Teaching and Learning Center (TLC)

The Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) is a University Specialised Centre dedicated to fostering original research through an interdisciplinary approach to educational innovation. The Centre’s primary objectives are:

Promoting interdisciplinary research on educational innovation and transversal skills development, through the advancement of qualitative and quantitative methodological criteria, aimed at pioneering original research and experimentation at both national and international levels;
Designing and proposing national and international training and research projects for the implementation of new methodological, pedagogical, and soft skills, through training and consultancy services for both internal and external stakeholders;
Developing original research, experimentation, and service pathways aimed at improving the alignment between job market demand and supply;
Facilitating the exchange and dissemination of knowledge through conferences, courses, and other strategic initiatives;
Launching development programmes for pedagogical and transversal skills in collaboration with local, national, and international partners.

Faculty Development Program

The Faculty Development Program aims to offer professors, researchers, PhD students, and research fellows an opportunity to reflect on their teaching experience through pathways designed to consolidate and develop methodological-didactic and communicative-relational skills, with a view to enhancing the quality of the university system.

NEUROSCIENCE AND ITS APPLICATIONS IN LEARNING AND TEACHING ENVIRONMENTS

"Neuroscience and Education"

Speaker: Prof. S. Della Sala (University of Edinburgh)

Friday, February 7th, from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM

"Teaching Strategies for Deep Understanding"

Speaker: Prof. M. Castoldi (University of Turin)

Tuesday, March 25th, from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM

"Neuroscience Today: Current Research and Perspectives on Emotions, Relationships, and Learning"

Speaker: Prof. M. Balconi (Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan)

Thursday, April 17th, from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM

"Human-Led Artificial Intelligence: From Ada Lovelace to the Digital Revolution in Teaching"

Speakers: Prof. S. Conradi (ITIS Delpozzo - Cuneo) and Prof. M. Lualdi (University of Insubria)

Friday, May 16th, from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM

"Art and the Brain"

Speaker: Prof. A. Moriondo (University of Insubria)

"Instructional Design: Architectures, Teaching Strategies, and Methodological Proposals"

Speaker: Prof. G. Bonaiuti (University of Cagliari)

Thursday, December 12th, from 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM

"Assessment in Higher Education: Supporting Student Learning through Formative and Summative Evaluation"

Speaker: Prof. D. Parmigiani (University of Genoa)

Tuesday, January 28th, from 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM

"Blended and Online Design: Strategies, Environments, and Teaching Tools"

Speakers: Prof. S. Ferrari and Dr. Pellizzari (Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan)

Monday, February 17th, from 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM

"Inclusive Teaching for All: Universal Design for Learning and SLD (Specific Learning Disorders)"

Speakers: Prof. C. Termine and Dr. S. Bocchicchio (University of Insubria)

Monday, February 24th, from 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM

TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER CONFERENCE – November 18, 2024
"Innovative Teaching and Soft Skills: The TLC of the University of Insubria"

The conference aims to foster reflection on the current changes within universities and the role of TLCs as hubs for the promotion and development of pedagogical, relational, and technological skills.

Topics covered will include:

Innovative Teaching
Supporting Learning Processes
Evolution of the Role of University Professors
The Role of Universities in Addressing Global Challenges

Insubria Soft Skills Project - Training Pathways

Training courses and seminars organized within the Insubria Soft Skills Project (ISSP) are open to all students of the University of Insubria and include the issuance of Open Badges. Open Badges are digital credentials that certify the competencies acquired. They contain metadata qualifying the Badge: the issuing institution, the soft skills developed, and can be included in a CV to provide evidence of personal skills and achievements.

Current and Upcoming Courses:

SELF BRANDING (Basic Level)

Objectives: By the end of the course, participants will be able to effectively manage their social media presence and communicate in official contexts to best promote themselves through personal and professional channels.

