Ben Shneiderman is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science, Founding Director (1983-2000) of the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory, and Member of the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies and the Institute for Systems Research, all at the University of Maryland at College Park. Dr. Shneiderman is the author of Software Psychology: Human Factors in Computer and Information Systems (1980). In addition he has co-authored two textbooks, edited three technical books, published more than 200 technical papers and book chapters.

He is an active researcher in Human Computer Interaction, a sub-area of Computer Science concerned with methods and principles on how to design computer interfaces so that people can interact effectively with them. He specializes in computer supported cooperative work, where he investigates how people work together, how the computer and related technologies (groupware) affect group behaviour, and how software can be designed to support and augment group work. He also works in information visualization and manipulation techniques for large data spaces, which allows both individuals and groups to understand and manipulate their information space.

H. Ulrich Hoppe holds a full professorship for “Cooperative and Learning Support Systems” at the University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany). With an original background in mathematics and educational technology (Master level degree in Mathematics and Physics from Marburg University, 1978; PhD in Educational Technology from Tuebingen University in 1984), Ulrich Hoppe has been working for more than ten years in applied computer science research in the area of intelligent user interfaces and cognitive models in Human-Computer Interaction, before he re-focused his research on intelligent support in educational systems and distributed collaborative environments. He has served on numerous committees and as a reviewer in the areas of computer support for collaborative learning (CSCL), interactive learning environments and intelligent tutoring systems. In 2003, he has been programme co-chair of the international conferences AI in Education and CSCL. He is a member of the Core Group of the European Network of Excellence “Kaleidoscope” in the area of Technology-Enhanced Learning. After his move to Duisburg in 1995, Ulrich Hoppe has founded the research group COLLIDE (“Collaborative Learning in Intelligent Distributed Environments”). COLLIDE has been engaged in European projects on distributed classroom technology for both virtual and presence scenarios. It has initiated and led the NIMIS project on combining a computer-integrated classroom environment (“roomware”) with new interaction techniques (pen-based input, speech output). COLLIDE also participated in the SEED project that focused particularly on supporting teachers in the creation of innovative scenarios utilizing the integration of physical and digital media. Recently, COLLIDE has coordinated the project COLDEX, which aims at creating and supporting an open transcontinental community of learners in areas of science based on “digital experimentation toolkits” including the remote access to astronomic observations and to seismic data. Current research interests:

• Open distributed cooperation environments and “collaborative mind tools”
• Ubiquitous computing and innovative interaction techniques in education
• Analysis, modelling, and intelligent support of collaborative learning processes
• Support of distributed and virtual communities