Distance Learning – alexmikro.net

EdTech blog by Alexander Mikroyannidis

21 September 2023Generative AI, Technology-Enhanced Learning

Generative Artificial Intelligence in Distance Education

Alexander Mikroyannidis (The Open University, UK) has given an invited talk at an event organised by the Erasmus+ project D-ChallengHE and hosted […]

9 June 20239 June 2023Generative AI, Technology-Enhanced Learning

Investigating the use of Generative AI for improving course production

Alexander Mikroyannidis (The Open University, UK) has given an invited talk at the EmpowerED webinar series, with the title: “Investigating the use […]

16 December 201323 February 2019Technology-Enhanced Learning

Special Issue: Cloud Education Environments

Alexander Mikroyannidis is a guest editor of the Special Issue on Cloud Education Environments published by the Journal of Universal Computer Science […]

11 December 201323 February 2019Semantic Web, Technology-Enhanced Learning

WWW 2014 Tutorial: Online Learning and Linked Data – Lessons Learned and Best Practices

Alexander Mikroyannidis is organising a tutorial at the 23rd International World Wide Web Conference – WWW 2014 together with John Domingue and Stefan Dietze. The […]

Professional biography

Dr. Alexander Mikroyannidis is a Senior Research Fellow (Associate Professor) in the Knowledge Media Institute of The Open University, UK. He holds a Ph.D. in Informatics from Manchester Business School, an M.Phil. in Computation from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), and a B.Eng. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Patras, Greece.

Research interests

The research expertise of Dr. Mikroyannidis is in the field of Technology-Enhanced Learning. He has been investigating the use of novel educational technologies for enhancing personalised learning, self-regulated learning, lifelong learning, as well as open education. He is currently working on the transformative applications of Generative AI and decentralisation blockchain technology in the context of distance and higher education. He is the author of over 120 publications that have received over 1,500 citations.

Teaching interests

Dr. Mikroyannidis has extensive experience in developing Open Educational Resources (OERs), Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Badged Open Courses (BOCs), as well as rich interactive learning materials as eBooks. Some highlights from this work are the following:

Impact and engagement

The work of Dr. Mikroyannidis has led to strategic partnerships with key technological companies, most notably with Cisco and its global educational network, the Cisco Networking Academy, which has over 1 million students worldwide. Within this partnership, Dr. Mikroyannidis is in charge of the design, development and deployment of PT Anywhere, a novel educational tool for teaching computer networking skills by performing network simulations on any device. PT Anywhere has played a vital role in remote teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has been featured in the UK government’s Digital Skills Toolkit, which is offering essential digital skills to job seekers.

Dr. Mikroyannidis has recently led a successful pilot for facilitating lifelong learning using blockchain technologies, in the context of the QualiChain Horizon 2020 project. In particular, he has been in charge of deploying and evaluating decentralised education and employment qualifications with learners and educators within various lifelong learning contexts. The results of this pilot have provided valuable insights into the different aspects of lifelong learning that require support, as well as into the guidance and training needs of the education community related to the use of decentralisation technologies.

External collaborations

Dr. Mikroyannidis has been driving significant educational technology initiatives at an international level, by establishing a network of collaborators inside and outside the Open University and acquiring external funding, in order to implement and evaluate novel educational solutions in real-life settings and with real users. He has been awarded and worked on a wide range of European and nationally funded research projects, including QualiChain, DEL4ALL, OpenLang Network, Open Networking Lab, Institute of Coding, SlideWiki, EDSA, HUB4NGI, FORGE, weSPOT, EUCLID, ROLE, OpenScout, CASPAR, and PARMENIDES.