Agora Center
Encyclopedia
The Agora Center is a separate institute
at the University of Jyväskylä
in Central Finland
. By its nature, the Agora Center is interdisciplinary and networked. Its purpose is to conduct, coordinate, and administrate top-level research and development that relates to the knowledge society and which places emphasis on the human perspective. The research and development is conducted in the form of fixed-period projects in cooperation with the University of Jyväskylä’s other faculties
and separate institutes, businesses, the public sector
and other relevant parties. The Agora Center also promotes researcher training through its various research projects. One of the core missions of the Agora Center is to effectively combine research and development with education. The project staff includes a high number of students and post-graduate students.
The Research in the Agora Center is mainly based on Human Technology
. Human Technology refers to the human-centred approach to technological systems and methods that takes into account human needs and requirements as well as its implications for humans.
The Agora Center’s administration model follows the requirements of being a separate
institute of the University of Jyväskylä and the needs for networking. The directors of
the Agora Center are professors from different departments who work in this position in
addition to their departmental commitments and activities. The Agora Center has an interdisciplinary Managing Board, on which all of the faculties of the University of Jyväskylä are represented. The Agora Center also has an international Advisory Board.
Technology Center were built in 2000. The University simultaneously created the
Faculty of Information Technology
, combining the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, the Department of Mathematical Information Technology
and the Information Technology Research Institute. The faculty plays the main role in
technological research within the Agora concept.
The other essential side of the Agora concept is constituted by the human and social
sciences. From the beginning it was evident that to study human technology, an
interdisciplinary approach was needed. The networked activity started in the form of
the Psykocenter in 2000. In the initial period of the Center’s history, the network was
associated with the Centre of Excellence in Psychology
in order to coordinate the human-centred research related to the knowledge society.
However, it soon became clear that for the intended interdisciplinary research to function,
the research operations needed an independent entity with its own, in other words
autonomous, administration. Thus, in 2002, the University of Jyväskylä established
the Agora Center as a separate institute that also included the Psykocenter. The Agora
Center’s first operating period was from 1.2.2002 to 31.7.2005. Nonetheless, in April 2004, the lifespan of Agora Center was extended to the year 2009.
In order to support the functioning and networking of the Agora Center’s interdisciplinary research environments, the Agora Center takes various forms of action. For example, it promotes researcher training and university education, supports researchers in managing interdisciplinary projects, holds open events and forums for multiple disciplines and sectors of society, surveys and promotes the wellbeing of its personnel and conducts Public Relations
exercises.
the human mind. Its objectives and strengths are to be found in the way it combines
scientific and technological expertise in the fields of psychophysiological measurement
and mathematical information technologies. The three major themes of the laboratory
are learning
, the evaluation of skills, and the neurological basis of perception
. Central
applications for this research are the treatment of dyslexia
and the intensive training of
language skills.
The laboratory utilizes fields such as psychology
, information technology
, statistics
, and
cognitive neuroscience
. All research projects involve several international researchers
and extensive cooperative networks.
use of virtual learning environments, knowledge in designing powerful new learning
environments, pedagogical innovations, evaluation methods for e-learning
purposes, and
knowledge management
. ALL works collaboratively with the Institute for Educational Research.
The contexts of the ALL research projects transcend curricula areas, levels of education,
and work organizations, with the primary aim of developing e-learning models.
Collaboration between the basic research conducted at the University of Jyväskylä and
its practical application in educational and business organizations is highly valued.
This integration of high-level scientific knowledge, pedagogical expertise, and product development know-how facilitates the rapid transfer of knowledge into meeting the
needs of societies.
and research of digital game
s. The AGL offers an open forum for students, researchers,
and others who are interested in games and gaming. Its multidisciplinary expertise
covers such areas as educational sciences, computer science
, mathematical information technology, and psychology
.
The research unit designs and studies both serious and entertainment games. Its strengths
lie in the game-like learning environments and user-centred game design in which
future users (e.g. children, young people, adults, elderly) actively participate in the design
process. The laboratory also serves as a network for other actors in the field, and thus
forms a link between the University, other game research networks, and businesses.
development in the area of information and communication technologies. It aims
to advance the technological know-how of networked global industries.
