the innovated Initial Teacher Education Programme that was awarded with the European Language Label.
• Enriching the library with many new titles.
• Establishing cooperation with other departments in the University of Athens and other institutions.

The PEDYAS scientific committee:
Head: Professor Bessie Dendrinos
Members: Associate Professors Maro Germanou and Eleni Haviara-Kechaidou, and Assistant Professor Bessie Mitsikopoulou