ICICTE 2025 – Conference Programme
Day 1 (July 8) – Day 2 (July 9) – Day 3 (July 10)
Day 1 – Tuesday, July 8, 2025
09:00 – 09:30
Hall Athina Main
Mobility Session
Begin your day with a short period of relaxation, mindfulness and reconnection. Taking a brief time out at the beginning of proceedings to stretch, breathe and train the mind to reconnect with the body.
(Please note: best not to join the session with a full stomach. Best if light, comfortable clothing is worn. Please bring a beach/bath towel with you).
Moderator: Shirley Cauchi, Malta
09:30 – 10:00 | Registration, Athina Lobby
10:00 – 11:30 | Welcome and Keynote
Hall Athina Main
WELCOME
Professor Ġorġ Mallia, University of Malta
INTRODUCTION OF THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Professor Emeritus Costas Tsolakidis, University of the Aegean, Greece
KEYNOTE ADDRESS – Robotics for a Blue-Green Future: Education for Sustainability through Digital Innovation
Professor David Scaradozzi, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy
11:30 – 12:00 | Coffee Break
Athina Lobby
12:00 – 13:30 | Concurrent Sessions
Session 1 – Marine Robotics and Sustainability in Education
Hall Athina Main
Moderator: Dr. Konstantinos Karampelas, University of the Aegean, Greece
RoboAquaria – Marine Robotics for Climate Education in Schools
Martina Morano, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy
From Loreto to the Sea: Piloting RoboAquaria in an Italian Primary School
Livia Alesi, Camilla Rossini, Marta Paciotti, IC Solari Loreto, Italy
From Aegean Shores to School Floors: The RoboAquaria Pilot in Greece
Konstantinos Karampelas, Anastasia Pyrini, Georgios Sarrigeorgiou, and Konstantinos Tsolakidis, University of the Aegean, Greece
Learning Across Borders: Validating RoboAquaria’s Impact through European Pilot Results
Konstantinos Karampelas, Anastasia Pyrini, Georgios Sarrigeorgiou, and Konstantinos Tsolakidis, University of the Aegean, Greece
Session 2 – Immersive Environments for Environmental and Inclusive Education
Moderator: Evangeline Marlos Varonis, PARAGON-eduTech, GREECE
MIRACLE – coMics and IllustRations Augmented to Tackle Climate Change in Primary Education
Nancy Pyrini, CleverBooks, Ireland; Despina Sarrigeorgiou, PARAGON-eduTech, Greece; and Nuria de Pablo Sánchez, Jaitek Tecnologia Y Formacion, Spain
Visual Narratives that Teach: The Role of Print and Digital Comics as Educators
Ġorġ Mallia, University of Malta, Malta
A Window into Climate Change: Piloting MIRACLE in a Maltese Primary School
Mark Azzopardi, Victoria Spiteri, and Melanie Camilleri, MRC St. Paul's Bay Primary, Malta
Aligning the Affordances of Immersive Virtual Reality Environments with Learning Goals
Daniela Bicalho and João Piedade, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
13:30 – 15:30 | Lunch
Elia Restaurant
15:30 – 17:00 | Session 3 – Innovative Pedagogies for Digital & Media Literacy
Moderator: Marcia Håkansson Lindqvist, Mid Sweden University, Sweden
AI Education Through Storytelling
George Gadanidis, Western University, and Janette Hughes, Ontario Tech University, Canada
From the Board to the Mind: The Role of Modern Board Games in Fostering Computational Thinking in Primary Education
João Piedade and Fábio Machuqueiro, UIDEF, Institute of Education, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Communication and Engagement Are Key – Academics’ Views of Opportunities and Challenges with Fully Online Asynchronous Teaching
Christine Armatas and Vikki Pollard, Australian Catholic University, Australia
Promoting Critical Thinking through the Newspiracy Project: Insights from Greece
Konstantinos Karampelas, University of the Aegean, Greece, Anastasia Pyrini, and Georgios Sarrigeorgiou, PARAGON-eduTech, Greece, Konstantinos Tsolakidis, University of the Aegean, Greece and Despina Sarrigeorgiou, PARAGON-eduTech, Greece
Head Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Digital Materials in Primary-School Science Laboratories in Greece
Konstantinos Karampelas, Nikolaos Raptis, and Maria Kouroutsidou, University of the Aegean, Greece
20:00 | Welcome Reception
Thalassa Restaurant
"ICICTE 25 Years: Celebrating Innovation, Community, and Change"
Day 2 – Wednesday, July 9, 2025
09:15 – 09:45
Hall Athina Main
Mobility Session
Begin your day with a short period of relaxation, mindfulness and reconnection. Taking a brief time out at the beginning of proceedings to stretch, breathe and train the mind to reconnect with the body.