As the focus of global markets move more from products to services, businesses
and industries require new, human-centred solutions based in information
technology. The goal is to develop innovations that arise from international research
cooperation, and to transfer new technology into the business world.
The strengths of the group are scientific computation and optimisation, and, by
extension, solutions to support production and logistics
in businesses’ product
design. In addition to the technological applications, the projects emphasize
developing the human resources
and business competitiveness
and attend to the
role of the person as the user of technology. The group collaborates closely with
public sector organizations.
technologies and services in various types of interactive situations. The models of
user behavior are significantly valuable in, for example, for device and software
design, in education and training, and in industrial R&D processes.
Basic research, as well as usability analyses of companies’ products and services,
is conducted in the laboratory. Applications can be found in wide areas of human
activity. Examples of research topics include mobile services, e-learning
, agent technologies, ubiquitous computing
, vehicle–driver interaction, surgery simulation,
emotional computing and mobile social networks.
At the core of the research in the laboratory is a holistic view of the user. Subsequently,
the research must be multidisciplinary. The laboratory’s researchers come from the
fields of cognitive science, information systems, education, psychology, and art
research.
and virtual reality
. It also offers visualisation and graphics programming services
to various departments within the University of Jyväskylä and to companies. AVEC also
arranges seminars and lecture courses.
The foci of AVEC are virtual reality
applications, interactions in virtual environments,
and programming architectures for virtual reality applications. When selecting and
implementing research topics, AVEC’s management emphasizes issues that have
technical, financial, and/or scientific significance. The topics also develop the use of
virtual reality visualisation in both research and industry
.
Virtual reality visualisation can be used to improve understanding of complex structures
and phenomena. For example, a virtual prototype can reduce the amount of time an
industry invests in the product development cycle, and a simulated model of a product can
be built and tested in a virtual environment. Virtual reality simulations can significantly
improve a product’s quality and functionality.
regional collaboration in multidisciplinary research on road traffic and other driver and
transportation-related issues.
The Lab’s key strengths include the modeling, optimisation, and application of ICT
tools in traffic and transportation, as well as research in predicting human error. Among
the projects ongoing in the lab is research funded by the Research Council of Norway
on optimising newspaper delivery and waste collection, and the development of new
optimization tools for communal logistic applications, funded by the KAKS foundation.
A driving simulator is used to study people’s driving skills and what they do under
various circumstances. This device also provides training and evaluation for professionals
for whom driving is an essential element, such as the drivers of emergency vehicles. The
simulator also provides opportunities to evaluate the driving skills of, for instance, old
and young drivers, and to develop innovations and new products that enhance driving,
traffic, and transportation systems.
from diverse areas to improve the service operations, performance, and innovation
within industry and the public sector. In essence, it represents a melding of technology
with an understanding of human behaviour and thinking, as well as business processes
and organization. With methods such as scientific computing, overall IT-expertise
and knowledge on human behaviour, the Agora Service Sciences Laboratory aims at
creating new service solutions that can range, for instance, from new applications, better
understanding of the research subject or new improved operations models to enhanced
logistical structures.
Much of the research done in the Service Sciences Laboratory has been related to
promoting health care and wellbeing of people through an interdisciplinary and
multipartner approach. The experts at the Agora Center have collaborated tightly across
disciplines with each other, the end-users and other partners to create new innovative
solutions to enhance the operations of social and health care services. For example, in the
conducted NOVA-project the operations of an emergency duty clinic of Central Finland
Health Care District have been enhanced through ICT-based simulations targeting the
basic and special health care processes and structure, health care economics and quality
of the activities. The successfully met aim was to speed up the patient’s treatment process
from the diagnosing phase to the ward.
topics regarding the interaction between people and technology.
Innovative, peer-reviewed articles in Human Technology address the issues and challenges surrounding the role of humans in all areas of
our ICT-infused societies. It draws its authors, referees, editors, and readers from both
the scientific and business communities around the world.
