Conference Highlights

Barbara Moser-Mercer, professor emerita and founder of InZone (University of Geneva), is visiting professor at University of Nairobi, engaged in strengthening African solutions that advance Higher Education in Emergencies (HEiE) and has been coordinating the launch phase of the African Higher Education in Emergencies Network (AHEEN); she is currently also a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Refugee Studies Center. Following her initial training as conference interpreter she pursued her studies and research in cognitive psychology, focusing on the development of expertise in complex cognitive skills. She has applied these findings to learning in protracted humanitarian emergencies.

John Helmer is a writer, podcaster and communications strategy expert specialising in the fields of learning, training and education, with a particular focus on digital technology innovation. He runs two highly successful podcasts, The Learning Hack and Great Minds on Learning. He has led many programmes bringing together thought leaders and practitioners for knowledge sharing and debate, and writes for and edits numerous blogs, as well as producing many white papers and research reports (including articles for peer-reviewed journals).

His career in strategic communications consultancy includes many years working with and for organisations including Learning Pool, Go1, Ocean Technologies Group, Lumesse, Saba, Powtoon, Epic, LINE, Semantico, Towards Maturity, Ufi/learndirect, Kineo, Willow DNA, Learning Light and Capita Learning Solutions. Sector experience spans corporates, start-ups, scale-ups, not-for-profits and public bodies.

A pioneer in digital marketing, he co-created and promoted more than thirty training courses on using the internet for marketing and business. He is also a published novelist, lyricist for the group Marillion, has been on Top of Pops, and won a Perrier Award.

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Prof. Dr. Christina Gitsaki is an Apple Professional Learning Specialist and the Research Coordinator at the Center for Educational Innovation, Zayed University, UAE. She has served as the UNESCO Chair in Applied Research in Education and the Dean of the Foundations Program at the Higher Colleges of Technology, UAE. Before the UAE, she worked at The University of Queensland, Australia, educating teachers and supervising Ph.D. students in educational research. She worked with Education Queensland and The Learning Federation of the Curriculum Corporation, Australia on federal education projects such as the creation of digital Learning Objects for K-12 students. At the CEI, she oversees the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and the development of faculty for engaging in research on teaching and learning. Christina has a special interest in the use of technology in the teaching and learning process.

Ina has been focused on Corporate Learning & Development for the past seven years, leveraging her skills in digital media. Having worked in different countries, she gathered an amalgama of BDPs from the media, pharma and chemicals industries. A curious Project Manager, who ventures innovation in content creation and strives to solve the scalability challenge. Ina enjoys exploring how AI can save resources in generating creative learnings. A firm believer in the growth mindset.
Ina is certified in digital learning didactics, has a Master’s in Broadcast Journalism and is currently a MBA student at University of St Gallen in Switzerland.

Born on April 23, 1981 in the village of Morochno, Rivne region, Ukraine. Was moved to the city of Vynogradiv, Zakarpattia region of Ukraine, along with the family in 1991, where secondary school was graduated from in 1998. In 2003, a master's degree in business management was received at the Ukrainian National Forestry University (UNFU). In the same year, employment was started as an assistant professor at the Department of Forestry Economics and Management at UNFU. In 2010, a PhD in Economics, specializing in the economics of natural resources management and environmental protection, was obtained. In 2012, along with employment at the university, work was begun for SGS as an expert on social and economic issues, and in 2018 as an FSC forest management auditor. Since 2013, an appointment was made as an Associate Professor at the Department of Management of Organizations and Administration at UNFU. In 2017, a specialist degree in forestry was received. From 2017 to 2021, the head of the Department of Management of Organizations and Administration at UNFU. After the reorganization of the departments, since 2021, an associate professor of the management and marketing department at UNFU. Since 2016, active cooperation has been maintained with the Eberswalde University of Sustainable Development (HNEE). From 2016 to 2023, participation has taken place in a series of projects within the framework of the East-West Dialogue program of the German Federal Foreign Office. Since September 2022, employment has been ongoing as a member of the project team at HNEE within the DAAD project "Ukrainian-German Teaching Network for a Digital Transformation of Environmental Education". This project is aimed at improving online education in times of war in Ukraine.

