Alex Sandro Gomes, Ph.D.

My name is Alex Sandro Gomes. I’m a researcher at The Computer science Center (CIn) (www.cin.ufpe.br) at Pernambuco’s Federal University – UFPE (www.ufpe.br) – and leader of our Cognitive Science and Educational Technology research group (www.cin.ufpe.br/~ccte).

The UFPE’s Computer science Center (CIn) has 30 years. We are a high level faculty with about 70 Ph.D. The research in our Center covers vast areas, including modern and classic disciplines in computation. This characterizes the CIn as one of the best academic centers of computer science of Latin America. Our Master and Doctoral program in Computer science was created in 1974 and credential in 1986. It is today one of the five main programs in the area in Brazil and the only one with Doctoral degree in the North and Northeast in Brazil. The CIn contribution in the ecosystem of Information Technology, locally, regionally and nationally, is also significant.

The CIn has approved and executed projects with financing of the CNPq, FINEP, CAPES, in area of Computer science and correlates. Moreover, the CIn has projects of scientific cooperation with some institutions with international prominence, as INRIA and University of Paris VI (France); University of Oxford, Kent and Edinburgh (Joined Kingdom); Stevens Institute of Technology (United States); University of Toronto (Canada); International Institute for Software Technology (Joined Nations, Macao); and University of Tübingen (Germany).

Our research group emerges in this context and focuses on the development of educational technology. Our main research domains are learnware design, CSCL (computer supported collaborative learning) and educational media. We work on technology enhanced learning. Our main project is a learning management system called Amadeus LMS (more information at http://amadeus.cin.ufpe.br/). We are creating and improving interaction design and evaluation methodologies applying to this LMS evolution. The research themes go from social awareness, data visualization, informal learning at a distance, digital tv. Some new interaction styles were already created and new kinds of experiences are being experimented. We integrate the European Node of Excellence of Kaleidoscope network: http://www.noe-kaleidoscope.org/pub/. Recently, we approved a cooperative project on visualization with technical university of Darmstadt, Germany.

In my actual position, I’m charged of undergraduate and postgraduates’ formations on CHI and CSCL. We advise MsC and PhD candidates in the technology mediated learning and technology enhanced learning. We coordinate research and industrial cooperation projects in technology enhanced learning area. We have worked in learning management systems and synchronous collaborative systems design projects.

We are interested in establishing national and international cooperation in the following areas: human computer interaction, computer supported for cooperative learning design and application, mobile learning, informal learning. It will be to important for us to have an opportunity to know your department.