HOU/ DAISSy participated at the XENIA face-to-face meeting at the University of Barcelona
On March 29th and 30th 2022, the fourth transnational meeting of the European project XENIAtook place at the University of Barcelona. Finally, almost 2 years of online meetings and monthly call via Zoom due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions the consortium was able to meet and work face-to-face.
Great enthusiams and collaboration animated the two working days with partners from Ireland, Greece, Slovenia, Italy and Spain thatare currently working on the implementation of the XENIA index to gauge, assess and implement the level of inclusion, equality, diversity (EDI) of women and LGBT+ peoplewithin the university context.
January 2020 marked the start of this innovative journey of Xenia He Inclusiveness Index, a three-year Erasmus + project,with SInAPSi from the University of Naples as leader of a motivated consortium, composed of organizations from 7 European Institutions all present in the meeting.
Xenia is made of committed people that put their knowledge and heart in finalizing a unique tool that can ensure that everyone can live peacefully academic life, at any level of the organization, so that the University does not become a place for a few selected group of people but a safe place where everyone can be respected and protected.
The “XENIA: Higher Education Inclusiveness Index” is three-year project, aiming at turning Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) into inclusive places that promote social dialogue irrespective of gender and sexual orientation and lower (potentially eliminate) organisational and operational barriers for equal opportunities. It is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the EU and it is implemented by a consortium of 7 partners from 5 countries, with DAISSy Research Group of the HOU, being the Greek partner, responsible for two workpackages and participating in all activities.
For more information on XENIA and other DAISSy projects & activities:
- Website : http://daissy.eap.gr/en/projects/xenia/
- Facebook : @DAISSyResearchGroup, @XENIA Erasmus+ Project
- Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/daissyresearchgroup/
- Twitter : https://twitter.com/daissy_research
- Instagram: @daissy_researchgroup
- Email : info@daissy.eap.gr
XENIA presented at the “Málaga Innosocial competition” edition 2022
The need to turn university environments into more inclusive spaces to any form of gender expression and sexual orientation, through an IT algorithm,is the core of the Xenia Project.
In June 2022, XENIA took part in the “Málaga Innosocial competition”, II edition, after the IT partner of the consortium Internet Web Solutions spotted the local contest organized by the Málaga Municipality together with an active local association.
The objective of “Málaga Innosocial competition”is to recognize and make visible any initiative at the local and provincial level that provides an innovative and efficient solution to unresolved social problems.
With XENIA, Technologyhas been put at the service of social change.
Currently there are no specific tools or mechanisms that systematically address stigma against sexual and gender minorities and/or marginalized groups and to promote the dynamics of social and educational inclusion of LGBT+ and cisgender women in EU higher education institutions.
The XENIA project and its platform https://www.xeniaindex.eu/ available in English, Italian, Spanish, Greek and Slovenian with an innovative algorithm, more than 50 indicators and 175 best practices offers a highly inclusive tool for all the European universities and organizations.
Fingers crossed to XENIA participation in this competition!
The “XENIA: Higher Education Inclusiveness Index” is three-year project, aiming at turning Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) into inclusive places that promote social dialogue irrespective of gender and sexual orientation and lower (potentially eliminate) organisational and operational barriers for equal opportunities. It is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the EU and it is implemented by a consortium of 7 partners from 5 countries, with DAISSy Research Group of the HOU, being the Greek partner, responsible for two workpackages and participating in all activities.
For more information on XENIA and other DAISSy projects & activities:
- Website : http://daissy.eap.gr/en/projects/xenia/
- Facebook : @DAISSyResearchGroup, @XENIA Erasmus+ Project
- Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/daissyresearchgroup/
- Twitter : https://twitter.com/daissy_research
- Instagram: @daissy_researchgroup
- Email : info@daissy.eap.gr
How inclusive is your University? First results from the XENIA Index Pilot Study
During March and April 2022, the XENIA Consortium carried out the pilot study of the XENIA Index in Ireland, Italy, Slovenia, and Spain. The pilot study aimed to identify and correct potential defects and drawbacks of the XENIA tools and Index before replicatingthe test on a larger size.