For the past 20+ years, as a certified online educator and academic in universities in the US, UK, and more recently in Greece, Dr. Avgerinou has taught, published, and presented extensively on the research and practice of online and blended learning (K12 and Higher Education), action research, and visual literacy for education and training with particular emphasis on teacher education and professional development. With postdoctoral diplomas on e-Learning Design, Implementation, and Evaluation from the University of London (UK), the University of Hull (UK), and Indiana University (US), Dr. Avgerinou has also acted as a consultant in education and corporate training.

As an international scholar, Dr. Avgerinou has been active in various leadership roles in a number of professional associations such as the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), the European Distance and eLearning Network (EDEN), and the International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA). In recognition of her contribution especially to the field of Visual Literacy, Dr. Avgerinou has received various awards, most notably IVLA’s Research Award (2009), and the Braden & Beauchamp Award (2001, 2010). In 2012, she was elected the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Visual Literacy (JVL/Routledge), the oldest international academic journal in the field. Furthermore, she currently serves as a Master Reviewer for Quality Matters® (MarylandOnline/US), and an external specialist for the European Commission’s Key Action 2: Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices.

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Jan Trevisan is in charge of online executive training courses and online events at the Florence School of Banking and Finance, a platform for banking regulation and supervision in the European Union, part of the European University Institute’s Robert Schuman Centre. In his capacity, he oversees the provision of online training activities in the framework of the cooperation between the EUI and the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) and coordinates the working package 'Online Training Production' in the framework of the European Commission's EU-SDFA Project (EU Supervisory Digital Finance Academy). Earlier, he worked as Communications Officer at the European University Institute, where he managed the outreach of high-profile institutional and academic events. Prior to that, he was a junior researcher at the Fondazione ENI Enrico Mattei’s International Center for Climate Governance and the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, where he led an online dissemination initiative. Jan holds a MA in International Relations from Ca’Foscari University of Venice, a postgraduate Master in Diplomacy and International Relations from the University of Florence, and a certificate in E-learning Instructional Design from the University of California, Irvine.

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Experienced learning Lead working more than 20 years across different industries. Love to explore new learning approaches and techniques to improve how learning can be more impactful in organizations. I am a futures thinker but practical implementer. Currently interested in skills and how we can use the advancements in AI and data to improve how we develop these.

Albert started his academic career with a doctoral degree in Mathematics from ETH-Z, the Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich.

More than 30 years ago he joined INSEAD - one of the most prestigious Business Schools with campuses in Fontainebleau, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and San Francisco.

It is there that he focused his research on:
- Studying the complexity of large global organizations in many different sectors, and in particular Change and Collaboration dynamics,
- Analyzing how Information Technology enables companies to rapidly transform themselves to reach higher performance levels.

Albert also developed a true passion for Management Games & Simulations.
- He directed for more than 10 years INSEAD’s Research Centre on Advanced Learning Technologies.
- He developed over the years more than 30 Management Games & Simulations (almost 1 per year) many of which are used extensively in all the best Management Schools worldwide, including Cambridge, Stanford and the top Chinese universities.
- The Games he is working on these days are for instance designed to help managers understand how to best take advantage of Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence, which are 2 areas in which he has published extensively".

Passionate Talent Development Professional driving sustainable change through learning and human capital strategies.
M.S. in Learning Technologies and Instructional Design
Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD)
Currently responsible for translating fast-paced business and people needs within Western Europe and Middle East into appropriate and relevant talent development solutions, and driving continuous learning culture across the regions (14 locations, 7000+ employees)

John Domingue is a full Professor of Computer Science at the Knowledge Media Institute, the Open University’s technology Research and Innovation centre, and the President of STI International, a semantics focused networking organization. He has published over 280 refereed articles in the areas of semantics, the Web, distributed ledgers and eLearning.
Prof. Domingue served as the leader of the first of five themes, on University Learners, for the £40M Institute of Coding which aimed to increase the number and diversity of computing graduates in the UK as well as enhancing the connection between university teaching and corporate training. In 2017 Prof Domingue’s research in blockchains and education was referenced in the Joint Research Centre Policy Report Blockchain in Education for the European Commission. Prof. Domingue has given many talks on his work including at the Royal Institution in 2018, at TEDx and most recently featured in THE Campus on interdisciplinary research teams.
The start of 2022 saw a new project to develop smart national educational content platform (VocTeach Platform), embedding the latest AI techniques, to support FE educators was initiated with John Domingue serving as the overall project lead.
In 2019, he became a Fellow of the British Blockchain Association. In 2020, he became an honorary Professor at Amity University.

