Teaching and Learning Center
Peer Mentoring for Innovation and Excellence in Learning and Teaching
With the aim of meeting the needs for professional development and growth of the university faculty, the Teaching and Learning Center UniTo in Turin is preparing to launch, in the next academic year, an innovative experimental Peer Mentoring project.
This initiative will be scientifically supervised by Prof. Ettore Felisatti from the University of Padua and by ASDUNI - the Italian Association for the Promotion and Development of University Teaching, Learning and Instruction.
The Peer Mentoring for Innovation and Excellence in Learning and Teaching program will be dedicated to the tenured teaching staff of the University of Turin.
Among the professional development practices for university professors, Mentorship emerges as a fundamental element, whether formal or informal, individual or group-based (Lampugnani, 2020).
The concept of Mentoring is configured as a dualistic relationship, traditionally characterized by the involvement of a more experienced and older individual (the mentor) who supports the professional development of a less experienced or younger individual (the mentee) (Haggard, Dougherty, Turban & Wilbanks, 2011; Nisbet & McAllister, 2015).
The course is structured through 5 phases which are divided as follows:
- Information seminar open to all (May 27, 2024, 11-13 in room F4 at Campus Luigi Einaudi), during which the characteristics of mentoring and its effects will be described, experiences from other universities will be presented, and the structure of the subsequent activities will be detailed;
- Application and selection of participants for the course (between June and July);
- In-person training (from September 18 to 21, 2024);
- Experimentation of mentoring activities in their own teaching (first semester);
- Supervision, outcome collection, and definition of the UniTo mentoring model (January-February 2025).
Applications from tenured teaching staff at the University of Turin can be submitted from June 3 at 9:00 am to July 1 at 12:00 pm by filling out the registration form.
Please note that the form requires uploading a cover letter and a curriculum vitae highlighting teaching experiences.
The list of participants admitted to the program will be published by mid-July. The admission criteria will take into account the following aspects:
- Heterogeneity of the Departments of affiliation of the participants;
- Teaching CV
- Motivation
- EduMeter satisfaction indices
- Placement of teaching activities in the academic year
First Phase: Initial Training and Definition of the Peer-Mentoring Model
On the days of September 18-19-20-21, 2024, the first phase of the Peer Mentoring program began under the scientific supervision of Professor Felisatti.
The meetings were held in the Master in Journalism “Giorgio Bocca” classroom, located on the first floor of Palazzo Venturi (via Verdi 25, Turin).
The first phase included classroom sessions dedicated to community building and the articulation of the mentoring model.
The group of mentors consists of 18 faculty members from the University who, after the initial and experiential training, will be able to guide colleagues in reflection and innovation processes on their teaching practices.
| Phases | Objctives | Workflow |
|---|---|---|
| Initial training |
| Classroom interventions and workshop |
- Berardi Elisabetta
- Bertuglia Andrea
- Ceccarelli Adriano
- Chessa Stefania
- D'Alessandro Stefano
- Di Masi Diego
- Filippi Daniele Valentino
- Gianola Alberto
- Giovannetti Marco
- Greco Barbara
- Marcantoni Andrea
- Nervo Tiziana
- Odore Rosangela
- Pacini Tommaso
- Ricci Alessandro
- Robasto Daniela
- Scaioli Giacomo
- Sini Barbara
Seconda fase – Formazione esperienziale sul campo con esercizio attivo dei ruoli
Nel periodo Ottobre-Dicembre inizierà la seconda fase di sperimentazione sul campo con i 19 docenti in formazione, sotto la supervisione del professor Felisatti.
Obiettivi di questa fase saranno:
- Sperimentazione attiva di competenze, ruoli, azioni, processi e strumenti in Unità di Mentoring (UM)
- Peer observation dell’azione didattica e coinvolgimento degli studenti
| Phases | Objectives | Workflow |
|---|---|---|
| Experimentation |
| Active Field Involvement |
Phase 3 – Supervision (analysis of individual and group implications)
The third phase of the Peer Mentoring project involves individual and group reflection on the experiences carried out within the individual UMs (difficulties, representations, personal implications, meanings, orientations, etc.) for greater awareness and interpersonal sharing in the logic of self-directed mentoring.
| Phases | Objectives | Workflow |
|---|---|---|
| Supervision | Individual and collective reflection for a better understanding of the strategies adopted at both implicit and explicit levels. Awareness and sharing of choices and values in the action of personal and group mentoring. Strengthening of bonds within the mentoring community. | Reflective practices meetings at individual and group levels |
Phase 4 – Evaluation and Development of the UniTo Experience and Model
On Tuesday, February 4, the final part of the Peer Mentoring program will primarily focus on follow-up and collective reflection on mentoring practices.
Analyses of monitoring data on processes and products will be conducted, along with a focus group on the formalization of the mentoring model and dissemination strategies.
| Phases | Objectives | Workflow |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluation and development | Analysis of the training path, follow-up and evaluation of research data, hypothesis of model implementation within the University. | Discussion and Focus Group |
