@article {3054, title = {STEPS: Supporting Traditional Education ProcedureS-A TCP/IP Multimedia Networks-Based Model}, journal = {Multimedia Tools And Applications, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Vol. 16, No 3}, year = {2002}, month = {March}, pages = { 251 - 276}, abstract = {This paper describes an integrated model for the realization of an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) environment supporting traditional learning procedures, through collaborative learning and active participation of the involved group of students. Internet technologies are used as a vehicle for distribution of interactive multimedia at the user{\textquoteright}s desktop. We also present off-the-shelf solutions for the architecture and implementation of an Educational Network necessary to support the ODL environment. An Educational Entity (specially shaped part of a legal educational authority) is also prescribed as the central point for the Educational Network, being the content provider and the learning procedure evaluator. It is mainly intended to be used in a higher education setting, aspiring to be an efficient solution for the common educational needs of a group of students and teachers or researchers.}, author = {Christos Bouras and Paul Spirakis and P Lampsas} } @conference {2825, title = {Multimedia Architecture offering Open Distance Learning Services over Internet}, booktitle = {5th IEEE International Conference on Telecommunications - ICT 98, Chalkidiki, Greece, Vol. 4}, year = {1998}, month = {22 - 25 June}, pages = { 145 - 149}, abstract = {The increase in the use of the Internet not only as a repository of resources for learning but also as a means for the delivery of courses and specially prepared teaching material is a particularly significant innovation in the range of education. The main concept here is a Virtual class, which is based on the principles of CSCL (Computer Supported Collaborative Learning) systems. This paper describes an integrated, WWW based platform for the development of web enabled environments over TCP/IP networks, such as Internet. This platform is designated through a Teletraining and Collaborative Learning Application. The proposed platform aspires to be an efficient solution for a group of students and teachers that need a shared workspace, supporting remote interactive lectures, flexible exchange of teaching material and various communication utilities, with focus on transparent and secure interaction.}, author = {Christos Bouras and Paul Spirakis and P Lampsas and P Zarafidis and A Bazaios and A Zoura} } @conference {2830, title = {A platform for the implementation of the services of an Educational Network}, booktitle = {15th IFIP World Computer Congress-Teleteaching{\textquoteright} 98, Vienna, Austria, Part I}, year = {1998}, month = {31 August - 4 September}, pages = { 159 - 169}, abstract = {Multimedia and hypermedia had and still have a tremendous impact on the evolution of educational software. In this paper we propose a platform for the implementation of the services of an educational network over TCP/IP networks such as the Internet. Our proposal aims at providing an integrated communicational environment which supplies the communicative needs of one educational community, using the latest telecommunication and multimedia information processing technology. We propose various kinds of communication forms for the interaction between the participants.}, author = {Christos Bouras and Vaggelis Kapoulas and Apostolos Gkamas and Thrasivoulos Tsiatsos and P Lampsas} } @article {3065, title = {Results and experience from the application of a common methodology for Users Requirements Specification in Distance Education using Telematics}, journal = {Journal of Technology and Teacher Education -JTATE, AACE, Vol. 6, Issue 1}, year = {1998}, pages = { 61 - 74}, abstract = {The cooperation of the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and the Educational communities, is recognised as a necessity that must result in the adaptation and tuning of the education processes in terms of pedagogical methodologies, school infrastructure, human resources development and organisational restructuring, in order to efficiently absorb and utilize technological developments. The ICT community has to realize the significance of the users{\textquoteright} needs, the difficulties of the intervention to an old and traditional process. And the need to view their technology applications not only as a technical exercise. The initial phases of the TRENDS project, which are described in this paper, resulted in an agreed common methodology for carrying out the necessary investigation of the user needs in secondary education. This methodology, which was followed more or less in all participating countries, produced answers to questions concerning the role of the educators and their basic training, their familiarity with technology, education policies from a trans-European perspective, the content, forms and aims of further training, the distance training of teachers in the use of new technologies, the motives, incentives and organisational schemes for enhancing re-education, the needs of the educational environment and technology-based training, the needs of the educators in practical didactic methods, etc.