Apostolos Mavridis

Exploiting Web Conferencing to Support Collaborative Learning

This paper examines whether it is possible for web conferencing platforms to support collaborative learning scenarios. Two web conferencing platforms, an open source and a commercial one, are compared and evaluated in two case studies in tertiary education. The final conclusion of this study is that both platforms are capable of supporting collaborative learning activities with great success.

Improving Collaboration between Students Exploiting a 3D Game

This study investigates whether 3D collaborative games can promote the collaboration between students. The participants of the study were 27 undergraduate students in tertiary education, aged 19-22 years old. The intervention lasted 12 weeks and it was based on the One Group Pretest, Post test experimental design. The game used for the intervention was configurable, providing the ability for changes to its content, and it was developed in the OpenSim platform. The data collection was made with the use of a paper-based questionnaire and the statistical analysis was conducted using paired-samples t-test. The results of the analysis were promising and showed that educational games can promote collaborative interactions between students and improve their social skills.

FGAWeb: A web platform for administrating flexible games in education

This paper introduces a contemporary platform, called FGAWeb, that can be utilized in order to administrate flexible games. FGAWeb platform is focused on differentiating the content of puzzle and quiz games in order to make them more suitable for use in educational settings. Instructors can utilize this platform in order to create and edit game activities as well as, to have access to game and learning analytics. FGAWeb platform offers an API that makes the whole system accessible from any game engine that supports the HTTP protocol for data transfers.

Developing an adaptive serious game based on students' bio-feedback

This paper describes the design and development of an educational game that is adapted based on the psychophysiological measures of the player. The particular measurements are collected using a bio-feedback device and they consist of skin conductance, skin temperature, and heart rate. The adaptation of the game aims to increase the engagement of the players by making the game more challenging when they are feeling bored or nervous. The proposed system will be evaluated in a series of activities in tertiary education.

Motivating computer science students by facilitating inderdisciplinary educational activities: exploitation of a 3D educational game for marketing

This study investigates the integration of a 3D Collaborative Game into the learning process of a Marketing lesson. The research conducted in the context of a collaboration between two universities. Students from one university facilitated the game activity whereas the others played the game. The evaluation methodology was focused on users’ satisfaction, intension - purpose and attitude towards the game activity as well as on the motivational impact of the activity to the students who supported it. The preliminary results of the evaluation were promising and revealed that there is a great interest from the side of the learners towards the use of games in the learning process.

Designing and Deploying 3D Collaborative Games in Education

This paper focuses on methodologies of serious games deployment and evaluation. Particularly, this study will present a specific category of serious games that are based on Collaborative Virtual Environments and they aim to support Collaborative Learning. We call these serious games Collaborative Virtual Educational Games CVEG. The paper aims to analyze the deployment and evaluation process, through the study of relevant bibliography, and by doing so to reveal the existing research gap, which fails to evaluate the threefold nature-game, collaboration, and software-of CVEG. The proposed framework aims to support the design, deployment, and evaluation of a CVEG, by incorporating two consecutive and recurrent cycles, each consisting of distinct phases. Furthermore, each phase is designed to address specific goals. Finally, the paper presents four case studies, applying the proposed theoretical methodology for designing, deploying and evaluating a pragmatic CVEG.

An adaptive serious neuro-game using a mobile version of a bio-feedback device

This paper describes a bio-feedback device for emotion recognition, as well as the creation of an android application that communicates with the bio-feedback device wirelessly via Bluetooth and allows the users to use their smartphone or tablet to monitor their anxiety levels. Moreover, it addresses the design and development of an educational game that is adapted based on the psycho-physiological measures of the player, which are collected using the bio-feedback device and they consist of skin conductance, skin temperature, and heart rate. A REST Web API that implements many functions for storing and updating the measurements of the users in the database, as well as a website with line charts depicting the levels of anxiety of the players during game play was created. Lastly, suggestions for future development and research are discussed.

Supporting virtual internationalization of education by implementing and playing serious games

This paper describes the international electronic collaboration between professors of two universities and their students in order to organize and implement a serious game activity. The paper also presents the concept of the serious game, the game play scenario as well as the assessment of the whole activity from the pedagogical and technological viewpoint.

Exploiting 3D virtual environments for supporting role playing games

This paper describes the international electronic collaboration among students of two universities in order to create a digital educational space for supporting a role playing educational activity. The paper also presents the virtual place that has been implemented in order to transfer the role playing game activity students from the traditional classroom as well as the assessment of the whole activity from the pedagogical and technological viewpoint.