Bamidis P.D., Kaldoudi E., Pattichis C., "mEducator: A BEST PRACTICE NETWORK FOR REPURPOSING AND SHARING MEDICAL EDUCATIONAL MULTI-TYPE CONTENT", In proceedings of PRO-VE 2009, Springer Verlag 2009, IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology 307, pp. 769-776

Abstract
Although there is an abundance of medical educational content available in individual EU academic institutions, this is not widely available or easy to discover and retrieve, due to lack of standardized content sharing mechanisms. The mEducator EU project will face this lack by implementing and experimenting between two different sharing mechanisms, namely, one based one mashup technologies, and one based on semantic web services. In addition, the mEducator best practice network will critically evaluate existing standards and reference models in the field of e-learning in order to enable specialized state-of-the-art medical educational content to be discovered, retrieved, shared, repurposed and re-used across European higher academic institutions. Educational content included in mEducator covers and represents the whole range of medical educational content, from traditional instructional teaching to active learning and experiential teaching/studying approaches. It spans the whole range of types, from text to exam sheets, algorithms, teaching files, computer programs (simulators or games) and interactive objects (like virtual patients and electronically traced anatomies), while it covers a variety of topics. In this paper, apart from introducing the relevant project concepts and strategies, emphasis is also placed on the notion of (dynamic) user-generated content, its advantages and peculiarities, as well as, gaps in current research and technology practice upon its embedding into existing standards.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bamidis P.D., Kaldoudi E., Pattichis C., "From Taxonomies to Folksonomies: a roadmap from formal to informal modeling of medical concepts and objects", Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Information Technology and Applications in Biomedicine, ITAB 2009, Larnaca, Cyprus, 5-7 November 2009, ISBN: 978-1-4244-5379-5

Abstract
The exploitation of nomenclatures, taxonomies, terminologies and classification of medical diseases, procedures, guidelines has been pivotal to advances in the healthcare domain. Parallel to those have been evolutions in educational technology and medical education where medical educational content is often shared among different educators and institutions. This paper compares the above parallel evolutions in the light of recent developments in web technology, as well as, perception of use like Web2.0 or Web3.0. The discussion is much influenced by recent progress within the general research arena of medical education and medical content repurposing in specific. It is concluded that novel approaches making use of social networking concepts that will govern the shaping of learning objects or their associated ontological descriptions are envisaged.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 

Bratsas C., Kapsas G., Konstantinidis S., Koutsouridis G., Bamidis P.D., "A Semantic Wiki within Moodle for Greek Medical Education", Proceedings of CBMS 2009: The 22nd IEEE International Symposium on Computer-Based Medical Systems, Special Track: Technology Enhanced Learning in Medical Education, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, August 3-4, 2009.

Abstract
Medical education requires a learning environment that enables medical students to acquire knowledge in a hands on and organized way. This, in turn, requires that content can be accessed, evaluated, organized and reused with ease by the students. Social Software (i.e. Weblogs, Wikis, ePortfolios, Instant Messaging) and Semantic Web technology could play an important role in such learning environments. Where Social Software gives users freedom to choose their own processes and supports the collaboration of people anytime, anywhere, Semantic Web technology gives the possibility to structure information for easy retrieval, reuse, and exchange between different systems and tools. In this article a very specific technology that combines Social Software and the Semantic Web, that is Semantic Wikis are presented, together with their possible role in medical education Moreover the first Medical Semantic Wiki in Greek Language and its use in medical education are illustrated.

Link: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/defdeny.jsp?url=http://ieeexplore.ieee...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dafli E.L., Vegoudakis K.I., Pappas C., Bamidis P.D., "Re-use and exchange of an OpenSim platform based learning environment among different medical specialties for clinical scenarios", Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Information Technology and Applications in Biomedicine, ITAB 2009, Larnaca, Cyprus, 5-7 November 2009, ISBN: 978-1-4244-5379-5