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Erica’s L&D career is shaped by her passion for addressing our most pressing and complex challenges and creating the conditions for everyone to remain meaningfully part of society.

Erica has designed and led global transformation learning programmes for household names, whilst also leading the strategy of the largest direct to consumer blended learning digital skills programme, in Europe and the UK (for Meta).

Currently, Erica applies nature-informed regenerative practice to focus on the climate and biodiversity emergency. Erica is developing leadership programmes, business transformation programmes and advising educational businesses working in finance, nature, climate and organisational transformation. Erica is a board member at The Eden Project.

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Paula Amiama is a passionate storyteller and engaging speaker, known for her profound insights at the intersection of sustainability, innovation, and education. Born in Argentina and raised in Canada, and currently based in Germany, she possesses a global perspective that fuels her drive to bring about sustainable transformations.

With over 10 years of experience across diverse industries, Paula's non-linear career path and dedication to continuous learning have become her superpower. Her journey includes stops in start-ups, non-profits, and large corporates, leading marketing, innovation, and sustainability efforts. Her ability to bridge knowledge and experiences from different fields provides her with a unique perspective and approach to tackle complex challenges.

Currently, as the global lead for Skilling & Learning products at a prominent logistics provider, Paula leverages her diverse background to design innovative and impactful learning experiences and foster a learning culture.

Driven by her passion for building a thriving world for all, Paula sees learning as the key to unlock society's greatest challenges. Understanding that learning is innate to being human and personal development happens throughout our lives, she strives to spark curiosity in others and reignite the joy of learning. Paula believes that by being intentional about learning, individuals can accelerate their transformation and tap into their full potential.

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Dr Ron Owston is Research Associate, AI in Higher Education, at Contact North I Contact Nord where he plays a pivotal role in the conceptualization, development, and implementation of two AI ground-breaking tools: AI Tutor Pro and AI Teaching Assistant Pro, He will launch the tools at OEB.

AI Tutor Pro is designed to support students in achieving a high level of knowledge and understanding in any subject. Students can select their topic of interest and engage in a dynamic conversation with AI Tutor Pro. The tool starts by posing thought-provoking questions to spark students' curiosity and engagement. They can choose the level of tutoring they need, whether introductory, intermediate, or advanced. The dialogue with AI Tutor Pro involves open-ended questions and responses, fostering an interactive and engaging learning experience. Students can even save a summary of the conversation for future reference, enabling them to revisit important insights and concepts.

AI Teaching Assistant Pro is a tool developed to assist faculty and instructors in automating routine teaching tasks, saving them valuable time. With AI Teaching Assistant Pro, instructors can effortlessly generate multiple-choice quizzes and essay questions on any topic. They can create course syllabi, produce teaching notes, and develop lecture materials. The tool also streamlines the preparation process by helping instructors build content for presentation slides, ensuring engaging and informative classroom experiences.

Dr Owston is also University Professor Emeritus, former Dean of Education, and founding Director of the Institute for Research in Learning Technologies at York University (Canada).

A pioneer in educational technology research, he has spoken at numerous national and international conferences about blended and online learning, authored/co-authored some 50 commissioned studies, and published over 60 articles in top-tier journals. Dr. Owston ranks among the most cited blended learning researchers globally according to Google Scholar.

Contact North | Contact Nord is a non-profit organization that supports rural, remote, and Indigenous higher education students in northern Ontario, Canada. The organization's mandate includes the support of innovation in education and training through testing and applied research of new modes of delivery using technology and the sharing of results and tools worldwide.

Dr Owston can be reached at @email.

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