}, author = {Christos Bouras and Paul Spirakis and P Lampsas and G Tsakarissianos and J Garofalakis and K Antonis and N Kastis and S Kontogiannis} } @conference {2833, title = {Training Centres: An Architecture for the Realisation of Open and Distance Learning Environments using Telematics}, booktitle = {9th International Conference Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education-SITE 98, Washington, DC, USA, Vol. 1}, year = {1998}, month = {10 - 14 March}, pages = { 118 - 120}, abstract = {In this paper, we are describing an architecture for the realisation of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Environments using Telematics. The approach of using Training Centres as dedicated education services providers, located at the premises of an educational authority is discussed. These Training Centres may be Points of Presence of an international educational network (as is the case in the TRENDS Project in the context of which Training Centres were studied). Crucial aspects of the feasibility study, aiming to investigate the operational and organisational conditions of the Centres, that must precede the implementation of a Training Centre, are cited.}, author = {Christos Bouras and Paul Spirakis and P Lampsas} } @conference {2831, title = {Web-Enabled Distance Education Environment}, booktitle = {World Conference of the WWW, Internet and Intranet-WebNet 98, Orlando, Florida, USA}, year = {1998}, month = {7 - 12 November}, pages = { 80 - 85}, abstract = {As the new network computer technology forces into every aspect of daily life, many things change in a rather rapid way, compared to what we were used to until recently. One of the most important aspects in the social activity of people, Education, could not be an exception. Advances in network infrastructures and telematics services, combined with multimedia techniques and powerful personal computers provide the opportunity to make a network-based multimedia system for distance learning (teletraining) a real fact.}, author = {Christos Bouras and P Lampsas and A Bazaios and G Tsindilas} } @conference {2832, title = {Web-Enabled Distributed Collaborative Learning Environment}, booktitle = {6th International Conference on Computers in Education-ICCE 98, Beijing, China}, year = {1998}, month = {14 - 17 October}, pages = { 489 - 493}, abstract = {This paper describes, in design, architecture and implementation level, a web based environment for co-operative teleworking and collaborative learning over TCP/IP networks, such as Internet. The implemented tool claims to be an efficient solution for a group of users/students that need a shared workspace containing various communication utilities, including on-line and off-line communication, with focus on transparent and secure interaction.}, author = {Christos Bouras and P Lampsas and P Zarafidis and A Zoura} } @conference {2837, title = {Conclusions on the Analysis of User Requirements concerning the use of ICT in the Didactic Process}, booktitle = {ED-MEDIA/ED-TELECOM 97, Calgary, Canada}, year = {1997}, month = {14 - 19 June}, pages = { 13 - 18}, abstract = {The co-operation of the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and the Educational Society, is deemed necessary for the adaptation and tuning of the didactic process in terms of pedagogical methodologies, school infrastructure, human resources utilisation and organisational restructuring. The use of ICT in the classroom should be viewed as a highly influencing tool that will support the educators{\textquoteright} effort for interaction with their students, rather than as a technical exercise. The initial phases of the TRENDS project, which are described in this paper, resulted in a widely accepted common methodology, that complies with the international standards for determining the User Requirements in the Secondary Education. The major results emerged from this survey are presented here, as well as some common axes that deal with the application of ICT in the didactic process.}, author = {Christos Bouras and Paul Spirakis and P Lampsas and G Tsakarissianos and J Garofalakis and K Antonis and N Kastis and S Kontogiannis} } @conference {2842, title = {Enabling Distance Education over the World Wide Web}, booktitle = {World Conference of the WWW, Internet and Intranet- WebNet 97,Torodo,Canada}, year = {1997}, month = {31 Octiber - 5 November}, abstract = {The recent advancements in the field of the information and communication technology resulted in a revolution comparable to the industrial revolution. The basis of this revolution is the information and the value it has as the pure expression of human knowledge. The technological advancements offer us the ability to process, store, retrieve and transmit information in multiple formats (text, sound, image, video) independently of time, volume and distance. In this paper we present the technology that is required and an architecture for the realization of distance education over the World Wide Web. We also address some basic aspects of the users{\textquoteright} needs that every software tool for distance education should meet.}, author = {Christos Bouras and Paul Spirakis and P Lampsas and I Antoniou} } @conference {2838, title = {In-Service Training through ODL Environments:From User Needs To Functional Specifications}, booktitle = {8th International Conference Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education-SITE 97, Orlando, USA}, year = {1997}, month = {1 - 5 April}, pages = { 519 - 522}, author = {Christos Bouras and Paul Spirakis and P Lampsas} } @conference {2843, title = {Superhighways for Open and Distance Learning}, booktitle = {1997 EDEN Conference, Budapest, Hungary}, year = {1997}, month = {23 - 25 June}, pages = { 32 - 36}, abstract = {An educational information network, is a multimedia network with a centralized architecture for the provision of educational services. The educational services comprise basic network applications (such as multimedia e-mail, fora for debates on educational subjects, access to already existing information), video