Abstract
Recent technological developments have enabled the use of virtual three dimensional platforms for educational uses. In this paper, an application based upon the Opensim platform for use within medical education and development of clinical skills is presented together with its associated repurposing so as to reconstruct and change this environment so that it fits different medical specialties. The objective of this work was to present the repurposing aspects of modifying a learning environment and adapting it to the needs of different medical specialties in an effort to reuse (and therefore share) learning content among several specialties. Initially, a 3-Dimensional environment was created by using the Opensimulator platform for use in the era of cardiology. Thereupon, the virtual environment was modified so as to be oriented to the needs of psychiatry educational needs. The reconstruction of the learning environment and context and the reformation of the educational scenario offer the ability to reuse it adapted to the needs of each medical domain. In tandem, educational standards were adopted, specifically, the IEEE Learning Object Metadata (LOM), to enable the description of this medical content and to support academic teachinng. The long term scope of this work within the overall developments in the area of advancing the repurposing of medical educational content is discussed.   
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dovrolis N., Konstantinidis S., Bamidis P.D., Kaldoudi E., "Depicting Educational Content Re-purposing Context and Inheritance", Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Information Technology and Applications in Biomedicine, ITAB 2009, Larnaca, Cyprus, 5-7 November 2009, ISBN: 978-1-4244-5379-5

Abstract
Educational content is often shared among different educators and is enriched, adapted and in general repurposed so that it can be re-used in different contexts. This paper discusses educational content and content repurposing in medical education, presenting different repurposing contexts. Finally, it proposes a novel approach to content repurposing via Web 2.0 social networking of learning objects. The proposed social network is augmented by a graphical representation module in order to capture and depict the relationships amongst different re-purposed medical learning objects, based on educational content ‘families’ and inheritance. The ultimate goal is to provide a conceptually different approach to learning object search and retrieval via ‘social’ associations amongst learning objects.   
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 
Eagelstone B., Holdridge P., Ford N., "The Challenge of Standards for Cognitive Styles Adaptable Biomedicine Learning Object", Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Information Technology and Applications in Biomedicine, ITAB 2009, Larnaca, Cyprus, 5-7 November 2009, ISBN: 978-1-4244-5379-5

Abstract
A standards-based infrastructure for sharing biomedical educational contents should apply standards which address the scope and functionality associated with learning objects from perspectives of all actors involved in their lifecycles. The "learner" actor is arguably the most important but also the most complex, heterogeneous and therefore problematic. This paper discusses impact of the latter view from a cognitive styles perspective. Findings of a study of the impact of cognitive style on search for information on the web are reported and a tentative conceptual framework is presented. The links we have identified between individual differences and search strategies suggest that experience, gender and cognitive styles should all be taken into account when tailoring learning objects to suit individual learners, and hence place additional requirements on related standards.   
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Giordano D., Faro A., Maiorana F., Pino C., Spampinato C., "Feeding back learning resources repurposing patterns into the 'information loop': opportunities and challenges", Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Information Technology and Applications in Biomedicine, ITAB 2009, Larnaca, Cyprus, 5-7 November 2009, ISBN: 978-1-4244-5379-5

Abstract
The paper outlines a model for framing the representation and treatment of information gathered from the reuse and repurposing of learning resources from distributed repositories. The model takes into account as sources of information both static user-edited or automatically generated metadata fields and the emerging, dynamic information clouds that surrounds a learning resource when users comment on it, tags it, or explicitly links it to other learning resources. By coordinating these separate information layers, the advantages that can be achieved are reducing the semantic gap occurring when unanticipated contexts of use are to be described by resorting only to predefined vocabularies; and improvements in the relevance of the retrieved resources after a query. To achieve this "coordination" it is proposed that the textual descriptions of the repurposing activity with respect to the intended learning outcomes and pedagogical strategies are fed to a dynamic unsupervised classification method that operates on the above mentioned information spaces, and that supports exploratory search by suggesting associations. It is argued that the proposed analogical retrieval, as opposed to standard query matching, is more fit to tracking the loci of innovation and sustaining the formation of best practices in the community.  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 
Gorgan D., Bartha A., Truta A., Stefanut T., "Graphics Cluster Based Visualization of 3D Medical Objects in Lesson Context", Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Information Technology and Applications in Biomedicine, ITAB 2009, Larnaca, Cyprus, 5-7 November 2009, ISBN: 978-1-4244-5379-5

