Dr. Niki Lambropoulos

Scientific research on empathy started in the early 20th century. Only in 1992 did the development of cognitive neuroscience help di Pellegrino, Fadiga, Fogassi, Gallese and Rizzolatti to identify the mirror neurons related to representations of an Object from a Subject, verifying Lipps’ (1903) and McDugall’s (1908) suggestions on empathy. Primary empathy is related to the automatic matching of the feelings of the other person (Fischer, 1980). An example is the relationship newborns have between each other on their first days on the earth. Another verification of mirror neurons was made by Rizzolati and Arbib (1998), as well as identification of the areas where the mirror neurons are located, interacting with areas in both hemispheres (Broca area 44 and PE/PC). Hiltz and Turrof (1978) referred to members’ comments on their closest friends, whom seldom or never see each other face to face. Preece and Ghozati (2001) made the first serious attempt to search and analyze empathy in online communities as well as understand it better towards sociability and usability. They used the process-based model of knowing, feeling and responding compassionately for distress by Levenson and Ruef (1992), and the results showed that empathy is widespread in communities. In 2002, Preston and de Waal presented their Perception-Action Model (PAM), a process-based suggestion on empathy. PAM states that: attended perception activates subject’s representations of the state, situation and object, and that activation of this representation automatically primes or generates the associated autonomic and somatic responses, unless inhibited. (p. 4) PAM also relates empathy to the levels of awareness, reconciliation and vicarious learning as well as effortful information processing. The latter, and the mirror neurons discovery, suggest that empathy can be taught and learned as it creates symmetries between the Subject and the Object, activating the primary empathy in human perception. Self-awareness leads to self-directed behaviour, then empathy arousal and, as such, arousal of shared intentions, feelings and thoughts for common goals, desires and beliefs for community building. Eslinger, Moll and de Oliveira-Souza (2002) are among the first neuroscientists to search for Subjects’ empathy from written text. They found that text judging showed different human brain pattern activation, strongly influenced by emotional experience of the text due to reasoning and judgment. As such, the hypothesis was the following: If empathic members are sensitive organs who have the ability to simulate members’ common visions, needs and suggestions (Goleman, McKee & Boyatzis, 2002), they could be detected on the Internet, form a group and be mediators or messengers between authorities and the public.

Abstract: This paper presents a proposal for open Universities based on Neomillennial Learning Styles and Mobile Learning supported by Multi-Agent Systems and Ubiquitous Computing. Open Universities' infrastructure, design, methodology, implementation, models for ...

Correspondence between everyday and scientific life is a blessing (Warren & Jahoda, 1966). Although virtual communities are nowadays widely expanded, research online is not fully developed yet, as methodological approaches are not designed specifically for online research. In addition, the results from the evaluation and the reports do not find an immediate space of use. As such, the researchers use methodologies that deal with online situations borrowing methods and techniques from the “real” ones. Although the adaptations have the same principles, there are limitations due to the virtual nature of the research. In addition, multi-disciplinary approaches characterize virtual communities as different fields interact, such as learning approaches, psychology of the individual and the masses, sociology, linguistics, communication studies, management, human computer interaction and information systems. As a result, there is no methodology that, solely used, could bring results for adequate evaluation and implementation of the results in the community. Due to this complexity, we suggest Real Time Research Methodology based on Time-Series Design to study process-based activities; Focus Groups Methodology and Forum Messages Discourse Analysis as two of the most vital parts in the use of a multi-method. The other parts will depend on the nature and culture of the selected virtual community. Both focus groups (FG) and Forum Messages Discourse Analysis are referred as Extraction Group Research Methodology, or X-Groups. The reason for using X-Groups is the actual implementation of members’ suggestions into their environment as an interaction into an immediate space of use.

Greek Teachers' online community of practice has recently made its entrance into the online educational world. In an effort to open up existing systems of education, lifelong learning on the bases of blended learning, nationwide school communication and teachers' online ...