distribution of multimedia lessons and a custom developed teletraining tool for the conduction of lessons over a broadband networking infrastructure. The suitability of the widely available broadband networking technologies (ATM, ISDN), as opposed to the alternative of using already existing networking infrastructure (Internet, CATV), for the implementation of educational networks for the realization of an Open and Distance Learning Environment will be examined. More specifically the types of educational services that can be best hosted by each technology and the costs as opposed to the maturity for the deployment of each networking technology will be cited. Finally, a proposal for an implementation scheme of an educational information network, concerning the appropriate (and cost effective) networking infrastructure that can best accommodate the aforementioned educational services will be elaborated.}, author = {Christos Bouras and Paul Spirakis and P Lampsas} } @article {3066, title = {Using Multimedia/Hypermedia Tools over Networks for Distance Education and Training}, journal = {Journal of Educational Technology Review - ETR, AACE, No. 7}, year = {1997}, month = {Summer}, pages = { 20 - 26}, abstract = {The rapid developments in the Information Technology sector as well as the deployment of faster networks brings us to the era of the New Information Technology (NIT). The citizen of the near future must be able to use them else he will be seriously handicapped in his everyday life. Thus NIT becomes part of the educational process while on the other hand offers the tools and the infrastructure for the establishment of the distance education process. The educators are one of the first professions that must learn to use NIT and its tools. Multimedia/hypermedia tools offer solutions to the problems posed by the distance education process. They can be user-friendly and enticing and they can cover most, if not all, the needs of their users. A lot of prototype systems (tools) for distance education have been developed, each offering a number of functions that aid the process of distance education. The rapid growth of World Wide Web is adding another factor that can lead to the wider deployment of distance education systems. Although the value of distance education is unquestionable there is still a lot of work to be done before a wide spread implementation platform emerges.}, author = {Christos Bouras and Vaggelis Kapoulas and Paul Spirakis and P Lampsas and A Tatakis and S Kontogiannis and D Fotakis} } @conference {2852, title = {An Interactive Cooperative Teleworking Environment-Tηλε{\textmu}άθεια *}, booktitle = {ED-TELECOM 96, Boston, USA}, year = {1996}, month = {17 - 22 June}, pages = { 37 - 42}, abstract = {

In this paper we present the design and the implementation of an interactive environment for cooperative teleworking. Telemathea offers tools that support the communication and the teleworking between tutor and trainee, who may reside in remote geographical regions. This environment offers audio communication over the network as well as support for joint editing of text documents and still images. It supports different audio coding techniques so as to adjust to the available bandwidth, and makes use of the RTP protocol in order to facilitate the exchange of audio and, in the future, video packets.

}, author = {Christos Bouras and Vaggelis Kapoulas and Paul Spirakis and P Lampsas and A Tatakis and S Kontogiannis and D Fotakis and K Kyriakou} } @conference {2853, title = {HIPPOCRATES: A multimedia tool for distance education}, booktitle = {ED-MEDIA 95, Gratz, Austria}, year = {1995}, month = {17 - 21 June}, pages = { 103 - 108}, abstract = {In this paper we present a software tool for the realisation of the distance education service, that is the conduction of classes through the use of computers. The classes are directed towards personnel in various areas and aim at the retraining and update of the personnel in subjects of special interest in their line of work. The conduction of classes takes place, from and towards, remote regions with the aid of a computer network. Hippocrates is a flexible and easy-to-use application, which permits students, who sit in front of remotely situated workstations, to attend classes or seminars given by a teacher or expert, who can also be located in some remote geographical area. Hippocrates can be thought of as a distributed transparency projector. The teacher can project transparencies on the screens of the students{\textquoteright} workstations and can emphasize or indicate regions of interest on them by using the graphical tools offered by Hippocrates. Immediate results of the use of Hippocrates are the fast updating of the personnel in remote areas and the upgrading of the quality of the services they offer.}, author = {Christos Bouras and Vaggelis Kapoulas and Paul Spirakis and P Lampsas and A Tatakis and D Fotakis and G Papoutsopoulos} } @conference {2854, title = {Multilingual Implementations of OSI Applications}, booktitle = {10th International Symposium on Computers and Information Sciences-ISCIS X, Izmir, Turkey}, year = {1995}, month = {30 October - 1 November}, pages = { 367 - 374}, abstract = {In this work the problem of supporting multilingual environments over OSI applications is addressed. Initially a solution based on the idea of using multilingual structures and transcription techniques is presented. Another solution based on the major principles of the former follows, which exploits the coding of all of character sets uniformally.}, author = {Christos Bouras and Vaggelis Kapoulas and Paul Spirakis and P Lampsas and A Tatakis and S Kontogiannis and D Fotakis} }