Abstract:

This paper presents the IRIDI TO TEACH programme, designed and delivered by the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) of the University of Turin to support the development of teaching and assessment competencies among contract lecturers — external professionals contracted by the university to teach specific courses or practical workshops — who play a central role in the educational offer yet frequently lack systematic pedagogical training. The study aims to describe the instructional and assessment model adopted in the online environment and to present the results of the pilot phase of the course, which involved approximately 200 contract lecturers.

The program is entirely online and asynchronous, and draws on the framework of university teacher competencies proposed by Van Dijk et al. (2020). The design also incorporates specific attention to teacher beliefs — understood as implicit belief systems that shape pedagogical and assessment choices. The literature consistently shows that such beliefs significantly influence approaches to teaching and may act as either barriers to or catalysts for professional transformation. Within this perspective, and within the constraints of the online delivery format, the program is structured to foster reflective processes on participants' existing practices.
The modular structure addresses key themes including student-centred pedagogy, course syllabus design, active learning strategies, assessment for learning, inclusion, and quality assurance. The digital learning environment is conceived as a scaffolded space, featuring a structured progression of activities and recurring moments of self-assessment.

The effectiveness of the program is examined through a pre-post design employing validated scales measuring approaches to teaching and conceptions of assessment, with the aim of detecting shifts in participants' professional beliefs and representations. Preliminary findings allow us to discuss the program's impact on the pedagogical and assessment beliefs of the contract lecturers involved, and to offer evidence-based recommendations for the structural integration of this professional group into Faculty Development policies, as well as for the systematic evaluation of training initiatives in higher education.

References:
[1] Coggi, C. (a cura di) (2022). Formare i docenti universitari alla didattica e alla valutazione. Temi di approfondimento ed efficacia dei percorsi IRIDI. Milano: Franco Angeli
[2] Diery, A., Vogel, F., Knogler, M., & Seidel, T. (2020). Evidence-based practice in higher education: Teacher educators’ attitudes, challenges, and uses. Frontiers in Education, 5, 62.
[3] Lotti, A., & Serbati, A. (a cura di) (2025). Faculty Development. Lo statuto epistemologico alla luce delle evidenze scientifiche. Milano: FrancoAngeli.
[4] Postareff, A., Lahdenperä, J., Hailikari, T., & Parpala, A. (2023). The dimensions of approaches to teaching in higher education: e new analysis of teaching profiles. Higher Education, 88, 37-59, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-023-01104-x.
[5] Van Dijk, E., Van Tartwijk, J., Van der Schaaf, M., & Kluijtmans, M.(2020). What makes an expert university teacher? A systematic review and synthesis of frameworks for teacher expertise in higher education. Educational Research Review, 31, 100365.

Keywords:

Faculty Development, Contract Lecturers, Online Learning, Higher Education.