C8603 - DIDATTICHE PER LA FORMAZIONE NEI CONTESTI DI ADULTI

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will:

• know, understand and be able to analyse the theoretical elements that shape teaching practice in adult contexts (permanent education and continuing training);
• know, understand and be able to analyse the diversity of learning processes in adulthood;
• know, understand and be able to analyse the conditions present in a teaching context for adults;
• know, and be able to consider the diversity of, the most effective approaches and teaching models in adult contexts (permanent education and continuing training);
• know and be able to analyse and consider the elements relevant to the instructional design of training in adult contexts;
• know and be able to analyse and consider the forms of digital (blended) teaching;
• know and be able to organise teaching activities using digital platforms;
• know and be able to analyse, and put into practice, a set of teaching methodologies for training in adult contexts (including training of trainers);
• know, understand and be able to intervene in formal, non-formal and informal adult contexts (including digital ones), grasping their elements of continuity and discontinuity;
• know, understand and be able to activate favourable conditions for the creation of formative ecosystems for adults;
• know and be able to activate forms of collaboration to interpret the territory as a teaching context;
• know and be able to analyse (and, where necessary, produce) teaching materials in different formats and assess their quality;
• be able to recognise the prevailing characteristics of the human resources suited to the development of a specific learning context;
• be able to coordinate the teaching activity of different trainers in order to deliver a coherent training pathway;
• be able to identify training needs for their own cultural and professional development.

Course contents

The course content and the related reading list are valid for students enrolled for the 2026-2027 academic year in the first year of the Master's Degree in “Education Sciences for Work and Organisations”. Students who still need to sit the exam under the previous curriculum are invited to refer to the content and reading list set for the 2026-2027 academic year, but may also refer to the syllabi and reading lists of previous years.

In Module 1) (Prof. Ellerani), valid for both curricula (Specialist in Training and Integration in Organisational Contexts, and Specialist in Digital Training and Hybrid Contexts), the course aims to develop students' ability to read, design and manage teaching interventions aimed at adults in the various contexts of permanent education and continuing training. The course opens with an understanding of the theoretical foundations of andragogy and of the specific features of learning in adulthood, leading up to the ability to recognise and activate the conditions — organisational, relational and contextual — that make a training intervention effective. The course examines the main theories of adult learning as interpretive frameworks for critically analysing real training contexts. It also reconstructs the historical evolution of teaching and its underlying principles, from transmissive models to active and participatory ones, with attention to the centrality of the learning subject, to self-direction, and to the meaningfulness of learning. Finally, the course addresses teaching methodologies for activating adult learners, and the concept of pedagogical agency as a cross-cutting lens for designing training interventions capable of fostering the autonomy and active participation of the people they are aimed at.

Module 1) is structured around the following main themes, to which e-tivities and in-depth sessions will be linked:

1. Theories of adult learning;
2. The evolution of teaching and its principles in adult education;
3. Teaching methodologies for activation in adult contexts;
4. Pedagogical agency in adult education.

In Module 2) (Prof. Pacetti) “Teaching Methods for Education in Adult Contexts” (for the curriculum Specialist in Training and Integration in Organisational Contexts), particular attention is given to the variety of approaches and teaching models available for adult education, with specific focus on Game Based Learning and arts-based experiential approaches, to instructional design (objectives, methodologies, tools, timing and resources), and to the forms of blended teaching. The course also addresses formal, non-formal and informal learning contexts, exploring their elements of continuity and discontinuity, and the conditions for building formative ecosystems for adults, including through forms of collaboration with the local territory and with learning communities. It covers the criteria for analysing — and, where necessary, producing — teaching materials in different formats, as well as the skills needed to identify the human resources best suited to developing a specific learning context and to coordinate the work of multiple trainers within a coherent training pathway.

This Module 2) is structured around the following main themes, to which e-tivities and in-depth sessions will be linked:

1. Learning within an organisation: developing communities;
2. Playful and arts-/expressive-based teaching approaches in adulthood;
3. Digital competences (DigComp and DigCompEdu);
4. Blended teaching.

In Module 2) (Prof. Ferrari) “Teaching Methods for Education in Hybrid Contexts” (for the curriculum Specialist in Digital Training and Hybrid Contexts), particular attention is given to the variety of approaches and teaching models most effective for adults within technology-hybridised contexts, to the instructional design of hybrid training pathways (objectives, methodologies, tools, timing and resources), and to the integration, within technology-hybridised environments, of training models and teaching strategies capable of sustaining adults' access and active participation. The course also addresses the forms of digital teaching in hybrid contexts, the organisation of teaching activities through digital platforms, and the use of generative AI platforms in adult training contexts. It covers the digital tools and artefacts aimed at hybridising the training context, making it more interactive and effective both in terms of motivation and of learning. It also develops the skills needed to coordinate the teaching activity of a team of trainers in order to deliver a coherent training pathway, and to identify training needs for one's own cultural and professional development.

