ERUA Traveling Seminar
“Cyber-Physical Social Systems for Smart Cultural Heritage: Didactic Innovation
for the Study and Enhancement of Historical and Artistic Heritage”
The ERUA Travelling Seminar “Cyber-Physical Social Systems for Smart Cultural Heritage: Didactic Innovation for the Study and Enhancement of Historical and Artistic Heritage” was successfully co-organized by the University of the Aegean and the University of Macerata, in Mytilene, from 2 to 5 March 2026. What began as theoretical exploration of smart cultural heritage systems at the University of Macerata in November 2024 found its vibrant practical expression in Mytilene’s historic streets.
The four-day seminar seamlessly bridged academic frameworks with hands-on heritage documentation, demonstrating how flipped classroom pedagogy can produce tangible community impact. Twenty-seven students from the University of the Aegean and the University of Macerata transformed classroom theory into living heritage this week, creating collaborative digital cultural itineraries of Mytilene through an innovative ERUA Travelling Seminar.
Under the guidance of Prof. Francesca Coltrinari and Dr. Alessandro Serrani (University of Macerata), and Prof. Evangelia Kavakli and Asst. Prof. Angeliki Kitsiou (University of the Aegean), mixed Greek-Italian student teams, from Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD programmes, applied conservation principles, documentation methodologies, and digital interpretation techniques to real heritage sites. Participants developed critical heritage analysis skills, digital documentation expertise, and cross-cultural collaboration abilities while producing cultural mapping resources. By connecting academic knowledge with hands-on fieldwork, the programme fostered creativity, intercultural dialogue, and practical problem-solving.
The seminar cements the UAegean-UNIMC partnership as a model for experiential international education, demonstrating how sustained collaboration creates genuine learning progressions. From 2024’s theoretical foundations to 2026’s hands-on application, students completed a transformative arc, from cyber-physical systems and the Study and Enhancement of Historical and Artistic Heritage as abstractions to cultural maps as tangible heritage contributions.
The seminar not only reinforced collaboration between the University of the Aegean and the University of Macerata, but also actively contributed to ERUA’s wider mission of connecting research, teaching, and local communities across Europe.
