LESSON LEARNED FROM AN EXPERIENCE OF TEACHING SUPPORT IN HIGHER EDUCATION FOR A DIGITAL TRANSITION IN THE NEW SCENARIO CREATED BY COVID-19

Abstract

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 for universities are completely different and it is often difficult to cope with digital technologies for education. Moreover, roles in the education process assume different perspectives. This is the background of this research, which investigates the measures adopted at the University of Turin to deal with the scenario of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent periods. 30 young graduates halfway between students and teachers, one per university department, support teachers and the digital transition. Their role ranges from the didactical support (online teaching methodologies and the use of the Learning Management System) to the preparation, delivery, and monitoring of online assessment and exams. These young assistants received a grant for their role and proper training over all these topics and other themes related to online education, such as accessibility, copyright, video editing. At the start of the second semester, a questionnaire was delivered to these grant holders to receive feedback on their activity during the first semester and exam period. We collected 26 answers from the questionnaire. Results show that, among the different roles, they were more involved with online examinations and students' support, while collaborating more with professors and with their peers. Most of these grant holders would like to participate again in such an experience, it being useful for their future career, the teachers of the future. © 2021 Virtual Simulation Innovation Workshop, SIW 2021. All rights reserved.