Abstract
In the last few years the eLearning environments have known a very accelerated development becoming a very important educational alternative to the classical teaching methods. Together with the global extend of the Internet infrastructure, the multimedia elements have been more and more used as learning objects providing new methods of information presentation and user interaction techniques. One of the most complex types of eLearning material is represented by 3D objects which offer a new, complex and very similar to reality perspective to the student. Nevertheless, including 3D models into a lesson is not a trivial action as it requires skills for modeling, specific user interaction techniques and specialized hardware for representation. Addressing these problems, the paper presents a method of remote cluster based visualization for 3D large medical objects – obtained through direct modeling or 3D scanning. New teaching materials are generated in the context of eLearning applications.  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaldoudi E., Dovrolis N., Konstantinidis S., Bamidis P.D., "Social Networking for Learning Object Repurposing in Medical Education", The Journal on Information Technology in Healthcare, vol. 7(4), pp. 233–243, 2009.
 
Abstract
Today there is an abundance of up-to-date highly specialised medical educational content created by medical and health related academic institutions and available in digital format on the internet. Such educational content includes learning objects of conventional types, content unique in medical education and a variety of alternative educational content types, either reflecting active learning techniques and tacit knowledge building experiences and/or stemming from newly introduced Web 2.0 technologies. Such content is often shared among different educators and is enriched, adapted and in general repurposed so that it can be re-used in different contexts. This paper discusses educational content and content repurposing in medical education, i.e. changing a learning object initially created and used for a specific educational purpose in a specific educational context in order to fit a different new purpose in the same or different educational context. It presents different repurposing contexts and an overview of the current state on content repurposing. Finally, it proposes a novel approach to content repurposing via social networking of learning objects.
 
Link: http://www.hl7.org.tw/jith/title.php?no=396
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Kaldoudi Ε., Konstantinidis S., Bamidis P.D., "Web 2.0 Approaches for Active, Collaborative Learning in Medicine and Health", Peer-Reviewed Chapter in: S. Mohammed and J. Fiaidhi (eds.), " Ubiquitous Health and Medical Informatics: Advancements in Web 2.0, Health 2.0 and Medicine 2.0", IGI Global, Hershey, PA, USA (In press)

Abstract
In recent years, advances in information and communication technology and especially the Internet have acted as catalysts for significant developments in the sector of health care, having a strong impact in supporting medical diagnosis, enabling efficient and effective patient and healthcare management and reforming medical education. There is currently an international trend to involve computers and the Internet heavily in medical curricula, in continuing life-long medical learning, as well as in general health education of the public. However, effective technology-supported interventions are usually created when there is a successful alignment of the specific requirements with the potential end use of technology. And it is just such a juncture we are currently facing with the emergent paradigm of Web 2.0. This chapter elaborates on the potential of Web 2.0 for active and, potentially, effective learning in medicine and in health and reviews current practices and trends in the field. Discussion focuses on research directions and emerging applications that fully exploit the potential of Web. 2.0 for advancing medical education. Finally, the envisaged merit of merging with Web 3.0 technologies is also discussed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaldoudi Ε., Konstantinidis S., Bamidis P.D., "Web Advances in Education: Interactive, Collaborative Learning via Web 2.0", Chapter in: A. Tzanavari, N. Tsapatsoulis (eds.), "Affective, Interactive and Cognitive Methods for E-Learning Design: Creating an Optimal Education Experience", Jan 2010, IGI Global, Hershey, PA, USA, ISBN: 978-1-60566-940-3

