Papers by Georgios Aretoulis
INTED proceedings, Mar 1, 2024
Distance Education is gaining momentum in the current years. Apart from the relative infrastructu... more Distance Education is gaining momentum in the current years. Apart from the relative infrastructure that facilitates communication and distance education, the main actors include the students and the instructors. An instructor who is "charismatic" could deliver online educational courses in a successful manner. One aspect of interest is the profile of the best performing instructor for distance educational programs. The current study is aiming at defining a number of teaching preferences that are considered more welcomed by students. The findings of the study are based on a structured questionnaire survey regarding distance education. Students from Italian universities participated in the research and 222 responses were collected and a corresponding database was organized in SPSS 29. The number of questions within the survey and the corresponding variables recorded were equal to 124. The survey was based on google forms and was disseminated to students studying through distance learning programs. The language of the questionnaire was Italian. The questionnaire survey recorded participants' profile, distance education experience, their personal learning preferences, the learning preferences of their fellow students, their instructors' preferred teaching style and the participants personality characteristics. One of the highlights of the current research is the fact that students like to see the instructors trying new teaching techniques and collaborate with fellow instructors. Furthermore, it became evident that students also like their instructor to be creative, spark creative ideas to students and at the same time set priorities and stick with them. It is also true that students prefer instructors that are open-minded and like to test new ways of approaching the educational process. Research is also aiming to identify whether the profile of the students correlates with their assessment of the desired instructors' teaching styles.
ICERI proceedings, Oct 31, 2023
Distance education as a notion appeared during the 1970s and over the years has taken many forms.... more Distance education as a notion appeared during the 1970s and over the years has taken many forms. However, it really emerged as viable alternative to traditional education during the Web 2.0 era [1]. The delivery of quality education in a virtual academic environment that fosters student progression, development, and attainment is a fundamental objective of distance learning. Thus, there is a strong awareness that online education needs to become more robust in order to face the immensely complex and interconnected situations that make traditional educational processes harder. The reader could think for example the current pandemic, where the entire tertiary education level of countries was forced to move online, sometimes without the appropriate infrastructure. In other words, for online education to become similar to traditional education, there is the need of not only the appropriate systems that will allow the transfer of the processes to the digital realms, but there is the need to design systems that will exploit the advantages offered by online systems and diminish the limitations of traditional face-to-face teaching. The purpose of the current paper is to identify all those parameters and characteristics that will increase the probabilities of success for online education. To achieve the objective online educational programs were searched in four European countries (Greece, Italy, Romania, Serbia) along with scientific databases spanning a period from 2000 onwards. For example, for Greece initial results indicate that it has by far the EU's highest portion of students in undergraduate programs (86% v EU-27 average of 60%), but at master's level the share is only 10%. Moreover, and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nikiforos, Tzanavaris and Kermanidis [1] revealed that the (sudden) transition to an online/distance mode of education posed great challenges and difficulties as 40.6% of the teachers reported that had no previous experience in distance education. Finally, Reimers and Schleicher [2] reported that almost 20% of Greek students did not have access to a computer, a tool necessary for school work. The problem of insufficient resources is not only individual but affects the overall education system; Despite the efforts to update the digital infrastructure, the country lags behind the other European countries.
ICERI proceedings, Oct 31, 2023
Distance learning is becoming more and more integrated into the everyday educational procedure. C... more Distance learning is becoming more and more integrated into the everyday educational procedure. COVID 19 pandemic was a trigger for critical changes in the whole educational system, across all educational levels. These changes have caused a complete reengineering of the educational environment. The stakeholders in such an attempt are many and they have varying viewpoints. In the core of such a process two groups are mainly involved and continuously interacting with each other. These groups namely include the instructors and the students. In the current study an effort has taken place to record certain learning preferences originating from the profile of the students. Research is based on a structured questionnaire survey, which took place during 2023. The students that participated in the study are all university undergraduate and graduate students. The research sample includes people who have experienced distance learning. The survey collected up till now 214 responses, from students, studying in Greece. The current study focuses on the educational preferences, and more specifically on the learning preferences, which are recorded and analyzed alongside the characteristics and attributes of the participating students. The survey, among other preferences, identified as a significant learning approach "taking notes and reading the written contexts" along with "watching a demonstrative presentation of the information".