Staff responsible for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 44 students, and 13 faculty and administrative/technical workersfrom 4 Higher Education Institutions contributed to the project’s pilot phase. Participants tested the XENIA tools (matrix or survey, depending on their academic profile), reportingon their institutions’ inclusiveness across five categories: Institution, Policy & Programmes, Pedagogy and Academic Programming, Support Services, and Academic Life. Then, they were asked to evaluate the user-friendliness of the XENIA toolsand the overall ability of the XENIA Index to capture the dynamics of inclusiveness within the Institutions.
In general, in all participating countries,the pilot attracted considerable interest from the target audiences. The tools were mostly considered very good and useful to assess how the Institution is doing in relation to equality based on sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation. As a result of the pilot phase, a small number ofminor amendments have been made.The more extensive test of the Index is now ongoing.All the results will be released in November 2022.
The “XENIA: Higher Education Inclusiveness Index” is three-year project, aiming at turning Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) into inclusive places that promote social dialogue irrespective of gender and sexual orientation and lower (potentially eliminate) organisational and operational barriers for equal opportunities. It is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the EU and it is implemented by a consortium of 7 partners from 5 countries, with DAISSy Research Group of the HOU, being the Greek partner, responsible for two workpackages and participating in all activities.
To stay up-to-date on the progress of the project, please visit our website: www.xeniaindex.eu
For more information on XENIA and other DAISSy projects & activities:
- Website : http://daissy.eap.gr/en/projects/xenia/
- Facebook : @DAISSyResearchGroup, @XENIA Erasmus+ Project
- Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/daissyresearchgroup/
- Twitter : https://twitter.com/daissy_research
- Instagram: @daissy_researchgroup
- Email : info@daissy.eap.gr
The XENIA Policy Guidelines and Mainstreaming and Operational Manual are out!
Based on all the pilot Deployment inputs, and completed by the Hellenic Open University/ DAISSy Research Group, in cooperation with all the partners, the two main Deliverables of the XENIA project are out!
The Mainstreaming and Operational Manual purpose is to serve as an easy-to-use and with clear instructions guide that provides all the necessary information on how to embed the XENIA Index in any Higher Education Institution. Thus, as a reference instrument, the XENIA Mainstreaming Guidelines & Operational Manual aims at supporting any European HEI interested in using the Index and its tools to evaluate the equality and inclusiveness strategies that they adopt in order to address diversity on the grounds of sex, gender and sexual orientation within their contexts.
The set of XENIA Policy Recommendations, that also stemmed also the results of the XENIA Index implementation, target to provide valuable evidence, insight and data for Policy makers to inform and influence the formulation, design and implementation of more effective policies, programs and initiatives to promote inclusion in the Higher Education field.
Lastly, the XENIA Policy Recommendations combined with the corresponding Index, the suggested “Best practices” and the XENIA Mainstreaming and Operational Manual can become a valuable set of tools for HEIs to further develop and secure an educational environment that actively supports the participation for all on the basis of the Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) principles.
The “XENIA: Higher Education Inclusiveness Index” is three-year project, aiming at turning Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) into inclusive places that promote social dialogue irrespective of gender and sexual orientation and lower (potentially eliminate) organisational and operational barriers for equal opportunities. It is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the EU and it is implemented by a consortium of 7 partners from 5 countries, with DAISSy Research Group of the HOU, being the Greek partner, responsible for the two Deliverables and participating in all activities.
You can find both on the website, https://www.xeniaindex.eu/.
