Lemesos, Cyprus
The Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) is a recently founded university (established in 2004) and one of three public universities in the Republic of Cyprus. CUT aims to develop itself into a modern, pioneering university able to offer education and high-level research in leading branches of science and technology, which have high impact on the economic, technical, and scientific sectors. In recent years CUT has been recognized in several university rankings for research and teaching: in the 2021 Times Higher Education Impact University Rankings CUT is ranked in positions 301- 400, whereas in the 2019-2020 Times World Universities Rankings the University was ranked top among all Greek and Cypriot universities. In the first 8 years since it admitted its first students, CUT has attracted more than €27.5 million euros in funding, mainly from EU funds (H2020/FP7/Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation/INTERREG), including major strategic development projects and ERC starting and consolidator grants. Number of staff: 521 Academic staff: 295 Administrative staff: 226 Teaching and research staff: 158 Students: 2194 Undergraduate: 1975 Postgraduate: 118 Doctoral: 101 International Students: 88 undergraduate students, 24 postgraduate students Recently the University joined the European University of Technology (EUt+) project, which is a collaboration across eight countries and universities in Europe with a reach of 100,000 students; through this collaboration and collaborations such as the ones proposed in this application, the University has committed itself to re-inventing learning at the higher education level. In this proposal, CUT is represented by the Department of Communication and Internet Studies (CIS). CIS seeks to foster scholarship on how social activity shapes and is shaped by new technologies, and how these interactions impact on such crucial aspects of society as the economy, politics, education, and culture. The focus of research is the relationship between new communication technologies, learning and societal activity at local, European, and international level. The Media, Cognition and Learning (MCL) Group (mcl.cut.ac.cy) is a research group within the Department of Communication and Internet Studies at the Cyprus University of Technology. MCL’s focus is the study of the complex relationships between technology, cognition and learning in various educational fields and settings. The research work of the Media, Cognition and Learning (MCL) group is structured around three main areas: (1) Learning Sciences, (2) Technologyenhanced learning, with an emphasis on augmented reality technologies, and (3) Inquiry-based collaborative learning.
The group is led by Dr. Eleni A. Kyza and is composed by members of the Department of Communication and Internet Studies and graduate students at the Ph.D. or Master’s level.
Skills of key persons involved in the project
The work described in this proposal will be undertaken by the Media, Cognition and Learning (MCL) Research Group with the Department of Communication and Internet Studies at CUT. The design, implementation and evaluation of new technologies (such as, mixed reality and augmented reality technologies for learning) and educational applications for teaching and learning are some of the foci of the MCL work. MCL adopts participatory design methods, engaging in codesigning technology-enhanced learning environments that are authentic and contextualized, thus addressing the needs of the key stakeholders. Our co-design approach has been implemented using hybrid methods, combining virtual and face-to-face meetings with in-service science teachers, who co-designed a number of curricula promoting sustainable development science education goals in the context of responsible research and innovation. The key persons involved have been working together on exploring issues of learning and pedagogy in various areas (i.e. augmented reality learning, primary and secondary school students’ scientific inquiry and computational literacy, college students’ and adults’ learning on social media). MCL members have a strong background in educational technologies, cognitive science, and communication studies and are active in the research and development of innovative digital technologies to support self- and co-regulation of learning. Adopting a design-based approach, the MCL group has designed the TraceReaders augmented reality platform for the design of location-aware learning environments for inquiry-based learning. The CompARe platform, designed by members of the MCL group, is a gamified mixed reality learning application. MCL research examines computer-supported collaborative learning; this work extends to courses designed for higher education and university settings. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has forced almost everyone to move learning and instruction online, we were engaged in hybrid forms of pedagogy, combining synchronous and asynchronous methods and group work before the pandemic. The last year has supported this mode of teaching and has intensified efforts to introduce innovative ways of teaching, to support students’ self-regulation, reflective learning and engagement at a distance. Dr. Eleni A. Kyza is Associate Professor in Information Society in the Department of Communication and Internet Studies, where she also serves as the Program Director of the Master’s in New Technologies for Communication and Learning. For the past three years she is also the Department Chair. Her work focuses on the design and research of new technologies to support teaching and learning. She is also a member of the National Committee for Digital Education.
Markos Souropetsis holds an M.Sc. in “Cultural Informatics and Communication” and a B.Sc in Cultural Technology and Communication from the Department of Cultural Technology and Communication of the University of the Aegean. His research interests focus on augmented reality technologies in non-formal cultural settings and gamified learning environments. Andria Agesilaou has a Master’s degree in “New Technologies for Communication and Learning” and a BA in Education. Her current research interests focus on teachers’ professional development through participatory design and on cooperative inquiry with students as design partners for the development of educational curricula and technologies. Christiana Varda has a BA in Communications and a BA in English, and an MA in Interactive Multimedia.
Her research interests include media education and integration of media literacy in the wider curriculum. She is also interested in researching the use of participatory media and digital storytelling tools on digital platforms and its impact on education, citizenship and self-identity in the era of media convergence.