IGI Global eBooks, 2020
Over the last few years, a plethora of public works have taken place, focusing towards urban rene... more Over the last few years, a plethora of public works have taken place, focusing towards urban renewal, in the greater Thessaloniki district. Municipality of Thessaloniki, provided data for twelve public projects of urban renewal. Mathematical models have been proposed for cost and time prediction based on regression analysis. Furthermore, the Fast Artificial Neural Network (FANN Tool) was applied, to predict the duration and the final cost of the project, using volume of earthwork, as input variable. Both approaches could facilitate project stakeholders, to forecast the projects' final delivery date and cost and provide early warnings for any deviation from the initial budget. The results indicate that neural networks perform better than regression analysis' models, in the case of urban renewal projects.
International Journal of Management and Decision Making, 2018
How to compensate highway construction contractors is a complex decision that should be taken bas... more How to compensate highway construction contractors is a complex decision that should be taken based on scientific evidence. Four different multi-criteria decision making methods, i.e., the multi-attribute utility theory, the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal situation, the preference ranking organisation method for enriched evaluation (PROMETHEE) and the PROMETHEE group decision support system method were applied to two case study projects with different characteristics and awarding authorities' (AAs') needs in order to choose between seven different contract type based on nine selection criteria. The results highlight the need to establish the availability of new CTs in the public works law in Greece and showed that all methods have the potential to become decision support systems that can be employed for improving objectivity in this decision making process as if the project characteristics and AA's needs are properly defined at the onset.
Buildings
The main research purpose of the present paper is the establishment of certain compliance criteri... more The main research purpose of the present paper is the establishment of certain compliance criteria, applied for the selection of the most appropriate, per case, bridge construction method, as well as the definition of the weights of these criteria. The five basic concrete bridge construction methods considered in this study are: Cast-in-place, Precast I-Girder, Incremental Launching, Advanced Shoring, and Balanced Cantilever. In this context, the choice of construction method in a concrete road bridge project is proposed based on seven compliance criteria which are: safety, economy, durability, construction speed, serviceability, aesthetics, and environmental harmonization. The inclusion of all these criteria is achieved via the decision-making tool of multi-criteria analysis. A notable innovation of the current study is that road bridges are divided into three categories (bridges for highways, national roads, and provincial roads), in accordance with the importance of the road that...
Euro-Mediterranean journal for environmental integration, Jun 1, 2022
International Journal of Management and Decision Making, 2018
How to compensate highway construction contractors is a complex decision that should be taken bas... more How to compensate highway construction contractors is a complex decision that should be taken based on scientific evidence. Four different multi-criteria decision making methods, i.e., the multi-attribute utility theory, the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal situation, the preference ranking organisation method for enriched evaluation (PROMETHEE) and the PROMETHEE group decision support system method were applied to two case study projects with different characteristics and awarding authorities' (AAs') needs in order to choose between seven different contract type based on nine selection criteria. The results highlight the need to establish the availability of new CTs in the public works law in Greece and showed that all methods have the potential to become decision support systems that can be employed for improving objectivity in this decision making process as if the project characteristics and AA's needs are properly defined at the onset.
International Journal of Project Organisation and Management, 2019
Selected public Greek highway projects are examined in order to produce models to predict their a... more Selected public Greek highway projects are examined in order to produce models to predict their actual construction cost based on data available at the bidding stage. Twenty highway projects, constructed in Greece, with similar type of available data were examined. Considering each project's attributes and the actual cost, correlation analysis is implemented, with the aid of SPSS. Correlation analysis identified the most predictive project variables. Additionally, the WEKA application, through its attribute selection function, highlighted the most efficient subset of variables. These selected variables through correlation analysis and WEKA are used as input neurons for neural network models. FANN Tool is used to construct neural network models. The optimum neural network model produced a mean squared error with a value of 7.68544E-05 and was based on budgeted cost, lowest awarding bid, technical work cost and electromechanical work cost.
