Timos Almpanis | London Metropolitan University (original) (raw)

Papers by Timos Almpanis

Solent University, Mar 16, 2016

Dialogue: Journal of Solent Learning Community, 2014

Large-scale visual place recognition (VPR) is inherently challenging because not all visual cues ... more Large-scale visual place recognition (VPR) is inherently challenging because not all visual cues in the image are beneficial to the task. In order to highlight the task-relevant visual cues in the feature embedding, the existing attention mechanisms are either based on artificial rules or trained in a thorough data-driven manner. To fill the gap between the two types, we propose a novel Semantic Reinforced Attention Learning Network (SRALNet), in which the inferred attention can benefit from both semantic priors and data-driven finetuning. The contribution lies in two-folds. (1) To suppress misleading local features, an interpretable local weighting scheme is proposed based on hierarchical feature distribution. (2) By exploiting the interpretability of the local weighting scheme, a semantic constrained initialization is proposed so that the local attention can be reinforced by semantic priors. Experiments demonstrate that our method outperforms stateof-the-art techniques on city-scale VPR benchmark datasets.

British Educational Research Journal, 2018

Lecture Capture (LC) is used increasingly in the UK, and has become a normal feature of higher ed... more Lecture Capture (LC) is used increasingly in the UK, and has become a normal feature of higher education. Most studies on the impact of lecture capture have focused on benefits to student learning, the flipped classroom, or student non-attendance at lectures following its introduction. It is less clear how the use of lecture capture has impacted on lecturers' own academic practice. In this study, we use a mixedmethods approach to explore the impact of this intrusive yet invisible technology on the quality of teaching. We have mapped our findings to the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF). In doing so, our data paints a mixed picture of lecture capture's Janus-faced reality. On the one hand, it enhances lecturer self-awareness, planning and conscious 'performance'; on the other, it crushes spontaneity, impairs interaction and breeds wariness through constant surveillance. While the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) rewards institutions for providing state of the art technology and lecture recording systems, our findings pose awkward questions as to whether lecture capture is making teaching more bland and instrumental, albeit neatly aligned to dimensions of the UKPSF. We provide contradictory evidence about lecture capture technology, embraced by students, yet tentatively adopted by most academics. The implications of our study are not straightforward, except to proceed with caution, valuing the benefits but ensuring that learning is not dehumanised through blind acceptance at the moment we press the record button.

International Journal of Educational Research Open

The purpose of the 'Developing the Online Experience' module is to increase participants&... more The purpose of the 'Developing the Online Experience' module is to increase participants' awareness of blended and online learning techniques so that they become familiar with the various ways in which technology can be used to enhance the students' learning experience. Increasing awareness about OER enables lecturers to enrich their materials further and focus more on the ways in which students engage with the materials and in facilitating learning. OER have been used in various ways in the module 'Developing the online learning experience'; OER were integrated with other subject-related learning resources such as journal articles, book chapters and presentations from the face-to-face sessions. To encourage participants’ own use of OER, they were featured in a face-to-face session, - link to the Introduction to OER session: http://mycourse.solent.ac.uk/mod/book/view.php?id=160120 - in which participants were asked to work in groups to evaluate the use of som...

Tertiary Education and Management, 2021

In Higher Education, technology is having an increasing impact as time progresses. In most Instit... more In Higher Education, technology is having an increasing impact as time progresses. In most Institutions there are fundamental developments occurring in access to education, in the way Institutions function and in the teaching process. Learning technologists – a profession that has recently emerged–support the development and implementation of new approaches to teaching which exploit the affordances of technology to address the particular pedagogic needs of the Faculties. The current trend is to integrate technology into and across the curriculum so that the learning technology needs of academic staff are identified and met. Most Higher Education Institutions have an e-learning development team that provides learning technology advice and supports academic staff in the use of educational software and the Institution’s centrally managed e-learning platform, the Virtual Learning Environment. This study focuses on the effective use of the platforms commonly used for e-learning support b...

Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 2015

This paper presents the findings of a mixed methods study conducted in the context of Higher Educ... more This paper presents the findings of a mixed methods study conducted in the context of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). More specifically, it focuses on the staff development needs of tutors who teach in blended and online environments, th e ways HEIs in the United Kingdom (UK) address these needs and institutional issues around the deployment and support of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) by campus‑based institutions. The informants in both phases of this research were the heads of e‑learning in various UK HEIs. Using an online questionnaire, quantitative data were gathered on the various ways that the staff development needs of the lecturers in blended and online learning have been addressed by UK HEIs. During the second phase of t his research, eight semi‑structured interviews were conducted. The findings from both phases are integrated in the results section of the paper.

