INVITED SPEAKER

Accessible Web-Based Education For All

Prof. Demetrios Sampson
Associate Professor, Department of Digital Systems of the University of Piraeus
Director of ASK@ITI.CERTH, Center for Research and Technology - Hellas
Chair, IEEE Computer Society Technical Committee on Learning Technology
University of Piraeus & CERTH, Greece

Abstract

During the past years the design and development of web-based educational systems for learners with special needs has attracted the attention of technology-enhanced learning community. However, although a number of e-training systems are designed to meet accessibility needs and preferences for those groups, most of them anticipate special-purpose training material and keep their training activities local to the system. Such approaches do not facilitate their users (both learners and their tutors) in accessing other digital educational resources widely available in web repositories, and they do not support the sharing of best training practices among the communities of practitioners and organizations. Within this context, in my presentation I will present the eLearn4All Framework which targets in providing tools and services that facilitate the design and production of appropriately designed accessible eTraining Resources, Activities and Courses that bare the potential to be inter-exchanged between different e-Training Platforms and Programmes.

Biography of the Invited Speaker

Demetrios G Sampson holds a Diploma in Electrical Engineering (1989) from Demokritus University of Thrace and Ph.D. in Multimedia Communications (1995) from University of Essex, UK. He is an Associate Professor on eLearning at the Department of Digital Systems of the University of Piraeus, and the Founder and Director of the Advanced eServices for the Knowledge Society Research Unit (ASK) at the Informatics and Telematics Institute (ITI) of the Center of Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) and. His main research interests are in the areas of Technology Enhanced Learning. He is the co-author of more than 200 publications in scientific books, journals and conferences with at least 600 known citations (h-index 15). He has received four times Best Paper Award in International Conferences on Advanced Learning Technologies (August 2001, Madisson, USA), (August 2004, Joensuu, Finland), (July2007, Niigata, Japan), (July 2009, Riga, Latvia). He is a Senior Member of IEEE and the elected Chair of the IEEE Computer Society Technical Committee on Learning Technologies (LTTC). He is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Educational Technology and Society Journal, an international journal with Impact Factor 0.904 on the Thomson Scientific 2008 Journal Citations Report. He is also a Member of Editorial Board of (15) International Journals, including the IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies and Guest Co-Editor in (14) Special Issues of International Journals. His participation in the organization of international/national scientific conferences involves: General Chair in (7) International Conferences, Program Committee Chair in (11) International Conferences and Memberships in (168) Program Committees in International Conferences. He has been a Keynote/Invited Speaker in (16) International and (14) National Conferences.