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Sep 30, 2020
The aim of this study is to highlight and evaluate parameters that correlate with the actual proj... more The aim of this study is to highlight and evaluate parameters that correlate with the actual project duration and compare performance of linear regression with neural network models to predict a reliable final duration for highway construction projects based on data available at the bidding stage. The thirty-seven highway projects that are examined, constructed in Greece, are similar in available data like the extent, the type of work packages and the significance. Considering each project's characteristics and the actual construction duration, correlation analysis is implemented, with the aid of SPSS 25. Correlation analysis identified the most significant project variables. These include archeological findings, type of terrain, land expropriation, the existence of bridge, tunnel and embankment. Furthermore, the WEKA application, through its attribute selection function, highlighted the most efficient subset of variables, both within the initial available attributes but also within the set of attributes identified through correlation analysis. These selected variables through correlation analysis and / or WEKA and appropriate combinations of these are used as input data for linear regression models and neural network models. The corresponding models (linear regression and neural networks) are presented along with their performance. Finally, this paper presents the comparison of linear regression and neural network models to estimate the actual duration of Greek highway projects. Results' discussion and conclusions along with limitations and further research are appropriately analyzed.
International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management, 2017
The need for reengineering the National Health Service of Greece is undeniable. Public private pa... more The need for reengineering the National Health Service of Greece is undeniable. Public private partnerships are examined as a possible funding tool. The research focus was on the social reaction of Greek society towards implementation of PPPs in the public health sector. Previous attempts to implement PPPs failed as a result of intense opposition from the citizens. A structured questionnaire survey took place. There were 500 recorded responses. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis focusing on place of residence, age, and gender, were implemented, using SPSS. Both approaches appear to lead to the same conclusions. Respondents indicated that a positive social reaction was found towards the involvement of the private sector in providing specific support services during the contract. On the other hand, there is a great reluctance to involve the private sector in any service related to the direct provision of curative care to the patients in public hospitals.
International Journal of Information Systems and Social Change, Oct 1, 2017
Over the last few years, a plethora of public works have taken place, focusing towards urban rene... more Over the last few years, a plethora of public works have taken place, focusing towards urban renewal, in the greater Thessaloniki district. Municipality of Thessaloniki, provided data for twelve public projects of urban renewal. Mathematical models have been proposed for cost and time prediction based on regression analysis. Furthermore, the Fast Artificial Neural Network (FANN Tool) was applied, to predict the duration and the final cost of the project, using volume of earthwork, as input variable. Both approaches could facilitate project stakeholders, to forecast the projects' final delivery date and cost and provide early warnings for any deviation from the initial budget. The results indicate that neural networks perform better than regression analysis' models, in the case of urban renewal projects.
Int. J. Decis. Support Syst. Technol., 2021
Project designer (PD) personality defines the way PDs cooperate with the project team, make decis... more Project designer (PD) personality defines the way PDs cooperate with the project team, make decisions, and influence the project performance. The current research focused on identifying attributes associated with successful PDs as considered by male and female project engineers. In this context, a five-year questionnaire survey collected 423 responses from Greek engineers. The survey recorded data regarding the respondents and the scores assigned to the required PDs attributes. The methodological approach included an SPSS database, followed by descriptive statistics analysis, independent sample t-test, and correlation analysis. It became obvious that gender influences the assessment and selection of desired PD personality characteristics. Female engineers tend to assign the highest Likert scale-based scores, whereas male respondents tend to assign lower scores. The most highly ranked abilities included “responsibility,” “reliability,” and “obedience to rules.” The findings facilitat...
International Journal of Multicriteria Decision Making, 2019
In the preliminary design phase of a concrete highway bridge project, a critical question arises ... more In the preliminary design phase of a concrete highway bridge project, a critical question arises concerning the pre-selection of the most suitable bridge type. The answer is related not only to cost-effectiveness, but also to the satisfaction of a number of conflicting compliance criteria. Therefore, the development of a reliable decision support system with respect to that kind of selection is an important research objective. In the context of this study, all contemporary construction capabilities for concrete highway bridges are defined. Furthermore, certain evaluation criteria governing the design of bridges are established. These criteria are then weighted and incorporated within two multicriteria analysis methods. Through the application of these methods, the respective optimal selection of the bridge type can be achieved, among a number of potentially suitable alternatives. Additionally, the implementation of the proposed decision support system was deemed necessary in a case study of a famous bridge in Greece.
