Thanasis Hadzilacos

Στο Ελληνικό Ανοικτό Πανεπιστήμιο (ΕΑΠ) η εξ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευση, οργανωμένη σε Θεματικές Ενότητες (καθεμιά είναι αντίστοιχη με τρία εξαμηνιαία μαθήματα) συμπληρώνεται με δια ζώσης επαφή ενός καθηγητή συμβούλου με τους 30 φοιτητές ενός τμήματος. Οι ομαδικές αυτές συμβουλευτικές συναντήσεις (ΟΣΣ) γίνονται 5 φορές το χρόνο και διαρκούν 4 ώρες. Από το 2002 σε ορισμένες Θ.Ε. του προπτυχιακού προγράμματος Πληροφορικής οργανώνονται επιπρόσθετα και «εξ αποστάσεως συναντήσεις» μέσω bιαδικτύου και προσωπικών υπολογιστών. Στο άρθρο αυτό παρουσιάζεται η αξιολογημένη (παιδαγωγική κυρίως και τεχνολογική) εμπειρία από την οργανωμένη και τακτική εφαρμογή τεχνολογιών τηλεσυνάντησης και την αξιοποίηση μεθόδων σύγχρονης τηλεκπαίδευσης. Η μελέτη της στάσης των φοιτητών, των προσδοκιών τους και της εκπαιδευτικής αποτελεσματικότητας αφορά 204 φοιτητές του ΕΑΠ στη Θεματική Ενότητα ΠΛΗ 12 «Μαθηματικά για Πληροφορική Ι» του ακαδημαϊκού έτους 2004-2005 κατά το οποίο πραγματοποιήθηκαν 8 Ομαδικές Συμβουλευτικές Τηλεσυναντήσεις (ΟΣΤ). Η αξιοποίηση δυνατοτήτων ΤΠΕ για τηλεσυνδιάσκεψη χωρίς ειδική αίθουσα παρά μόνο με κοινό διαθέσιμο εξοπλισμό (προσωπικό υπολογιστή και σύνδεση στο διαδίκτυο) και χρήση του ειδικού λογισμικού (Centra) επέτρεψε την εικονική παρουσία (φωνή, εικόνα, πίνακας, οθόνη υπολογιστή) καθηγητή και φοιτητών από τα σπίτια τους (ή όπου αλλού έχουν δικτυακή σύνδεση, δυνατότητα που με το χρόνο αυξάνεται και βελτιώνεται). Από τα συμπεράσματα της έρευνας προέκυψε ότι, οι φοιτητές έχουν ιδιαίτερα αυξημένες προσδοκίες για τη χρήση σύγχρονων δικτυακών μέσων από το ΕΑΠ. Θεωρούν ότι υποστηρίχθηκαν αποτελεσματικά με τη χρήση εικονικών τάξεων και μπορούν να επιτύχουν καλύτερα μαθησιακά αποτελέσματα, εφόσον πραγματοποιούνται μεταξύ των ομαδικών συμβουλευτικών συναντήσεων 2-4 φορές το μήνα για 1-2 ώρες. Για το λόγο αυτό και ζητούν την επέκτασή τους τόσο στην ίδια όσο και σε άλλες Θεματικές Ενότητες. Επιπλέον η επίδοση των φοιτητών, που συμμετείχαν στις ΟΣΤ, στις τελικές εξετάσεις ήταν μεγαλύτερη κατά 25% από το μέσο όρο επίδοσης των υπολοίπων φοιτητών.

Metadata for learning objects, activities and sequences can be significant for learning design as they facilitate search, evaluation, acquisition and reuse. A Metadata Application Profile (MAP) consisting of 17 fields for Learning Objects (LO) and Sequences of Learning Activities (LAs), crafted specifically for the needs of the LAMS Community of Practice (CoP) is presented, justified and discussed. MAPs are sub-schemas of the amalgamation of standard metadata schemata for LOs, in our case LOM, DC and the metadata schema for ...

Abstract: Learning a new language can be tedious –except in the environment actually used, in which case it is most exciting. Active learning and engaging learning activities are prominent among the –often not realized in practice– promises of ICTE. Giving learners a special ...

Abstract: Learning a new language can be tedious –except in the environment actually used, in which case it is most exciting. Active learning and engaging learning activities are prominent among the –often not realized in practice– promises of ICTE. Giving learners a special ...

Στο Ελληνικό Ανοικτό Πανεπιστήμιο (ΕΑΠ) η εξ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευση, οργανωμένη σε Θεματικές Ενότητες (καθεμιά είναι αντίστοιχη με τρία εξαμηνιαία μαθήματα) συμπληρώνεται με δια ζώσης επαφή ενός καθηγητή συμβούλου με τους 30 φοιτητές ενός τμήματος. Οι ομαδικές αυτές ...

AbstractInformation searching by exactly matching content is traditionally a strong point of machine searching; this is not, however, how human memory works and is rarely satisfactory for advanced retrieval tasks in any domainmultimedia in particular, where the presentational aspects ...

