Cyprus Interaction Lab

Today we had the opportunity to share our work at the CYCHI Seminar Series – Humans & XR! 🇨🇾✨

We presented insights from our Augmented Reality storytelling implementation in Cyprus, conducted as part of the EU-funded Children as Creators of Augmented Reality Stories (CARS Project EU).

The presentation focused on how primary school children can become active creators of AR stories inspired by folktales and cultural heritage, moving beyond passive technology consumption to meaningful, creative authorship in the classroom.

A big thank you to CYCHI for the invitation and for bringing together such a curious and passionate community around XR and human-centred design.

Stay tuned for more updates from the CARS project!

CYENS Centre of Excellence

CYENS Centre of Excellence is proud to be part of RAISE-UP, a European project funded under ERASMUS-EDU-2025-PI-FORWARD-DIGITAL-AI, which aims to support the responsible, ethical, and pedagogically meaningful use of Generative AI in higher and vocational education.

We kicked off RAISE UP as a hybrid event at CYENS on April 16-17!

Bringing together partners from Cyprus, Latvia, Germany, Malta, and the Netherlands, the project responds to a growing need across Europe: helping universities and VET institutions move beyond ad hoc AI adoption toward more strategic, inclusive, and evidence-based approaches. The CYENS (via EdMedia Andri Ioannou, Cyprus Interaction Lab of the Cyprus University of Technology / Τεχνολογικό Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου) team is leading the work on mapping current practices, institutional readiness, governance challenges, and stakeholder needs across the countries of the consortium.

At the core of RAISE-UP is a shared commitment to:
• Understand how students, educators, leaders, and policymakers are currently using and perceiving Generative AI
• Identify gaps in readiness, policy, governance, and assessment practices
• Develop practical tools/AI sandboxes, guidelines, and recommendations that support responsible AI integration in education
• Strengthen AI literacy and institutional capacity across the higher education sectors

Running from 2026 to 2028, RAISE-UP will generate research-based insights and practical outputs to help educational institutions and systems respond to the opportunities and challenges of Generative AI with confidence, responsibility, and vision.

During the meeting, we were especially honoured and grateful to welcome Skourides, Chief Scientist for Research, Innovation and Technology of the Republic of Cyprus, who also leads the national AI Taskforce driving the country’s strategic direction on AI. His presentation brought valuable insight and helped frame our discussions within the broader national AI agenda.

Finally, sincere thank you to all the participants (onside and virtual) for their energy, openness, and collaboration during the kick-off, Rivera, Mezerins, Greitans, Milan, Graage, K.azarjan, Balla, Stergioulas, Camilleri, Keti Mavri, Dremova, Antigoni Parmaxi but also to other colleagues who has contributed to parallel discussions and connections before and during this meeting Chatzichristofis, Chatzis, Petroudi. The quality of discussions and shared commitment made these two days truly productive and set a strong foundation for what lies ahead.

At CYENS Centre of Excellence, we are proud to contribute to a project that places people, pedagogy, and public value at the centre of educational innovation, and we look forward to building on this collaboration.

At the EAPCRETE Conference 2026, research from highlighted the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) in primary school language education.

The conference provided an important platform for educators, researchers, and practitioners from across Europe to exchange ideas, share best practices, and explore innovative pedagogical approaches that enhance teaching and learning.

Our presentation showcased the results of a classroom study conducted in Cypriot primary school, demonstrating how AI-augmented storytelling combined with AR can significantly improve language learning experiences. Insights from the study also demonstrated consistently high levels of positive emotional engagement among students, alongside the development of key 21st-century skills. We extend our sincere thanks to the educators, students, and project partners whose contributions made this research and its successful classroom implementation possible.

Call for Papers – CALICO Journal (2027 Special Issue)

Empowering Language Teachers as Co-designers Through AI & Educational Authoring Tools

Guest Editors
Anke Berns, University of Cádiz (Spain)
Antigoni Parmaxi, Cyprus University of Technology (Cyprus)
Telmo Zarraonandia, University Carlos III of Madrid (Spain)

We invite submissions exploring how AI is transforming language teaching and positioning educators as designers of digital learning.

🗓 Deadline (EOI): April 15, 2026
📄 Full papers: October 1, 2026

🔗 Learn more:
https://www.cyprusinteractionlab.com/call-for-papers-calico-journal-special-issue-2027/

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) International Science & Technology Initiatives (MISTI) . Thanks to the amazing team of people who made this possible and , The The Fulbright Program - Visiting Scholar Program for mediating these connections of people.

At the European STEAME Academies Conference 2026 at Paphos-Cyprus, on Saturday, 14 March 2026, we presented the outcomes of school pilots of the MetaCivicEdu Project in Cyprus. The conference provided an important platform for educators, researchers, and policymakers from across Europe to exchange ideas, share best practices, and explore new pathways for the future of STEAM education.
Our presentation highlighted an innovative educational approach which integrates Metaverse and Civic Education, promoting student engagement around concepts of digital citizenship.

On Saturday, 14 March 2026, CYENS Centre of Excellence presented the results from the classroom implementations carried out in Cyprus as part of the CARS Project EU during the European STEAME Academies Conference 2026, held at the Aliathon Resort in Paphos, Cyprus.
The presentation highlighted how Augmented Reality was integrated into classroom storytelling activities, showcasing innovative approaches that support creativity, engagement, and interdisciplinary learning within STEAME education. The session also shared insights from the classroom implementations in Cyprus, demonstrating the potential of immersive technologies to enrich teaching and learning practices.
A big thank you to the educators, students, and partners who contributed to making these implementations a success!

We finally had our Virtual Kick-Off for the RAISE-UP Project on Thursday (12/03/26). The project is funded under the ERASMUS-EDU-2025-PI-FORWARD Call (DIGITAL-AI Activity). Our consortium brings together researchers, governments, companies, and international organisations (UNESCO and ASEF) with brilliant colleagues from Cyprus, Malta, Latvia, the Netherlands, and Germany. We shared updates since the proposal stage and ensured that we are all moving forward with a shared vision for the project’s goals. RAISE-UP focuses on advancing ethical and inclusive AI use in higher education policy, an area that is becoming increasingly important across Europe and beyond!

A special thank you to Claudio Rivera, whom I first met through Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - MIT Open Learning, for bringing me on board for this journey. Many thanks to the core team Milan, Mezeriņš and Rivera for the excellent proposal that is making this project possible.

Our face-to-face consortium meeting will take place at the CYENS CYENS Centre of Excellence in Nicosia, Cyprus, in April. We look forward to welcoming everyone to Cyprus and taking the next big steps on this project!!!

CARS Project EU presented at IATED
AUGMENTED REALITY STORYTELLING IN PRIMARY EDUCATION: INSIGHTS FROM THE CYPRUS IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CARS PROJECT

Event: INTED2026
Track: Innovative Educational Technologies
Session: Technology Enhanced Learning
Session type: VIRTUAL