Applied Behavioral Economics Research and Trends
Research focuses on the perceptions of engineers towards highway projects contract types' (CT... more Research focuses on the perceptions of engineers towards highway projects contract types' (CTs) performance and their respective selection criteria (SC). A questionnaire survey evaluated the CTs against the selected criteria. The SPSS database's sample consisted of 91 engineers from Greece and abroad. Factor analysis identified groups of selection criteria representing the performance of each CT and reflecting the engineers' perceptions. Patterns of changes in engineers' assessment of the contract types' performance were noted and justified. Apart from the total sample, analysis considered participants' subgroups, such as Greek and foreign engineers, and experienced engineers in the private and public sector. Nationality and experience of participants influence the factors' content. Moreover, a number of criteria tend to cluster together irrespective of CT and engineers' profile. These pairs of criteria include all uncertainties' criteria, Scope a...
International Journal of Business Performance Management, 2017
Project managers' (PMs) performance greatly affect their construction companies' profitability. F... more Project managers' (PMs) performance greatly affect their construction companies' profitability. Forty-seven required attributes of a PM were prioritised through a structured questionnaire survey. These attributes were assigned to groups with the aid of the 'big five personality traits' and identified as selection criteria. Simos method was implemented to determine the weights of the criteria. Seven classifications were proposed, including: 'conscientiousness', 'cognitive abilities', 'extraversion', 'agreeableness', 'capabilities', 'openness' and 'other qualifications'. The 'conscientiousness' personality trait received most of the identified attributes. Seven hypothetical PM profiles were created that directly corresponded to each of the proposed Conscientiousness personality trait defines the competent Greek PM 351 classifications. These seven profiles were ranked using PROMETHEE multi-criteria methodology. The resulting ranking from the most to the less competent one is: conscientiousness, cognitive abilities, extraversion, agreeableness, capabilities, openness and other qualifications.
Buildings, 2023
The main research purpose of the present paper is the establishment of certain compliance
criteri... more The main research purpose of the present paper is the establishment of certain compliance
criteria, applied for the selection of the most appropriate, per case, bridge construction method, as well
as the definition of the weights of these criteria. The five basic concrete bridge construction methods
considered in this study are: Cast-in-place, Precast I-Girder, Incremental Launching, Advanced
Shoring, and Balanced Cantilever. In this context, the choice of construction method in a concrete
road bridge project is proposed based on seven compliance criteria which are: safety, economy,
durability, construction speed, serviceability, aesthetics, and environmental harmonization. The
inclusion of all these criteria is achieved via the decision-making tool of multi-criteria analysis. A
notable innovation of the current study is that road bridges are divided into three categories (bridges
for highways, national roads, and provincial roads), in accordance with the importance of the road
that contains them. Thus, three different sets of weights of criteria are calculated, corresponding to
each bridge category. The research method used for this purpose was a structured questionnaire
that was distributed to a large number of selected experts in the field of bridges, who come either
from academia or the construction industry. The research results showed that the criteria of safety
and economy are the most significant according to the experts, while aspects such as the correlations
between experts’ profile and their weights were also considered. Finally, the derived criterion weights
were applied to two case studies of real bridge projects in Greece.