Institute
An institute is a permanent organizational body created for a certain purpose. Often it is a research organization created to do research on specific topics...
at the University of Jyväskylä
University of Jyväskylä
The University of Jyväskylä is a university in Jyväskylä, Finland. It has its origins in the first Finnish-speaking teacher training college , founded in 1863. Around 14,000 students are currently enrolled in the degree programs of the university...
in Central Finland
Central Finland
Central Finland is a region in Finland. It borders to the regions Päijänne Tavastia, Pirkanmaa, Southern Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, Northern Ostrobothnia, Northern Savonia and Southern Savonia....
. By its nature, the Agora Center is interdisciplinary and networked. Its purpose is to conduct, coordinate, and administrate top-level research and development that relates to the knowledge society and which places emphasis on the human perspective. The research and development is conducted in the form of fixed-period projects in cooperation with the University of Jyväskylä’s other faculties
Faculty (university)
A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas...
and separate institutes, businesses, the public sector
Public sector
The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...
and other relevant parties. The Agora Center also promotes researcher training through its various research projects. One of the core missions of the Agora Center is to effectively combine research and development with education. The project staff includes a high number of students and post-graduate students.
The Research in the Agora Center is mainly based on Human Technology
Human Technology
Human Technology is an open-access, on-line, international scholarly semiannual journal edited by the Agora Center of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland since 2005....
. Human Technology refers to the human-centred approach to technological systems and methods that takes into account human needs and requirements as well as its implications for humans.
The Agora Center’s administration model follows the requirements of being a separate
institute of the University of Jyväskylä and the needs for networking. The directors of
the Agora Center are professors from different departments who work in this position in
addition to their departmental commitments and activities. The Agora Center has an interdisciplinary Managing Board, on which all of the faculties of the University of Jyväskylä are represented. The Agora Center also has an international Advisory Board.
History
In order to enable growth of Human Tech research, the facilities of the Agora HumanTechnology Center were built in 2000. The University simultaneously created the
Faculty of Information Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, combining the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, the Department of Mathematical Information Technology
and the Information Technology Research Institute. The faculty plays the main role in
technological research within the Agora concept.
The other essential side of the Agora concept is constituted by the human and social
sciences. From the beginning it was evident that to study human technology, an
interdisciplinary approach was needed. The networked activity started in the form of
the Psykocenter in 2000. In the initial period of the Center’s history, the network was
associated with the Centre of Excellence in Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
in order to coordinate the human-centred research related to the knowledge society.
However, it soon became clear that for the intended interdisciplinary research to function,
the research operations needed an independent entity with its own, in other words
autonomous, administration. Thus, in 2002, the University of Jyväskylä established
the Agora Center as a separate institute that also included the Psykocenter. The Agora
Center’s first operating period was from 1.2.2002 to 31.7.2005. Nonetheless, in April 2004, the lifespan of Agora Center was extended to the year 2009.
In order to support the functioning and networking of the Agora Center’s interdisciplinary research environments, the Agora Center takes various forms of action. For example, it promotes researcher training and university education, supports researchers in managing interdisciplinary projects, holds open events and forums for multiple disciplines and sectors of society, surveys and promotes the wellbeing of its personnel and conducts Public Relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
exercises.
Laboratories
The research and development activities in the Agora Center are carried out in interdisciplinary environments called laboratories. Each of them concentrates on a specific research area. The laboratories offer the environment for versatile research projects.Mind Tech Laboratory
The Agora Mind Tech Laboratory develops and applies technology for the study ofthe human mind. Its objectives and strengths are to be found in the way it combines
scientific and technological expertise in the fields of psychophysiological measurement
and mathematical information technologies. The three major themes of the laboratory
are learning
Learning
Learning is acquiring new or modifying existing knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences and may involve synthesizing different types of information. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals and some machines. Progress over time tends to follow learning curves.Human learning...
, the evaluation of skills, and the neurological basis of perception
Perception
Perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of the environment by organizing and interpreting sensory information. All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs...