The Educational Project Management book is a practical guide to plan and create innovative and successful educational projects for Technology Enhanced Learning. It goes beyond the traditional models and is anchored in new approaches to organise and deliver unique and successful educational projects. It is based upon the author's work and PhD thesis on discovering unique processes and theories based on Ethnotechnology and Human-Computer Interaction Education for appropriate solutions. Then, these were translated into tools for Technology Enhanced Learning projects. In the educational project example explored in this book, Educational Project Management aimed at tackling the eLearners’ total absence of active participation and engagement in creative eLearning communities’ discussions for 3 years. The identified solutions provided novel theories, newfound tools and evaluation techniques for engaging, active, effective and efficient creative eLearning communities. Hence, this Educat...

Authentic reflective practice in real working conditions acts as a bridge between the university environment with the engagement and responsibility of a professional. Educating the pedagogy students as teachers is one of the main aims of the Department of Education and Social Work Sciences, University of Patras, Greece. An intervention to support students’ reflective practice with new technologies took place following the flipped classroom and collaborative learning approaches; 169 university students were registered in the associated online course. The course organization, the instructions and the educational material was provided via the course on eClass for the flipped classroom approach. Following collaborative learning methods, the students were divided into small teams, this is 20 students average for each group for teachers’ shadowing and small groups of 3-5 for onsite meetings with tutors. Other than the students’ reflective practice diaries, the tutors also kept observation...

Learning experience by engaging learners in immersive worlds has been proved to accelerate the learning pace as well as enhance the actual learners’ knowledge acquisition, construction of group meaning as well as skills and competencies. This is possible by 3D immersive worlds as they are representations of reality. Also, accelerating learning strategies exist in performance related targets and training such as sports; athletes accelerate and enhance their performance. In fact, studies reveal that learning can be accelerated and deepened in short crash workshops if specific systematic procedures, techniques and methodologies are in place. Based on such research, we accept the aforementioned results and we propose that such a crash course can be strategically and dynamically structured specifically for eLearning. Moreover, we propose an example of an Innovation Management crash eCourse implemented in the Second Life 3D virtual world so to provide technology enhanced learning by immer...

This paper follows our stream of research on Serendipity Engineering for series events connected in time and space. Occurring by rather hidden and unexpected connections Serendipity Engineering is also related to the bipolar decision making process: hesitate before taking the risk, accept and engage in serendipity or deny it. Although research exists within the Global Systems Science field for serendipity identification and engineering, the results are not encouraging as such research now fails in predictions. Massive global research and apparent impact is evident and reachable in social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc. Furthermore, utilising a range of tools, methodologies and techniques, it may be possible to identify activities and hidden connections in both big and small data and predict, aid or even interfere in the decision making process. Such interference based on prediction can actually alter the future decision making users’ domino of events and items select...

This paper discusses the advantage of social media in providing continuous non-liner, non-redundant information, taking advantage Global Systems Science (GSS) research tools and techniques. GSS matrix can indicate series of fortunate and unfortunate events that are not isolated but rather connected in time and space, sometimes appearing as events rising from serendipity. This proposition suggests that such hidden connections can be a new form of multiple intelligence named Chrono-Spatial Intelligence This is occurring by apparent or hidden connections between human or machine generated data and the time these occur so to investigate their connecting nodes, also linked to political decision making and learning. Although major prediction frameworks and systems exist as part of the GSS, it seems they cannot not successfully indicate or predict major or massive activities with global impact following the latest global events. Social media, semantic associations, local security camera data and other information have not been connected and analysed enough to predict undesirable events. Therefore, the main aim of this proposition is the identification, analysis and understanding connections between real-time political events for time-space investigation as Chrono-Spatial Intelligence. A second aim is to identify tools, methodologies and evaluation techniques to facilitate shedding light in Chrono-Spatial Intelligence understanding, analysis and impact related to political decision making, as for example quality in education. Future research suggests the proposition implementation.

