Invited Speakers
Prof. Rustam Shadiev
Zhejiang University, China
Prof. Rustam Shadiev is a Tenured
Professor at the College of Education, Zhejiang
University, Hangzhou, China, specializing in
advanced learning technologies for language
learning and cross-cultural education. He earned
his Ph.D. in Network Learning Technology from
National Central University in 2012. Prof.
Shadiev is a Fellow of the British Computer
Society (BCS), a Senior Member of the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE),
and a member of the Association for Computing
Machinery (ACM). He also serves as a Graduate
Faculty Scholar in the College of Graduate
Studies at the University of Central Florida,
USA.
In 2019, Prof. Shadiev was honored with the
title of Distinguished Professor of Jiangsu
Province, China. He has published over 200
academic studies, with more than half appearing
in journals indexed by the Social Sciences
Citation Index. Additionally, he has been
recognized as one of the most cited Chinese
researchers in the field of education by
Elsevier, Scopus, and Shanghai Ranking for four
consecutive years, from 2020 to 2023.
Prof. Shadiev serves on the Editorial Board of
several prestigious journals, including the
Journal of Educational Technology & Society, the
Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, and Smart
Learning Environments. He also guest edits
special issues for various esteemed journals,
such as the Journal of Educational Technology &
Society, Sustainability, and Frontiers in
Psychology.
Assoc. Prof. Celina da Silva
York University, Canada
Celina da Silva, MN/ Collaborative Bioethics,
PhD holds the position of Associate Professor at
York University in Toronto, Canada. Her research
is centered around virtual serious games (VSGs)
and virtual reality. She has received grants
from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council (SSHRC) of Canada and eCampus Ontario to
support her work in this area including a recent
SSHRC grant received in 2024.
Dr. da Silva’s recent study, backed by SSHRC
funding focuses on developing open-access VSGs
tailored for International Educated Nurses
(IENs). She is collaborating with IENs using a
co-design approach and leveraging the Morai
open-access framework to create culturally
relevant VSGs. These immersive virtual
experiences aim to tackle the challenges faced
by IENs as they transition into the Canadian
healthcare system. Additionally she has
partnered with research teams to explore the
transitional needs of post-secondary students
and mid-career workers with disabilities. The
objective of these initiatives is to develop
engaging digital tools customized for the unique
needs of marginalized communities, through a
person-centered approach.
Leveraging her multifaceted expertise in game
design, virtual reality, and community-engaged
scholarship, Dr. da Silva occupies a pivotal
role in harnessing the power of transformative
digital tools for positive social impact. Her
innovative projects aim to enhance learning,
wellbeing, and accessibility in the virtual
world by centering the “lived experiences” of
end-users and prioritizing social good.
Prof. Fahriye Altinay
Near East University, Cyprus
Prof. Dr. Fahriye Altınay
graduated from the Faculty of Communication. She
completed her master's degree in educational
sciences in the field of educational technology,
distance education. She completed her master's
thesis as the subject of "communication barriers
in distance education". She graduated from the
Near East University, PhD program in Educational
Administration.
The subject of the doctoral thesis is the
adaptation of learning organizations and
distance education institutions. Later, she
completed her doctorate program in Educational
Technology at Middlesex University. In her
doctoral thesis, she worked on how student and
teacher participation can be realized in the
learning and teaching process with a focus on
interaction in distance education.
In the field of educational technologies,
especially in the field of distance education,
since 2002, it has been sharing scientific
studies with the academic world and conducting
academic studies within the framework of
international cooperation on current issues in
this field. She works full-time at the Near East
University and serves as the Vice Director of
the Graduate Studies Institute and the Co-Chair
of the Social Research and Development Center.
It carries out social projects and scientific
studies on disability, women and children.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2ObLuS8AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8452-5992
Co-Presenter:
Prof. Dr. Zehra Altınay
Near East University, Cyprus
Prof. Dr. Zehra Altınay completed
her master's degree in Educational Sciences with
his thesis in the field of Education Technology,
Distance Education. She graduated from the Near
East University in the field of Educational
Administration. Prof. Altınay completed the
doctoral program in the field of Educational
Technology at Middlesex University. She is a
full-time faculty member at Near East
University. Prof. Dr. Zehra Altınay teaches at
doctoral, master's and bachelor's degrees.
Prof. Dr. Zehra Altınay is the Chair of the
Center for Social Research and Development,
affiliated with the Center of Excellence. She is
the head of the Educational Sciences Ethics
Committee and also the head of the Monitoring
Committee on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities. She takes part in national books,
international books, projects and scientific
studies on the scope of social issues.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=h4Ogu68AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6786-6787
More speakers will be updated soon...