The Algorithmic Heartbeat: The IEP as an Affective Device in AI-Enhanced Hybrid Learning Environments

This study examines the evolution of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) between 2003 and 2025 as a framework connecting educational actors, contexts, and resources. A qualitative longitudinal case study analyses eighteen IEPs across six educational trajectories, triangulating documentary findings with an asynchronous online focus group. Results indicate a gradual shift from deficit-oriented planning towards participation, contextual awareness, and shared responsibility. The metaphor of the “algorithmic heartbeat” describes the ongoing coordination of information, relationships, and pedagogical intentions within inclusive educational ecosystems. Integrating the ICF, embodied cognition, and the Life Project, the proposed framework positions artificial intelligence as a mediator of educational collaboration that preserves professional judgment, human agency, and ethical responsibility.