. Central
applications for this research are the treatment of dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
and the intensive training of
language skills.
The laboratory utilizes fields such as psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
, and
cognitive neuroscience
Cognitive neuroscience
Cognitive neuroscience is an academic field concerned with the scientific study of biological substrates underlying cognition, with a specific focus on the neural substrates of mental processes. It addresses the questions of how psychological/cognitive functions are produced by the brain...
. All research projects involve several international researchers
and extensive cooperative networks.
Learning Laboratory
The Agora Learning Laboratory’s (ALL) multidisciplinary research center explores theuse of virtual learning environments, knowledge in designing powerful new learning
environments, pedagogical innovations, evaluation methods for e-learning
E-learning
E-learning comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching. The information and communication systems, whether networked learning or not, serve as specific media to implement the learning process...
purposes, and
knowledge management
Knowledge management
Knowledge management comprises a range of strategies and practices used in an organization to identify, create, represent, distribute, and enable adoption of insights and experiences...
. ALL works collaboratively with the Institute for Educational Research.
The contexts of the ALL research projects transcend curricula areas, levels of education,
and work organizations, with the primary aim of developing e-learning models.
Collaboration between the basic research conducted at the University of Jyväskylä and
its practical application in educational and business organizations is highly valued.
This integration of high-level scientific knowledge, pedagogical expertise, and product development know-how facilitates the rapid transfer of knowledge into meeting the
needs of societies.
Game Laboratory
The multidisciplinary Agora Game Laboratory (AGL) focuses on the design, development,and research of digital game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
s. The AGL offers an open forum for students, researchers,
and others who are interested in games and gaming. Its multidisciplinary expertise
covers such areas as educational sciences, computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, mathematical information technology, and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
.
The research unit designs and studies both serious and entertainment games. Its strengths
lie in the game-like learning environments and user-centred game design in which
future users (e.g. children, young people, adults, elderly) actively participate in the design
process. The laboratory also serves as a network for other actors in the field, and thus
forms a link between the University, other game research networks, and businesses.
Industrial IT – tutkimus
The Agora Industrial IT Group organizes innovative interdisciplinary research anddevelopment in the area of information and communication technologies. It aims
to advance the technological know-how of networked global industries.
As the focus of global markets move more from products to services, businesses
and industries require new, human-centred solutions based in information
technology. The goal is to develop innovations that arise from international research
cooperation, and to transfer new technology into the business world.
The strengths of the group are scientific computation and optimisation, and, by
extension, solutions to support production and logistics
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
in businesses’ product
design. In addition to the technological applications, the projects emphasize
developing the human resources
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
and business competitiveness
Competitiveness
Competitiveness is a comparative concept of the ability and performance of a firm, sub-sector or country to sell and supply goods and/or services in a given market...
and attend to the
role of the person as the user of technology. The group collaborates closely with
public sector organizations.
User Psychology Laboratory
The Agora User Psychology Laboratory investigates the behavior of the user withtechnologies and services in various types of interactive situations. The models of
user behavior are significantly valuable in, for example, for device and software
design, in education and training, and in industrial R&D processes.
Basic research, as well as usability analyses of companies’ products and services,
is conducted in the laboratory. Applications can be found in wide areas of human
activity. Examples of research topics include mobile services, e-learning
E-learning
E-learning comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching. The information and communication systems, whether networked learning or not, serve as specific media to implement the learning process...
, agent technologies, ubiquitous computing
Ubiquitous computing
Ubiquitous computing is a post-desktop model of human-computer interaction in which information processing has been thoroughly integrated into everyday objects and activities. In the course of ordinary activities, someone "using" ubiquitous computing engages many computational devices and systems...
, vehicle–driver interaction, surgery simulation,
emotional computing and mobile social networks.
At the core of the research in the laboratory is a holistic view of the user. Subsequently,
the research must be multidisciplinary. The laboratory’s researchers come from the
fields of cognitive science, information systems, education, psychology, and art
research.