For more information on XENIA and other DAISSy projects & activities:
- Website : http://daissy.eap.gr/en/projects/xenia/
- Facebook : @DAISSyResearchGroup, @XENIA Erasmus+ Project
- Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/daissyresearchgroup/
- Twitter : https://twitter.com/daissy_research
- Instagram: @daissy_researchgroup
- Email : info@daissy.eap.gr
Αξιοποιώντας τα επιτραπέζια παιχνίδια στην εκπαίδευση
H ερευνητική ομάδα DAISSy του Ελληνικού Ανοικτού Πανεπιστημίου διοργανώνει ανοικτή ενημερωτική εκδήλωση και πρακτικό εργαστήριο LEGO® Serious Play, με θέμα:
“Αξιοποιώντας τα επιτραπέζια παιχνίδια στην εκπαίδευση”
Η εκδήλωση διοργανώνεται στο πλαίσιο του Ευρωπαϊκού έργου: TEGA – Training the Educators to Facilitate the Teaching and Assessment of the Abstract Syllabus by the use of Serious Games
Θα λάβει χώρα την Παρασκευή 03 Μαρτίου 2023 και ώρα 18:30 έως 20.30, στο ξενοδοχείο “Αστήρ”, Αγίου Ανδρέου 16, Πάτρα. Aπευθύνεται σε κάθε ενδιαφερόμενο και κυρίως σε εκπαιδευτικούς όλων των βαθμίδων εκπαίδευσης.
Η συμμετοχή στην εκδήλωση είναι δωρεάν και θα δοθούν βεβαιώσεις συμμετοχής.
Μπορείτε να κάνετε προεγγραφή στην εκδήλωση μέσω της ηλεκτρονικής φόρμας. Η παρουσία σας θα μας τιμήσει ιδιαίτερα.
Για οποιαδήποτε πληροφορία, μπορείτε να απευθυνθείτε στους διοργανωτές στη διεύθυνση info@daissy.eap.gr & vicky.maratou@daissy.eap.gr
Project Spice mentioned in INCLUSIVE STEM LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS: CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS published by EUN
Scientix, the community for science education in Europe, organised an online Science Topics Networking Seminar (STNS) in collaboration with the projects SpicE – Special Education STEAM Academy and Far Beyond the Barriers. At the event, 15 experts representing various stakeholders in STEM education came together to discuss the challenges of supporting inclusive STEM learning environments. Following the event, the observation paper INCLUSIVE STEM LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS: CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS has been produced by European Schoolnet (EUN). The paper outlines the key discussion points raised during the seminar.
The main points to consider in achieving an inclusive STEM learning environment are:
- creating a personalised strategy for each student;
- organising teacher training programmes on how to promote inclusivity in STEM teaching;
- eliminating barriers, such as gender inequality or socio-economic barriers;
- implementing policies to support inclusivity; and
- involving parents and local communities.
You can directly access the paper here.
You can find out about the other Science Topics Networking Seminars here.
3rd Transnational Meeting of Working Smart Project Partners in Rome
On February 2nd-3rd, 2023, the 3rd Transnational Meeting of the WorkingSmart Erasmus+ Project took place in Rome, Italy.
Hosted by aiComply, 12 people participated in the two-day long meeting (11 people on-site in aiComply offices, and 1 person connected on-line) representing all project partners from 5 European countries – France (IPRA), Greece (HOU), Italy (aiComply), Slovenia (CPU GZS), and Spain (InMedia and UOC).
The meeting was focused on some of the main project topics, such as the content of the training modules and their application in the virtual platform, but it was also aimed at reviewing administrative and financial issues and providing a state of the art of quality assurance and sharing & promotion activities.
The meeting was successful. All the Partners joined the two-day discussions with great attention and collaboration, bringing an added value perceived by all participants. The meeting has also been an opportunity for Partners to meet again after the previous transnational meetings in Lyon and Ljubljana, strengthening more and more the built relationship and the feeling of cooperation and connection among all of us.
On the first day, we focused on administrative and project management issues, project quality monitoring and sharing & promotion activities, including statistics about LinkedIn page engagement and the communication strategy for the last period of the project.
This was followed by a focus on the training modules, in particular Partners presented their modules, their progress and goals for finishing the content, leading to discussion and agreement on certain aspects of the training package.
The second day started with a demo of the learning platform by aiComply and it was the occasion for all Partners to provide suggestions on the possible resulting views of the training modules into the platform. aiComply also presented a demo of the scenario-based game features. Through a very productive brainstorming and discussion, all together we finally agreed on its overall context and structure and defined next deadlines for the project.
The meeting was also an opportunity to strengthen teambuilding. aiComply also invited to the extra-meeting activities some representatives of the group it belongs to – which enhanced the much-appreciated cultural exchange and a wider dissemination of the project.