Abstract
The evolving shift from ‘teaching’ to ‘learning’ in contemporary education is strongly related to an increasing involvement of information and communication technologies and the Web. Although the latter was initially of a static nature and merely required passive human viewers, this is currently changing towards a second generation of dynamic services and communication tools that emphasize on peer-to-peer collaboration, contributing, and sharing, both among humans and programs. In this chapter, this revolution, usually known under the collective term Web 2.0, is reviewed from an educational as well as a technological point of view. The issues and controversies arising are backed up by case studies from diverse educational contexts to illustrate the potential of the proposed solutions. The discussion is finally concluded with some exciting speculations on the envisaged arrival of Web 3.0 and collaborative content sharing with semantic technologies.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaldoudi E., Dovrolis N., Konstantinidis S., Bamidis P.D., "Social networking for learning object repurposing in medical
education", The Journal on Information Technology in Healthcare 2009, 7( 4), 233–243.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaldoudi E., Bamidis P.D., Pattichis C., "MULTI-TYPE CONTENT REPURPOSING AND SHARING IN MEDICAL EDUCATION", Proceedings of International Technology, Education and Development Conference (INTED) 2009, Valencia, Spain, March 9-11, 2009. (ISBN:978-84-612-7578-6)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Konstantinidis S., Kaldoudi E., Bamidis P.D., "Enabling Content Sharing in Contemporary Medical Education: A Review of Technical Standards", The Journal on Information Technology in Healthcare 2009; 7(6):363–375

Abstract
This paper reviews existing technical standards related to electronic medical education. It is conducted from the perspective that contemporary medical education is greatly linked with collaborative development, sharing, and re-purposing of learning material (educational content). This is the central notion of a European-wide best practice network named "mEducator". The paper defines the mEducator educational content space and attempts to identify and describe different standards that relate to its various facets. Emphasis is also placed on the interrelationship between all these standards with regards to the mEducator space and its importance for online medical education.
 
Link: http://www.hl7.org.tw/jith/title.php?no=413
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Konstantinidis S., Bamidis P.D., Kaldoudi E., "A Prototype Virtual Collaboration Environment for Sharing Medical Educational content", Proceedings of 4th Balkan Conference in Informatics BCI'2009, Thessaloniki, Greece, September 17-19, 2009.

Abstract
The introduction of information and communication technologies in medical curricula has created high expectations for education quality improvements over the last decade. To exploit technological advances in practice, a number of tools and environments have emerged allowing for learning processes and content management, as well as, student and teacher collaboration over the web. However, to be in a position to fully exploit the benefits of technology in a complex context such as that of medical education, one needs to fuse learning theories and teaching approaches with e-learning environments, which however, enable the web collaboration of teachers under the use of educational standards. In this paper, a prototype virtual collaboration environment for medical education is illustrated which utilizes an earlier proposed teaching framework based on taxonomies that, however, takes into account educational standards and standardized content specifications. The use of the system is demonstrated through a telecardiology example, while intelligent extensions of the system are discussed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Konstantinidis S., Bamidis P.D., Kaldoudi E., "Active Blended learning in Medical Education – Combination of WEB 2.0 Problem Based Learning and Computer Based Audience Response Systems", Proceedings of CBMS 2009: The 22nd IEEE International Symposium on Computer-Based Medical Systems, Special Track: Technology Enhanced Learning in Medical Education, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, August 3-4, 2009.

Abstract
During the last two decades, the scene in education is rapidly changing by the deployment of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Smart classes, virtual classrooms, online collaborative educational experiences and emerging WEB 2.0 applications are increasingly used, either as stand alone or blended with conventional education. Additionally, as emphasis is shifting from teaching to learning, technologies that promote active, participative learning, such as computer based audience response systems, are employed in order to enhance students' participation and explore their degree of understanding. This paper presents our approach in combining online active learning and active learning in class in the case of medical education.
 
Link: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/defdeny.jsp?url=http://ieeexplore.ieee...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nikolaidou M., Konstantinidis S., Bamidis P.D., Kaldoudi E., Nikolaos D., Papadopoulos M., Kallinikou D., "Challenges, Restrictions and Opportunities in Licensing Online Educational Material" accepted in ICVP – 2nd International Conference on Virtual Patients and the Medbiquitous Annual Conference

Abstract
A large amount of educational material is currently made available online by numerous Higher Education institutions worldwide; content sharing solutions and mechanisms are being created to make the content widely accessible, and available for retrieval through technical solutions. However, authorship and intellectual property are issues of great importance for academic teachers who wish to make their material publicly available, without jeopardizing their integrity, credibility and confidentiality. It is also strongly associated to the way educators outline their teaching files and material. This work will demonstrate some of the challenges, restrictions and opportunities that educators of the Medical School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki are facing when licensing online medical educational material. Work is carried out by means of a focus group. The advantages and drawbacks of existing licensing schemes will be discussed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------