City Networks, 2017
The Healthy Cities project of the World Health Organization (WHO) is a global movement. It engage... more The Healthy Cities project of the World Health Organization (WHO) is a global movement. It engages local governments in health development. There are many national Healthy Cities networks, and a large number of cities in Greece have already joined them. Meanwhile, especially in big cities like Thessaloniki, health infrastructures are very old and operationally and spatially suffocate. The current research thoroughly records the health infrastructure in Macedonia and Thrace. Data clearly highlights that the major "healthcare issues" are concentrated in Thessaloniki. Hospitals operate in old buildings with urgent need for reconstruction and a definite need for expansion. A methodology for identifying a hospitals' priority list is presented and applied taking into account the age of buildings, the building area/per bed, the field area/per bed, the coverage of beds, and the population being served. PROMETHEE methodology is implemented to rank healthcare units, on the basis of the urgency for improvement action. According to the analysis' results, the hospitals in Thessaloniki that require immediate attention, considering their infrastructure, are "Theagenio" Anticancer Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital, and "St. Paul" General Hospital. Various improvement actions were proposed including expansion of hospitals in adjacent land and buildings, transfer of specific clinics to new buildings within the city, relocation of certain healthcare activities or part of them to new hospitals on the outskirts of city, upgrading of primary healthcare, and reinforcement of neuralgic hospitals in other prefectures. Finally, a discussion about the appropriateness of each type of intervention per hospital is presented.
Buildings
This paper addresses the gap in the scientific literature regarding construction cost estimates f... more This paper addresses the gap in the scientific literature regarding construction cost estimates for the construction of underground metro stations. It provides preliminary cost estimation models using linear regression for use by the Greek underground metro public transport authority for planning future extensions to the Athens and Thessaloniki networks. At the same time, it contributes to the body of knowledge by proposing material quantity prediction models and presents a two-stage preliminary cost estimation model for the construction of civil engineering works of underground metro stations. Stage one uses the construction cost budgets of six metro stations in Greece to develop a multilinear regression equation for the prediction of the overall cost for construction of civil engineering works; stage two provides estimates of material quantities using linear regression, key quantity ratios, and artificial neural networks. The data analyzed are from the prior measurements of quanti...
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Papers by Georgios Aretoulis
criteria, applied for the selection of the most appropriate, per case, bridge construction method, as well
as the definition of the weights of these criteria. The five basic concrete bridge construction methods
considered in this study are: Cast-in-place, Precast I-Girder, Incremental Launching, Advanced
Shoring, and Balanced Cantilever. In this context, the choice of construction method in a concrete
road bridge project is proposed based on seven compliance criteria which are: safety, economy,
durability, construction speed, serviceability, aesthetics, and environmental harmonization. The
inclusion of all these criteria is achieved via the decision-making tool of multi-criteria analysis. A
notable innovation of the current study is that road bridges are divided into three categories (bridges
for highways, national roads, and provincial roads), in accordance with the importance of the road
that contains them. Thus, three different sets of weights of criteria are calculated, corresponding to
each bridge category. The research method used for this purpose was a structured questionnaire
that was distributed to a large number of selected experts in the field of bridges, who come either
from academia or the construction industry. The research results showed that the criteria of safety
and economy are the most significant according to the experts, while aspects such as the correlations
between experts’ profile and their weights were also considered. Finally, the derived criterion weights
were applied to two case studies of real bridge projects in Greece.
criteria, applied for the selection of the most appropriate, per case, bridge construction method, as well
as the definition of the weights of these criteria. The five basic concrete bridge construction methods
considered in this study are: Cast-in-place, Precast I-Girder, Incremental Launching, Advanced
Shoring, and Balanced Cantilever. In this context, the choice of construction method in a concrete
road bridge project is proposed based on seven compliance criteria which are: safety, economy,
durability, construction speed, serviceability, aesthetics, and environmental harmonization. The
inclusion of all these criteria is achieved via the decision-making tool of multi-criteria analysis. A
notable innovation of the current study is that road bridges are divided into three categories (bridges
for highways, national roads, and provincial roads), in accordance with the importance of the road
that contains them. Thus, three different sets of weights of criteria are calculated, corresponding to
each bridge category. The research method used for this purpose was a structured questionnaire
that was distributed to a large number of selected experts in the field of bridges, who come either
from academia or the construction industry. The research results showed that the criteria of safety
and economy are the most significant according to the experts, while aspects such as the correlations
between experts’ profile and their weights were also considered. Finally, the derived criterion weights
were applied to two case studies of real bridge projects in Greece.