Virtual Environment Center
The Agora Virtual Environment Center (AVEC) conducts research in the fields of computer graphicsComputer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
and virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
. It also offers visualisation and graphics programming services
to various departments within the University of Jyväskylä and to companies. AVEC also
arranges seminars and lecture courses.
The foci of AVEC are virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
applications, interactions in virtual environments,
and programming architectures for virtual reality applications. When selecting and
implementing research topics, AVEC’s management emphasizes issues that have
technical, financial, and/or scientific significance. The topics also develop the use of
virtual reality visualisation in both research and industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
.
Virtual reality visualisation can be used to improve understanding of complex structures
and phenomena. For example, a virtual prototype can reduce the amount of time an
industry invests in the product development cycle, and a simulated model of a product can
be built and tested in a virtual environment. Virtual reality simulations can significantly
improve a product’s quality and functionality.
Innoroad Laboratory
The Agora Innoroad Laboratory serves as a forum for international cooperation andregional collaboration in multidisciplinary research on road traffic and other driver and
transportation-related issues.
The Lab’s key strengths include the modeling, optimisation, and application of ICT
tools in traffic and transportation, as well as research in predicting human error. Among
the projects ongoing in the lab is research funded by the Research Council of Norway
on optimising newspaper delivery and waste collection, and the development of new
optimization tools for communal logistic applications, funded by the KAKS foundation.
A driving simulator is used to study people’s driving skills and what they do under
various circumstances. This device also provides training and evaluation for professionals
for whom driving is an essential element, such as the drivers of emergency vehicles. The
simulator also provides opportunities to evaluate the driving skills of, for instance, old
and young drivers, and to develop innovations and new products that enhance driving,
traffic, and transportation systems.
Service Sciences Laboratory
Services science is an interdisciplinary field that seeks to bring together knowledgefrom diverse areas to improve the service operations, performance, and innovation
Innovation
Innovation is the creation of better or more effective products, processes, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments, and society...
within industry and the public sector. In essence, it represents a melding of technology
with an understanding of human behaviour and thinking, as well as business processes
and organization. With methods such as scientific computing, overall IT-expertise
and knowledge on human behaviour, the Agora Service Sciences Laboratory aims at
creating new service solutions that can range, for instance, from new applications, better
understanding of the research subject or new improved operations models to enhanced
logistical structures.
Much of the research done in the Service Sciences Laboratory has been related to
promoting health care and wellbeing of people through an interdisciplinary and
multipartner approach. The experts at the Agora Center have collaborated tightly across
disciplines with each other, the end-users and other partners to create new innovative
solutions to enhance the operations of social and health care services. For example, in the
conducted NOVA-project the operations of an emergency duty clinic of Central Finland
Health Care District have been enhanced through ICT-based simulations targeting the
basic and special health care processes and structure, health care economics and quality
of the activities. The successfully met aim was to speed up the patient’s treatment process
from the diagnosing phase to the ward.
Online Journal Human Technology
The international journal Human Technology: An Interdisciplinary Journal on Humans in ICT Environments is an open-access, on-line, scholarly journal that explores currenttopics regarding the interaction between people and technology.
Innovative, peer-reviewed articles in Human Technology address the issues and challenges surrounding the role of humans in all areas of
our ICT-infused societies. It draws its authors, referees, editors, and readers from both
the scientific and business communities around the world.
International Acknowledge 2005–2007
- Internationally Awarded Breakthroughs in Research:
- Society for Research in Child Development, and International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development, awarded professor Lea Pulkkinen
- Philips Nordic Prize, awarded professor Heikki Lyytinen
- Czech Academy Bernard Bolzano Honorary Medal, awarded Pekka Neittaanmäki
- Several Internationally Funded Projects, EU:n Marie Curie Excellence Team among others.
- International Open Access Online Journal Human Technology Human Technology
- The Centre of Excellence, Learning and Motivation, appointed by the Academy of Finland
- Center for Scientific Computing and Optimization in Multidisciplinary Applications SCOMA
- Two FiDiPro-professorships
- The Commission and Funding from the Nordic Innovation Centre to coordinate the Nordic Serious Games Development and Research Work.