Social web asynchronous communication environments provide the space for content creation, idea sharing and knowledge construction within a participatory and collaborative framework that encourages online community establishment and evolution. However, community development is a long-term process and necessitates the adoption of appropriate theoretical principles to support a developmental scheme ensuring the community’s exploratory, knowledge-based and reflexively expanding character. This chapter discusses and analyses the techniques and tools used in an online course aiming to enable Greek teachers develop their pedagogical and digital skills in order to keep update, form new relationships and grow professionally. To this end, e-course design was based on formal learning principles underlying the virtual classroom activities during which a collaborative culture was built. Also, the course structure involved informal learning principles, which were integrated into social web activ...

Recent rapid technological advancement has influenced communication and information management. In addition, it has facilitated collaboration, an interactive process that engages participants who work together to achieve outcomes they could not accomplish independently. Using new technologies for remote collaboration from U.K., Finland, and Greece, we created our own collaboration and creativity technique as best practices for our team by utilizing an adaptation of Collaborative E-Learning and Six Thinking Hats. We call this model for knowledge working to enhance collaborative creativity Hybrid Synergy. The question under investigation was “What tools, methodologies, techniques, and practices can support collaborative creativity of multidisciplinary teams for virtual knowledge working?” The results from the study conducted in an online course verified the importance of the individual contribution for the development and evolution of a virtual team as a whole. Furthermore, the propos...

... Lynne Baillie and Raimund Schatz. Abstract Full text (353 kB). Enhancing the Usability of Telecare Devices. José Manuel Ojel-Jaramillo and José Juan Cañas. Abstract Full text (305 kB). Design of a Virtual Learning Environment for Students with Special Needs. ...

There is a continuing effort to maintain and support the Greek language and culture from the Greek and Cypriot Ministries of Education in the Diaspora the last 150 years (St Sofia Church Archive). Despite the fact that several attempts were made to support these efforts, the ...

Weinert, FE (2001): Vergleichende Leistungsmessung in Schulen–eine umstrittene Selbstverständlichkeit. In: Weinert, FE (Ed.): Leistungsmessungen in Schulen. Weinheim, Basel, pp. 17-31. Hellenic Teachers' Life-‐Long Learning Skills Valida4on via Interac4ve ...

Greek Teachers' online community of practice has recently made its entrance into the online educational world. In an effort to open up existing systems of education, lifelong learning on the bases of blended learning, nationwide school communication and teachers' online ...

ABSTRACT Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) support is currently widely accepted to provide reliable and valid formal and informal educational practices as proven to benefit students in onsite as well as distant educational settings. However, some results from case studies indicate that privacy problems could negatively affect CSCL implementation in educational settings. Privacy Enhancing Technologies research (PETs) and development of multilaterally secure systems are still limited research topics within CSCL due to diverse reasons. Based on deep related literature analysis and previous research results conducted by the authors in building CSCL systems, three main categories were identified for such reasons that have an impact in PETs and multilateral security research: lack of awareness of such PETs’ existence; lack of knowledge on ways to efficiently integrate them in CSCL systems and settings; and reluctance to consider their multilaterally secure implementation by CSCL participations due to conflict of interests (e.g. explicit students monitoring requirements, high integration costs, etc.). In this paper, these categories are addressed and the PETs potential is discussed for overcoming the associated emerging drawbacks focused on the distance education CSCL settings in particular. The result of our research is an integrated framework considering multilateral security requirements. Furthermore, proof of concept is provided; enhanced privacy in such settings is applied by demonstrating the fulfilment of selected improvements areas (i.e. mainly network, application anonymity, and process support for resolving potential multilateral security conflicts) in an existing collaborative distance education system.

Dear Colleagues,
It is our pleasure to inform you that the following book has been published and is available on the Nova Science Publishers website:

From Dreamers to Doers: The Art and Science of Educational Project Management
Authors: Niki Lambropoulos, PhD (UK)

Hardcover: https://www.novapublishers.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=62966
E-book: https://www.novapublishers.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=62979

*The book offers new jobs and opportunties for educators,
TEL (Technology Enhanced Learning) oriented.