Duration: 20 hours across 5 modules, to be held in January and February 2026
Open Badge Requirements: The Open Badge is awarded to students who actively attend 16 out of the 20 scheduled hours.
Further Information: Consult the project datasheet

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: STRESS AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT - 2nd Edition

Objectives: By the end of the course, participants will have gained greater awareness of their skills and will be able to approach the job market with increased self-confidence, thanks to tools provided for managing change.
Duration: 20 hours across 3 sessions, to be held in November 2025
Open Badge Requirements: The Open Badge is awarded to students who actively attend 12 out of the 16 scheduled hours.
Further Information: Consult the project datasheet

TEAMWORKING

Objectives: By the end of the course, participants will have acquired the ability to work effectively in teams within a professional development context.
Duration: 20 hours across 3 sessions, to be held in September 2025
Open Badge Requirements: The Open Badge is awarded to students who actively attend 14 out of the 20 scheduled hours.
Further Information: Consult the project datasheet

ANXIETY MANAGEMENT

Objectives: By the end of the course, participants will have acquired the ability to effectively manage anxiety for personal and professional well-being.
Duration: 20 hours across 3 sessions, to be held in September 2025
Open Badge Requirements: The Open Badge is awarded to students who actively attend 14 out of the 20 scheduled hours.
Further Information: Consult the project datasheet

TALENT DEVELOPMENT FOR A SUCCESSFUL CAREER: DEVELOPING TALENT THROUGH SOFT SKILLS – 5th Edition

Objectives: Participants will gain greater awareness of their skills and talents, as well as key soft skills essential for successfully navigating the demands of today’s ever-changing job market.
Duration: 30 hours across 6 sessions, to be held in June and July 2025
Open Badge Requirements: The Open Badge is awarded to students who actively attend 25 out of the 30 scheduled hours.
Further Information: Consult the project datasheet

PERSONAL BRANDING (EN) - Reserved for PhD Students

Objectives: This course guides students through a process of deep self-awareness and personal reflection, helping them clearly identify their strengths, talents, and values.
Duration: 4 hours on Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Open Badge Requirements: The Open Badge is awarded to PhD students who actively attend both modules.
Further Information: Consult the project datasheet

LESSON ZERO ON SUSTAINABILITY

Objectives: This path aims to instill an ethics of sustainability through the development of critical thinking and the adoption of responsible behaviors toward the environment, people, and the community.
Duration: 36 hours across 7 modules/sessions, to be held between April and May 2025
Open Badge Requirements: The Open Badge is awarded to students who actively attend 12 hours plus one full workshop session.
Further Information: Consult the project datasheet

EXPRESS YOURSELF: Values, Empowerment, and Project Management - New Edition

Objectives: To provide students with tools and methods to strengthen self-awareness and recognize their values and emotions to better navigate the current job market.
Duration: 22 hours (6 sessions of 3 hours and 1 session of 4 hours), to be held between February and April 2025
Open Badge Requirements: The Open Badge is awarded to students who actively attend 18 out of the 22 scheduled hours.
Further Information: Consult the project datasheet

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER: FROM RESEARCH TO INNOVATION - New Edition

Objectives: To acquire transdisciplinary and co-design tools useful for developing knowledge and skills related to innovation processes, technology transfer, and project management, working in cross-functional teams with complementary expertise.
Duration: 24 hours across 6 sessions (4 hours each), to be held between December 2024 and February 2025
Open Badge Requirements: The Open Badge is awarded to students who actively attend 18 out of the 24 scheduled hours.
Further Information: Consult the project datasheet

TALENT DEVELOPMENT FOR A SUCCESSFUL CAREER: DEVELOPING TALENT THROUGH SOFT SKILLS – 4th Edition (Autumn 2024)

Objectives: Participants will gain greater awareness of their skills and talents, as well as key soft skills essential for the current job market.
Duration: 30 hours across 6 sessions, to be held in November and December 2024
Open Badge Requirements: The Open Badge is awarded to students who actively attend 25 out of the 30 scheduled hours.
Further Information: Consult the project datasheet