This transnational meeting again proved to be very successful and one step closer to bringing a quality training program in the field of smart working in a user-friendly platform accessible for free, aimed at helping HR managers, leaders and business owners in the planning and implementation of smart working in their organizations.
Ευρωπαϊκά έργα και δράσεις ενίσχυσης των δεξιοτήτων της εκπαιδευτικής κοινότητας
Η ερευνητική ομάδα DAISSy του Ελληνικού Ανοικτού Πανεπιστημίου (ΕΑΠ) σας προσκαλεί στην εκδήλωση: “Ευρωπαϊκά έργα και δράσεις ενίσχυσης των δεξιοτήτων της εκπαιδευτικής κοινότητας” η οποία θα λάβει χώρα την Δευτέρα, 20 Φεβρουαρίου 2023, 18:30’ – 20:00’, στο Ξενοδοχείο Βυζαντινό, Ρήγα Φεραίου 106, Πάτρα.
Καλεσμένος ομιλητής: Δρ. Σπυρίδων Παπαδάκης, Οργανωτικός Συντονιστής, Περιφερειακό Κέντρο Εκπαιδευτικού Σχεδιασμού (ΠΕ.ΚΕ.Σ.) Δυτικής Ελλάδας
Καλεσμένη ομιλήτρια: Έλενα Σαρλή, Προωθήτρια Ευρωπαϊκών Προγραμμάτων, Περιφερειακή Διεύθυνση Εκπαίδευσης (ΠΔΕ) Δυτικής Ελλάδας
Η ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑ ΣΑΣ ΘΑ ΜΑΣ ΤΙΜΗΣΕΙ
Θα δοθούν Βεβαιώσεις Συμμετοχής.
Φόρμα προεγγραφής: https://forms.gle/BFTSkrYjuG8tmDex5
Hybrid International Conference
DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University (HOU) invites you to participate in the hybrid International Conference supported by the OLMEdu project. It will take place on Tuesday, 21 February 2023, at the amphitheatre of HOU (start time 10.00 EEST). You can participate in the Conference in person or remotely (zoom link). The language of the Conference is English. The Conference is open to all. Participation is free. Certificates of participation will be awarded.
The Conference will include the presentation of the results and deliverables of the OLMEdu project. It will be an open platform for discussing the latest innovations, trends and concerns, as well as the practical challenges and digital solutions adopted in higher education. Transformation is a need to support and train higher education staff to acquire the appropriate ICT knowledge and skills to support e-learning successfully.
The Conference addresses higher education teaching staff, policymakers, training organisations, and industry experts/business representatives who wish to upgrade digital education.
The Open Lab for up-skilling higher education staff in online MAnagement EDucation – OLMEdu is funded under the Erasmus +/ KA2/ Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education program. The project is coordinated by Frederick University of Cyprus (Coordinating Partner). It is implemented by Daissy Research Group (HOU), the University of Patras, the University of Rome Tor Vergata and GrantXpert Consulting in Cyprus. The OLMEdu project developed a Massive Open Online Course that higher
education staff in Education Management, will use to increase their digital skills in the context of valuable and helpful distance learning.
If you are interested, please register with the online form. Information about the Court: info@daissy.eap.gr
Read the conference programme here.
For more information about the OLMEdu project and other actions of the DAISSy research team:
- Website: http://www.project-delta.eu/ – http://daissy.eap.gr
- Facebook: @projectdeltaeu – @DAISSyResearchGroup
- Twitter: @deltaprojecteu – @daissy_research
- Email: info@daissy.eap.gr
Prof. A. Kameas talks about professional development of educators in Scientix TV
Professor A. Kameas, founder and director of DAISSy, was invited to participate in the 8th episode of Scientix TV. He stressed the need to develop the competences of STE(A)M educators and presented the outcomes of project STEAMonEdu that was coordinated by DAISSy (σύνδεσμος στην ιστοσελίδα του έργου).
You can watch the entire 8th episode of Scientix TV here (σύνδεσμος ΥΤ).