This thesis presents the findings of a mixed methods study conducted in the context of Higher Edu... more This thesis presents the findings of a mixed methods study conducted in the context of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). More specifically, it focuses on the Heads of e-Learning (HeLs) perspective of the needs of tutors who teach in blended and online environments, the ways HEIs in the United Kingdom (UK) address these needs and on institutional issues around the deployment and support of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) by campus-based institutions. The HeLs’ perspectives are also compared to Laurillard's conversational framework for the effective use of learning technologies. The literature review in the area of staff development on TEL offers an analysis of the key issues and provides a useful backcloth for this research; the TEL context in UK HEIs is discussed, the terminology is clarified and learning theories are briefly looked at, prior to the more detailed description of staff development models and approaches around TEL. The research design follows a mixed methods...

This paper outlines the research design, methodology and methods employed in research conducted i... more This paper outlines the research design, methodology and methods employed in research conducted in the context of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and focuses on the Heads of e‑Learning (HeLs) perspective about Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) by campus‑based UK institutions. This paper aims to expand on the research design and the research methodology that was followed as part of this research, making a justified argument for mixed methods approaches in e‑learning contexts. The background of this research and its research questions is outlined first to provide the context of this research. Following a review of the literature on TEL that informed this research, this paper provides an explanation of the researcher’s worldview before discussing the chosen research design. The status of the findings and their generalisability based on the chosen methodology are then discussed. The research findings show that most universities represented in the survey offered various staff devel...

Social Media in Higher Education

An experiment in form and content, its aim is to be a guide and map of some of the opportuniti es... more An experiment in form and content, its aim is to be a guide and map of some of the opportuniti es to develop more open and networked practi ces while navigati ng the potenti al downsides of social media, including perceived loss of privacy and amplifi cati on of disadvantage and abuse. It is an excellent and accessible starti ng point for, as well as route to, a deeper understanding and a more sophisti cated use of social media. —Prof. Shân Wareing, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, London South Bank University

This paper reports on a study on staff development in the area of technology enhanced learning in... more This paper reports on a study on staff development in the area of technology enhanced learning in UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that took place in November 2011. Data for this study were gathered via an online survey emailed to the Heads of e-Learning Forum (HeLF) which is a network comprised of one senior member of staff per UK institution leading the enhancement of learning and teaching through the use of technology. Prior to the survey, desk-based research on some universities’ publicly available websites gathered similar information about staff development in the area of technology enhanced learning. The online survey received 27 responses, approaching a quarter of all UK HEIs subscribed to the Heads of e-Learning forum list (118 is the total number). Both pre-1992 (16 in number) and post-1992 Universities (11 in number) were represented in the survey and findings indicate the way this sample UK HEIs are approaching staff development in the area of TEL. The survey’s ma...

British Educational Research Journal

Compass Journal of Learning & Teaching, 2018

Despite extensive investment, levels of enthusiasm for technology enhanced learning (TEL) are not... more Despite extensive investment, levels of enthusiasm for technology enhanced learning (TEL) are notoriously varied amongst the key stakeholders. A growing body of research shows that TEL is often expected by students and, when used effectively, has a positive impact on engagement and outcomes. Despite this, transmissive models of continuous professional development (CPD) that focus on the technology and systems over the pedagogic underpinnings can feel like a compliance mechanism ripe for resistance. We argue that a more effective approach utilises simpler, cloud based tools to highlight pedagogic approaches and that adaptations in the way CPD happens provide an environment within which exploration, utilisation and even transformation in practice can occur.

British Educational Research Journal , 2018

Lecture capture is used increasingly in the UK, and has become a normal feature of higher educati... more Lecture capture is used increasingly in the UK, and has become a normal feature of higher education. Most studies on the impact of lecture capture have focused on benefits to student learning, the flipped classroom or student non‐attendance at lectures following its introduction. It is less clear how the use of lecture capture has impacted on lecturers’ own academic practice. In this study, we use a mixed‐methods approach to explore the impact of this intrusive yet invisible technology on the quality of teaching. We have mapped our findings to the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF). In doing so, our data paints a mixed picture of lecture capture's Janus‐faced reality. On the one hand, it enhances lecturer self‐awareness, planning and conscious ‘performance’; on the other hand, it crushes spontaneity, impairs interaction and breeds wariness through constant surveillance. While the Teaching Excellence Framework rewards institutions for providing state‐of‐the‐art technology and lecture recording systems, our findings pose awkward questions as to whether lecture capture is making teaching more bland and instrumental, albeit neatly aligned to dimensions of the UKPSF. We provide contradictory evidence about lecture capture technology, embraced by students, yet tentatively adopted by most academics. The implications of our study are not straightforward, except to proceed with caution, valuing the benefits but ensuring that learning is not dehumanised through blind acceptance at the moment we press the record button.