HOW TO WRITE A THESIS: METHODS AND TECHNIQUES FOR ACADEMIC WRITING

Objectives: To enable participants to effectively use written communication and critical skills to find and analyze bibliographic sources suitable for structuring a coherent and cohesive thesis.
Duration: 16 hours across 5 sessions, to be held in November and December 2024
Open Badge Requirements: The Open Badge is awarded to students who actively attend 11 out of the 16 scheduled hours.
Further Information: Consult the project datasheet

CREATIVE AWARENESS: MENTAL TOOLS AND APPROACHES FOR ENHANCING CREATIVITY AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS

Objectives: To enable participants to use authority and assertiveness in communication, understand the importance of self-expression, and recognize their emotions. Includes a practical component and a final creative project.
Duration: 20 hours across 6 sessions, to be held in November and December 2024
Open Badge Requirements: The Open Badge is awarded to students who actively attend 16 out of the 20 scheduled hours.
Further Information: Consult the project datasheet

Learning Lab

By its very nature, the Teaching and Learning Center is a hub for exchange, discussion, experimentation, and innovation in the field of education, spanning university, school, and corporate environments. In particular, it offers regional stakeholders a dedicated learning laboratory—a space to analyze challenges, foster reflection, discuss theoretical models, and identify new practices for workplace application. The Centre focuses on three key areas:

Soft Skills: Competencies related to decision-making processes, communication, teamwork, and organizational behavior.
School Education: Methodological and pedagogical competencies for teaching and learning, specifically tailored to the school context.
Technical-Specialized Fields: Specific competencies within the scientific-disciplinary sectors of the University of Insubria's faculty, aimed at launching skill development projects within the corporate sector.

Methodology: The Learning Lab draws on the Experiential Learning approach, Action Learning groups, and the Northern European Change Laboratory method.

For further information, please contact the TLC Secretariat.

Research areas

Development of Innovative Teaching Capacities, Virtual Reality, and Scientific Communication. Design and implementation of training, educational, and project-based activities with a specific focus on Science education and the integration of Virtual Reality (VR) technologies.
New Pedagogical Methods in Law Degree Programs. This research analyzes evolutionary trends in legal education, specifically exploring the introduction of "Minors" to foster interdisciplinary knowledge. It examines new teaching tools such as Legal Clinics and Moot Courts, alongside innovative activities like legal writing and public speaking workshops.
Research Valorization and Student Entrepreneurship in Experimental Sciences. Protection and promotion of research results (organizing meetings between enterprises, researchers, and stakeholders; managing patent and utility model profiles on the Knowledge Share platform). Support for student and researcher entrepreneurship through training sessions and guidance on funding calls for innovative startups.
Innovative Teaching Forms and Processes: Audiovisual Storytelling and Digital Humanities. The evolution of the contemporary media ecosystem impacts both digital natives and educators, requiring radical changes in how we conceptualize the past and present. This study explores teaching innovation in universities and high schools, focusing on audiovisual tools, creative storytelling, and Digital Humanities, with a particular emphasis on teaching contemporary history.
Teaching Innovation from a Systemic-Relational Perspective: New Skills and Contexts in Secondary and Higher Education. Investigating teaching practices that blend traditional models with digital approaches developed during the Covid-19 emergency. Using an Action-Research logic, the project builds networks within the provincial school system to develop vertical curricula. The goal is to verify if cross-level working groups (from primary school to University) can serve as fundamental learning environments for teachers.
Assessing the Effectiveness and Impact of Soft Skills Training. Moving beyond simple learner satisfaction, this research views assessment as a practice deeply intertwined with the design phase itself. The project explores models for formative and certificatory assessment specifically for transversal competencies, focusing on TLC programs while also analyzing quality factors in school and educational settings.
University Pathways for Students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD): Analyzing Educational Practice and Implementing Inclusive Methodologies. Many of the 20,000 Italian university students with dyslexia or other SLDs do not utilize adequate compensatory measures. This Action-Research project analyzes current educational practices to introduce improvements in teacher training and administrative support, aimed at unlocking unexpressed potential and ensuring smoother job market entry.
The Role and Development of Transversal Competencies and Soft Skills for Employability and Career Growth. This research delves into the impact of soft skills and talent on employability. It analyzes how these skills can be developed through specific training and measures the long-term effectiveness of these interventions in today's job market.
Development of Transversal Competencies and Soft Skills in Corporate Contexts. Focused on developing skills among regional stakeholders. In line with European guidelines, transversal competencies are seen as essential for entering and remaining in the workforce. The research evaluates the effectiveness of these skills in professional settings and defines formal and informal development models, including Communities of Practice.
Soft Skills Development among Regional Stakeholders. This project identifies, analyzes, and develops transversal competencies within the University (students, faculty, and staff) and among external partners. The research aims to pinpoint which soft skills are most relevant to stakeholders and define effective models for their development to ensure superior professional performance.