We discuss some aspects of a pilot e-learning technical writing course addressed to 11th grade vocational high school students in Greece. The application of this alternative teaching intervention stemmed from the researcher- instructor's reflections relating to the integration of a problem based e-pedagogy that aims not just to familiarize students with some technical writing text-types, but to trigger a positive way of thinking and writing and thus enhance students' linguistic literacy. Can genuine interest to content learning (the school's vocational sectors and technical subjects) revert the negative attitude towards school writing activities? And what if the teachers, taking advantage of this interest, converted the conventional language lesson to a web mediated, e-learning problem based language course by engaging more energetic, student-centered teaching and learning approaches? The study showed that a job-related language course through the application of motivating e-pedagogy can revert the vocational students language literacy in a positive direction.

We discuss an intervention in mother language instruction in a Greek Vocational Lyceum combining Web 2.0 tools with electronic writing pedagogy. During a full school year (2012-13), forty six 11th grade students with typically low literacy skills participated, randomly separated in control and experimental group. The latter systematically dealt with Technical Problem Solving and completed online (Edmodo) increasingly complex writing tasks. Encouraged to reflect on and solve technical problems, they activated language skills for communicating their solutions through the synthesis of technical text-genres. Meanwhile the control group followed the conventional teaching method using the usual literary texts. Pre and post-test measurements demonstrated that, while both groups improved, the experimental group made significantly more progress in their language efficiency and writing.

Students in vocational schools in Greece are less motivated and have low performance in courses demanding academic skills, like language learning with reading and writing tasks (e.g. essay writing). If they were asked, they would say that they prefer to do things rather than study or get involved in traditional classroom language activities. School cannot provide them with language materials and methodology adjusted to their needs. Language teaching and learning is an academic task-oriented subject and teachers find it extremely difficult to arise their students' interest. So, from this point of view there is a gap between need and supply. How to overcome this obstacle? Is it possible that an educational e-Learning environment applying a purpose specific e-pedagogy, will do this? An experimental teaching intervention took place in a Greek Secondary Vocational Lyceum (1st EPA.L-Epagelmatiko Lykeio of Lamia city, at 2012-13 school year) in the Greek language curriculum of 11th Grade students so as the researcher to answer the above question. In an activity based situated e-environment for agriculturists, engineers, electricians, car mechanics, students were asked to solve real life technical problems and practise their mother language skills by producing technical textual 'genres' that are likely to use as future professional craftsmen.

Nectaria Tryfona 2 Department of Computer Science, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7E DK-9220 Aalborg ∅st, DENMARK tel: 45 96 358898 fax: 45 98 159889 tryfona@cs.auc.dk ... Marinos Kavouras Faculty of Rural and Surveying Engineering National Technical ...

This paper presents a taxonomy of design guidelines for robot teleoperation developed from a focused literature review of robot teleoperation. A list of user interface design guidelines was assembled, open card sorting and a focus group were used to classify them, and closed card sorting was employed to validate and further refine the proposed taxonomy. The initially obtained set of 70 guidelines is grouped into eight categories: platform architecture and scalability, error prevention and recovery, visual design, information presentation, robot state awareness, interaction effectiveness and efficiency, robot environment/surroundings awareness, and cognitive factors. Agricultural robots were used as an application case study for implementation and field evaluation. The proposed guideline taxonomy was used heuristically to evaluate the usability of an existing user interface of a teleoperated agricultural robot.

This paper presents a taxonomy of design guidelines for robot teleoperation developed from a focused literature review of robot teleoperation. A list of user interface design guidelines was assembled, open card sorting and a focus group were used to classify them, and closed card sorting was employed to validate and further refine the proposed taxonomy. The initially obtained set of 70 guidelines is grouped into eight categories: platform architecture and scalability, error prevention and recovery, visual design, information presentation, robot state awareness, interaction effectiveness and efficiency, robot environment/surroundings awareness, and cognitive factors. Agricultural robots were used as an application case study for implementation and field evaluation. The proposed guideline taxonomy was used heuristically to evaluate the usability of an existing user interface of a teleoperated agricultural robot.

—This article presents findings from three heuristic usability evaluation studies that were carried out on a human-robot interface for a semi-autonomous agricultural vineyard robot sprayer. The following research-based heuristics for the design of robot teleoperation were used: Platform architecture and scalability, Error prevention and recovery, Visual design, Information presentation, Robot state awareness, Interaction effectiveness and efficiency, Robot environment/surroundings awareness, and Cognitive factors. In each evaluation study, usability problems were identified, and specific suggestions were documented for HRI usability improvement. In each design iteration, a smaller number of usability issues were identified. Results of the final heuristic evaluation showed that the system is at a good level of usability and is expected to provide satisfactory services to its typical users.

—This article presents findings from three heuristic usability evaluation studies that were carried out on a human-robot interface for a semi-autonomous agricultural vineyard robot sprayer. The following research-based heuristics for the design of robot teleoperation were used: Platform architecture and scalability, Error prevention and recovery, Visual design, Information presentation, Robot state awareness, Interaction effectiveness and efficiency, Robot environment/surroundings awareness, and Cognitive factors. In each evaluation study, usability problems were identified, and specific suggestions were documented for HRI usability improvement. In each design iteration, a smaller number of usability issues were identified. Results of the final heuristic evaluation showed that the system is at a good level of usability and is expected to provide satisfactory services to its typical users.