The transformation of higher education practices needs to be accompanied by the deployment of university guidance. This is especially important when activities have to be carried online and remotely. Online students expect to receive precise information to be successful learners, just as they would if they were in a face-to-face setting, but even…

This article covers in its first part the digital educational policies elaborated in Italy as part of the plan known as "Piano Nazionale Scuola Digitale" (PNSD). This plan constitutes in fact the orientation document issued by the "Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca" (MIUR) for the introduction of a…

The Edu-social Algorithm research project aims to construct a micro-pedagogical, experimental, digital research action to create a methodological model using the functions and algorithms found in social media used by Generation Alpha (specifically Instagram). The project is the manifestation of an explorative research path seeking to alter the…

Many Italian universities had numerous students attending hospital wards during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The training of healthcare professionals and students was necessary to facilitate good practices, disseminate knowledge about COVID-19, and minimize contagion among students who were completing internships. On 28…

Teaching skills are fundamental for academic positions, which combine research and teaching activities. Thus, universities should look for candidates with excellent research records and teaching experience or skills; another strategy is the training of teaching staff. On the other hand, when dealing with already in-service teachers, the challenges…

The paper analyses the grades assigned by the professors of the University of Milan to their students at the end of written exams, comparing what happened in academic year 2018-19 and in academic year 2020-21, i.e., before and during the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, the lockdown closed the classrooms, stopping…

The goal of this paper is to discuss and provide some practical examples of how the emerging 5G technology can change current e-learning approaches. Thanks to the main characteristics of 5G networks, and specifically improved bandwidth, reliability, and density of devices in an area, it is possible to conceive and implement new educational…

This essay illustrates how an online language education course, implemented within an online language teacher education programme offered at master's level at an Italian university, was designed to foster pre-service teachers' active learning through digitally-enhanced activities. The course was developed within a community of inquiry framework…

In many countries, opportunities for higher education are reduced for some under-represented groups in society. One such group are young women from rural and underdeveloped areas who due to traditional, patriarchal lifestyles have much less chance to go to college and get education that their peers from urban areas have much more access to. Online…

University tutoring consists of a set of heterogeneous actions aimed to support students, upon entering the University and throughout their academic life. The tutoring implements the resources needed to cope with possible difficulties in each phase of the training process. It also provides information and advice to better address the study course,…

COVID-19 pandemic has created significant changes in higher education institutions. After university lockdown, a transition from face-to-face learning to distance learning was unavoidable and several teachers and students had to approach new technologies. The DELTA (Digital Education for Learning and Teaching Advances) Research Group provided…

We live in a digital world and our students are surrounded by technologies: it is essential that they learn how to use the digital tools available for education purposes. As for language teaching, among the most recent technologies we can find online dictionaries. They could play a key role to foster language competences, and yet they are not very…

The professional development of teachers is a task recognized by the European parliament and pursued by many institutions, both national and international ones. The support to teachers in STEM disciplines was one of the aims of the Erasmus+ SMART (Science and Mathematics Advanced Research for good Teaching) project, born in a European context,…

According to the annual report of the EF EPI (Education First - English Proficiency Index), the level of fluency in English by Italians is among the lowest in Europe. It is important that young people acquire language skills at school, especially during secondary schools, so as not to be penalized at university or when looking for work. However,…

Students need help in transitioning from high school to university. It's important to facilitate their guidance in choosing the course of study and consequently their experience with the first exams, reducing the abandonment. The University of Turin, financially supported by the banking institution Compagnia di San Paolo, has invested in…