Publications and Conferences

PUBLICATIONS

2025

"An Empirical Model of University Talent Management: how to enhance student employability" (2022) Farao C. Giappichelli Editore (Monograph). ISBN: 9788892124479.
"Do Personal and Soft Skills Matter in Research-Industry Cooperation? An Experimental Qualitative Study" (2024). Finardi, U., Farao, C., Rizzi, G., & Bianco, I. International Journal of Work Innovation. DOI: 10.1504/IJWI.2024.10067155.
"The Crucial Role of Green Soft Skills and Leadership for Sustainability: A Case Study of an Italian Small and Medium Enterprise Operating in the Food Sector" (2023). Farao, C., Bernuzzi, C., & Ronchetti, C. Sustainability, 15(22), 15841. DOI: 10.3390/su152215841.
"To what extent does organizational culture affect employee commitment? An explorative study in Italian companies" (2023). Farao, C. Economia Aziendale Online, 14(2), 351-378. DOI: 10.13132/2038-5498/14.2.351-378.
"Are Female Leadership styles culturally universal or specific? A comparative study between Italy and Japan" (2023). Farao, C., & Riolli, L. Economia Aziendale Online, 14(3), 597-623. DOI: 10.13132/2038-5498/14.3.597-623.
"Humanistic management. Organizational well-being that relaunches the ethics of virtue" (2023). Farao, C., & Biffi, A. Sviluppo & Organizzazione, 2023(312), 51-59.

2024

Bracale M., Bonometti S., Caruso E., Grimaldi A., Montagnoli A., Adding immersive virtual reality laboratory simulations to traditional teaching methods enhances biotechnology learning outcomes in Frontiers in Education, June 2024.
Bonometti S., Ferri L., (2024), Effective collaboration among secondary school teachers. Ways and paths of development from a survey of needs in the province of Varese, in ATEE JUNE Book of abstracts, January 18-19, 2024.
Ferri L., (2024), The TLC as a generator of communities of practice in university research: an experience of education through dialogue, in Junior Conference, Pensa Multimedia, March 2024.
Publication under Review: Digital Learning and faculty development: best practices and perspectives. Stefano Bonometti; Letizia Ferri; Peter Beatrice; Leonardo Iomini; Annalisa Grimaldi; Antonio Montagnoli; Andrea Moriondo, Nuova Secondaria Ricerca, 2024.
Ferri L., (2024), Vertical communities of practice as orientation contexts, in Quaderni di Pedagogia della scuola, v. 5., La Scuola SEI.
Bonometti S. - Ferri L. (2024), Promoting educational innovation and the development of transversal skills: an overview of the Teaching Learning Center (TLC) of the University of Insubria, in Formazione, Persona Lavoro, April, XIV, n. 42.
Ferri L., (2024), Reconstituting the Teaching Staff: systemic-relational training proposals, in Junior Conference-Perugia, May 31, 2024.