(Please note: best not to join the session with a full stomach. Best if light, comfortable clothing is worn. Please bring a beach/bath towel with you).
Moderator: Shirley Cauchi, Malta
10:00 – 11:30 | Concurrent Sessions
Session 4 – Empowering AI Awareness in Higher Education – The OREO Project
Moderator: Dr Mirela Pachou, The Laboratory of Law and Informatics (LLI), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, GREECE
OREO: Operationalising Ethics and Rights in European AI Education
Mirela Pachou, The Laboratory of Law and Informatics (LLI), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece; Despina Sarrigeorgiou, PARAGON-eduTech, Greece
OREO Curriculum: Educating for Meaningful and Safe Use of AI-Controlled Chatbots
Maximilian Alexander Loch and Connor Wundes, University of Münster, Germany
From Board Game to Platform: Co-Creating an Inclusive Digital AI Learning Experience
Rubén Vega Gutiérrez, Fundación Siglo22, Spain, and Anastasia Pyrini, PARAGON-eduTech, Greece
Law, Ethics, and the OREO Vision: Building AI Awareness Across the HED Sector
Professor Mart Susi, Tallinn University, Estonia
Session 5 – Supporting Families in Times of Permacrisis: The Efficient Parenting Project
Moderator: Anca Menina Danci, Fundatia de Abilitare Speranta, Romania
Efficient Parenting in Times of Permacrisis – Project Overview
Ildiko Sperlea, Anca Menina Danci, and Roxana Damaschin, Fundatia de Abilitare Speranta, Romania
Empowering Caregivers: The Efficient Parenting Training Curriculum
Tessa Grefkens and Rick den Bakker, PRO WORK, Netherlands
A Learning Hub for Resilient Parenting: Designing the Efficient Parenting e-Learning Platform
Nuria de Pablo Sánchez and Candela Alonso, Fundación Siglo22, Spain
11:30 – 12:00 | Coffee Break
Athina Lobby
12:00 – 13:30 | Concurrent Sessions
Session 6 – AI-Enhanced Assessment and Feedback in Higher Education
Moderator: Ġorġ Mallia, University of Malta, Malta
Evaluating GPT-4’s Proficiency on Norwegian Exams and Tests—and Exploring the Broader Implications for Educational Practice
Rune Krumsvik and Lise Jones, University of Bergen, Norway
Evaluating ChatGPT’s Effectiveness in Formative Assessment Practices for CS Education: A SWOT Analysis
Jacqui Chetty, School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Towards Effective Automated Grading in CS1: A Comparison Between GenAI and the In-House Grading Tool
Pieter Joubert, Wendy Yanez-Pazmino, and Jacqui Chetty, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Student Experiences with ChatGPT in Higher Education: Insights from a Two-Year Global Study
Aleksander Aristovnik and Dejan Ravšelj, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Workshop “Play with Purpose: Gamification for Learning and Real-World Impact Outcomes”
Facilitators: Karina Murray and Noleen Mariappens, AUNUA Global, Ireland
Workshop Objectives:
To showcase how gamification and guardrailed ethical AI can support learning, driving behavioral change and real-world impact outcomes. To demonstrate how interdisciplinary approaches enhance the design and effectiveness of gamified and AI enabled learning To explore the potential of gamification in curriculum development and outcome evaluation To inspire participants to identify opportunities for applying gamification within their own work or communities.
Method:
Live walkthrough and demonstration of gamified modules from Impactoverse Facilitated discussion highlighting interdisciplinary co-design (e.g., psychology + tech + education + arts). Breakout group mapping of potential application areas and use cases. Collaborative discussion on metrics and mechanisms for evaluating learning and impact through gameplay.
Overview:
This interactive session explores how gamification can serve as a powerful interdisciplinary tool for education, social impact, and behavioral transformation. Participants will be guided through examples of gamified modules, including efficient parenting strategies, the impact of art and nature on wellbeing, and increasing access to STEM for underrepresented and underserved groups. Attendees will examine how game mechanics, designed through collaboration among technologists, psychologists, educators, and creatives, can foster learning, support curriculum goals, and drive measurable change. The session will explore how such tools can be integrated into programme design, be used to assess outcomes, and adapted across cultures and sectors. Participants will engage in collaborative mapping to identify how gamification can support their own projects, and how curriculum, engagement strategies and real world outcomes can be reimagined through play.
