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Open Badges are digital representations of achievements or skills which describe the framework, significance, and outcomes of a learning procedure based on specific criteria. The "Open Badges' collection" can be used by its holder as a virtual CV of skills and qualifications. The practice of development, issue, and use of badges is connected with gamification elements, as badges are seen as incentives towards positive behavior and are powerful pedagogical tools. Furthermore, the use of Open Badges could become an alternative certification system for skills and knowledge acquired in online, blended and other informal learning environments and systems. In this article, we present case studies in which Open Badges have been used as credentials for educational practices in pilot educational systems, either in non-formal or informal learning systems, with specific emphasis on open learning environments. Key insights from these case studies highlight the extended use of Open Badges and stress the need for a common evaluation and accreditation system in open online learning environments.

The Hellenic Open University (HOU) is a state university equivalent to all the others in Greece. This article highlights key moments in the 20-year history of the HOU, relevant expertise, lessons learned so far and challenges that threaten or inspire a quality culture of enhancement. Combining the theoretical principles of distance education with empirical research implemented in the HOU, the article illustrates its achievements and the innovations brought to Greek higher education that have had a great impact and affect both undergraduate and post-graduate courses in all Greek universities. The new complex and diverse role of the tutors, the liberation of the educational process from the constraints of time and space, the interaction between tutor-student-institution, the autonomous and independent route of self-directed learning and also the crucial role of the educational material in the learning process are some of the innovations, which define a new educational environment, unknown until recently in Greece. In this context, lifelong learning and adult education policies directly link wider social classes to educational processes. This educational mobilization of a wider social class that until recently was outside the educational process is also the great contribution of the HOU to educational reform in the country. HOU faces new challenges in the 21st century and has to commit to continuous quality enhancement in order to serve adult students' needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyanobacteria are a diverse group of photosynthetic Gram-negative bacteria that produce an array of secondary compounds with selective bioactivity against a broad spectrum of organisms and cell lines. In this study, 29 strains isolated from freshwaters in Greece were classified using a polyphasic approach and assigned to Chroococcales, Synechococcales, and Nostocales, representing 11 genera and 17 taxa. There were good agreements between 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA)–cpcBA–internal genetic spacer (IGS) characterization and morphological features, except for the Jaaginema–Limnothrix group which appears intermixed and needs further elucidation. Methanol extracts of the strains were analyzed for cyanotoxin production and tested against pathogenic bacteria species and several cancer cell lines. We report for the first time a Nostoc oryzae strain isolated from rice fields capable of producing microcystins (MCs) and a Chlorogloeopsis fritschii strain isolated from the plankton of a lake, suggesting that this species may also occur in freshwater temperate habitats. Strains with very high or identical 16S rRNA gene sequences displayed different antibacterial and cytotoxic activities. Extracts from Synechococcus cf. nidulans showed the most potent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, whereas Jaaginema sp. strains exhibited potent cytotoxic activities against human colorectal adenocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Jaaginema Thessaloniki Aristotle University Microalgae and Cyanobacteria (TAU-MAC) 0110 and 0210 strains caused pronounced changes in the actin network and triggered the formation of numerous lipid droplets in hepatocellular carcinoma and green monkey kidney cells, suggesting oxidative stress and/or mitochondrial damage leading to apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]