2023

Adding immersive virtual reality laboratory simulations to traditional teaching methods enhances biotechnology learning outcomes, Peter Beatrice, Annalisa Grimaldi, Enrico Caruso, Stefano Bonometti, Marcella Bracale, and Antonio Montagnoli, Frontiers in Education.
Ferri L., Bonometti S., Felloni G. (2023), Service Learning as an Italian pathway to Legal Clinics: limits and perspectives, in Excellence and Innovation in Learning and Teaching, Franco Angeli, Volume 9, N. 2 (2023).
Bonometti S., Beatrice P., Ferri L. and Iomini L., Virtual reality and the Metaverse as educational and technological mediators for medical and scientific education, HELMeTO 2023 Book of Abstract (BOA), Studium Srl.
Title submitted to the University Ethics Committee for Research: The relevance of soft skills in students with Specific Learning Disorders: a study conducted at the University of Insubria. Bocchicchio S., Ronchetti C., Termine C., Farao C.

CONFERENCES

2025

WOA (National Workshop of Business Organization Professors and Researchers – ASSIOA) - NAVIGATING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY – Pescara (July 2025). Paper presentation: “Exploring entrepreneurial orientation, intention and competencies in the academic context: a cross-cultural comparison between Italian and American university students”. Ronchetti C., Farao C., Riolli, L.

2024

"Innovative methods for teaching in Law courses: an interdisciplinary dialogue" - Roma Tre University in collaboration with the University of Insubria (December 16, 2024).
TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER CONFERENCE (November 18, 2024) - "Innovative teaching and soft skills: the TLC of the University of Insubria".
Summer School Puglia 2024 - Technologies, AI, and innovative environments in university teaching. Bonometti S., Augmented reality and the metaverse: teaching and learning experiences in university, September 25, 2024.
ATEE Spring Conference - Presentation: Effective collaboration among secondary school teachers. Ways and paths of development from a survey of needs in the province of Varese, Bergamo, May 29 – June 1, 2024.
AIRIPA National Congress, Reggio Emilia, September 2024. Abstract: A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE TO PROMOTE INCLUSIVE DESIGN AND TEACHING METHODOLOGIES: the experience of the TLC of the University of Insubria.
European Dyslexia Association (EDA) International Congress, Athens, October 2024. Abstract: INCLUSION & BEYOND: facilitating academic success and job placement of university students with SLD.
WOA (National Workshop) - Milano (July 2024). Paper: “A pilot study on Italian university students' entrepreneurial skills as a key aspect to manage complexity and uncertainty”.
EGOS (European Group for Organizational Studies) - Milano (July 2024). Paper: “Soft skills and behavioral aspects: a configurational approach in the courts of north-west Lombardy”.
V National Faculty Development Conference - Ferri L.: The Community of Practice of TLC research fellows: evaluative approaches and preliminary analysis. Genoa, June 13-14, 2024.
ISYDE (Italian Symposium on Digital Education) - Pavia, June 19-21, 2024. Blended learning for faculty development: transforming educational practices by harmonizing tradition and innovation.
Didacta Fair-University - Presentation: Soft Skill development for personal and professional growth, Florence, March 20, 2024.
CRUI Conference (Conference of Italian University Rectors) - Learning to learn through Soft Skills: the Insubria TLC project, Trento, April 12, 2024.
DISUIT Research Day - Education as a common good: from knowledge co-generation to social change, Como, March 20, 2024.

2023

Conference: Schools and Higher Education in Dialogue - Educational innovation from a relational and systemic perspective: TLCs and the training of teacher-researchers in secondary schools, Venice, September 29-30, 2023.
HELMeTO Conference (International Conference on Higher Education Learning Methodologies and Technologies) - Virtual reality and the Metaverse as educational and technological mediators, Foggia, September 13-15, 2023.
AIRIPA National Congress - THE UNIVERSITY PATHWAY OF STUDENTS WITH SPECIFIC LEARNING DISORDERS (SLD): analysis of educational practice and implementation of inclusive methodologies, Foggia, September 2023.
SIPED Junior Conference - The TLC as a generator of communities of practice in university research, Florence, June 15-17, 2023.