13:30 – 15:30 | Lunch
Elia Restaurant
15:30 – 17:00 | Session 7 – Adopting & Governing AI Across Educational Contexts
Moderator: Professor Emerita Marcie Boucouvalas, Virginia Tech, United States of America
Generative Artificial Intelligence in Primary and Secondary Education in Portugal: Acceptance and Use by Students
Nuno Dorotea and Célia Ribeiras, Instituto de Educação, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Artificial Intelligence and School Leadership: School Leaders’ Reflections on Professional Use of AI
Marcia Håkansson Lindqvist, Mid Sweden University, Sweden, and Fanny Pettersson, Umeå University, Sweden
Self-evaluation of Adaptive Digital Learning Platforms Based on Artificial Intelligence: Development of a Theoretical Framework
Ana Pedro and Bárbara Azevedo, Instituto de Educação, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Innovative Technologies in Ethical Expertise: Architecture and Functional Capabilities of the System
Dinara Kabdylova, Gulmira Bekmanova, Assel Omarbekova, Aiganym Bessembayeva, Alina Yerbolatova, and Altanbek Zulkhazhav, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Kazakhstan
The Challenges that Artificial Intelligence Brings to Australian Transnational Programs
Kathy Michael, Victoria University, Australia
Day 3 – Thursday, July 10, 2025
09:15 – 09:45
Hall Athina Main
Mobility Session
Begin your day with a short period of relaxation, mindfulness and reconnection. Taking a brief time out at the beginning of proceedings to stretch, breathe and train the mind to reconnect with the body.
(Please note: best not to join the session with a full stomach. Best if light, comfortable clothing is worn. Please bring a beach/bath towel with you).
Moderator: Shirley Cauchi, Malta
10:00 – 11:00 Poster Session (Click on the individual titles to see the abstracts of each poster)
Empowering Teachers as Digital Lifelong Learning: The ContinueUP Project
Lapbooks as a Tool for Critical Thinking and Digital Literacy
Kristyna Kilianova and Petra Kockova, University of Ostrava, Czech Republic
Efficient Parenting in Times of Permacrisis
Work as a Remedy: Encouraging Labour Inclusion through Experience and Inspiration
coACTION: A Whole School Approach for Democratic Empowerment in Primary Education
Anastasia Pyrini, Despina Sarrigeorgiou and George Sarrigeorgiou, PARAGON-eduTech, Greece
11:00 – 12:00 | Keynote
Hall Athina Main
INTRODUCTION OF THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr Mirela Pachou, The Laboratory of Law and Informatics (LLI), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
From Code to Campus: Exploring AI Ethics and Digital Rights in Higher Education with Plagiarism as a Case Study
Professor Georgios Yannopoulos, School of Law, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
Director, Laboratory of Law and Informatics (LLI).
12:00 – 13:30 – Philosophers’ Café
“My Online Education World: Four Decades of Innovation with Morten Flate Paulsen”
Moderator - Professor Ġorġ Mallia, University of Malta
Freshly inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame, former EDEN President Morten Flate Paulsen returns to ICICTE to guide us through the pivotal moments that have shaped online and distance learning since the 1980s. Drawing on his eight open-access volumes—The Dawn of Online Education, Early Adopters of Online Education, the forthcoming Online Education Growth and Online Education Goes Mainstream, plus four companion directories Stars in My Online Education World—Paulsen will trace the technological, pedagogical and organisational milestones that moved e-learning from dial-up modems to MOOCs, mobile apps, and learning analytics. A brief talk will be followed by an open discussion with delegates, offering a unique opportunity to reflect on lessons learned, celebrate influential “stars,” and consider where the next decade of online education may lead.
13:30 – 14:00 – Closing Ceremonies
CLOSING REMARKS
Professor Emerita Marcie Boucouvalas, Virginia Tech, United States of America
FRIEND OF THE CONFERENCE AWARD 2025
Nancy Pyrini, ICICTE Founder and Director, Greece
The Ludvig Spante Student Paper Award: Honoring Integrity, Passion, and the Courage to Be Oneself
Professor Ġorġ Mallia, ICICTE Chair of the Scientific Committee, Malta
ANNOUNCEMENT OF ICICTE 2026
Professor Ġorġ Mallia, ICICTE Chair of the Scientific Committee, Malta
20:00 – "Human Notes: Mirela Pachou in Concert"
Presented by the OREO Project and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Thalassa Restaurant Area
© ICICTE 2025