This Module 2) is structured around the following main themes, to which e-tivities and in-depth sessions will be linked:

1. Digital competences;
2. Formats of online training;
3. Designing collaborative online teaching (collaboration scripts);
4. Designing (and managing) the active engagement of students in hybrid contexts.

Through the themes of Modules 1) and 2), the course guides students to experience first-hand — in the dual role of adult-student-in-training and adult-student-as-designer — the logics of designing and managing learning environments, while at the same time developing the digital competences and teaching strategies needed to sustain their effectiveness. In keeping with the intended graduate profile of the Master's Degree in Education Sciences for Work and Organisations, the course supports the development of professionalising competences in training and curriculum design, geared towards needs analysis, the management of professional training and continuing-education interventions, and the delivery of guidance services for adults.

Readings/Bibliography

Required readings for all students:

Module 1 and Module 2 (Prof. Piergiuseppe Ellerani, Prof. Elena Pacetti, Prof. Ferrari)

• Ellerani, P., Reggio, P. (2026). Formazione Ibrida. Metodi e strategie per una nuova educazione degli adulti. FrancoAngeli.

  Module 1 (Prof. Piergiuseppe Ellerani)

• Porcu, S. (2025). Metodologie per l'apprendimento. Tecniche e strategie per formatori, insegnanti, educatori e facilitatori. FrancoAngeli.

  Module 2 (Prof. Elena Pacetti)

• Bonaiuti, G., Dipace, A. (2021). Insegnare e apprendere in aula e in rete. Per una didattica blended efficace. Carocci.

  Further reading (optional)

• Bocconi, S., Earp, J., and Panesi, S. (2018). DigCompEdu. Il quadro di riferimento europeo sulle competenze digitali dei docenti. Istituto per le Tecnologie Didattiche, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR). DOI: https://doi.org/10.17471/54008

  Module 2 (Prof. Luca Ferrari)

• Piras, V., Trentin, G., Reyes, M.C. (2020). Come disegnare un corso online: Criteri di progettazione didattica e della comunicazione. FrancoAngeli (Open Access), https://series.francoangeli.it/index.php/oa/catalog/book/526 | Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4 only |
• Montesano, S. (2025). Sistemi di tutoring intelligente: l'IA nell'insegnamento personalizzato. http://www.rivistabricks.it/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/BRICKS_5_2025_17_Montesano.pdf (article)

  Further reading (optional)

• Excerpt from Ferrari, L. (2015) “Costruire esperienze di online collaborative learning”, PDF available on the course's Virtuale page (optional material).

Teaching methods

The course adopts the blended learning approach envisaged by the Degree Programme, integrating face-to-face and online activities to foster active participation and provide constant support for the acquisition of knowledge, skills and competences. The training pathway combines classroom lectures and activities with guided asynchronous online activities, accompanied by formative feedback from the instructors, as well as synchronous remote discussion and support sessions. This teaching organisation is designed to respond more effectively to students' needs, promoting continuous and meaningful interaction throughout the training pathway. The blended model supports access to learning, fosters active participation, and offers opportunities for remediation, consolidation and enhancement of the competences acquired. For detailed information on the organisation of teaching activities and participation arrangements, students are invited to consult the course page on the Virtuale platform, as well as the lecture timetable.

Assessment methods

The course concludes with an examination graded out of thirty. The examination is unified for the two modules.

The assessment of learning is designed to verify the achievement of the course's learning outcomes, in particular the ability to analyse teaching contexts and processes for adults and to design training interventions consistent with them. The final assessment consists of the presentation and discussion of a project work developed during the course, integrating the e-Tivities. The e-Tivities serve an overall summative assessment function and coincide with the process of developing the project work. The assessment of the e-Tivities and of the project work, together with its discussion, account for 100% of the final grade for the course. During the activities, the instructors provide ongoing support and feedback, accompanying students in developing their project. The final assessment takes place at the examination, through the presentation and final validation of the project work, according to the assessment criteria presented by the instructors during the course and published on Virtuale.

With regard to students' use of Artificial Intelligence in carrying out and designing activities (e-Tivities and/or Project Work), please refer to the University Guidelines available at:

https://www.unibo.it/it/ateneo/statuto-norme-strategie-bilanci/intelligenza-artificiale

Should a student fail to complete or submit the required activities within the agreed deadlines (for example, students sitting the examination in an academic year other than the one in which the course is delivered, or who do not meet the set deadlines), and in any case by the final examination session of the academic year, additional study work may be required. Such additional work — agreed with the instructors, as will the examination format — may consist of the study of supplementary texts, consultation of further teaching resources, or written tests and/or in-depth assignments.

Teaching tools

Virtuale platform, Teams platform.

During lectures, digital tools designed for interactive teaching will be used (videos, podcasts, handouts, articles, case studies, slides) as well as for the e-tivities.

Students with SLD (Specific Learning Disorders) or disabilities: students are advised to contact the relevant University office in good time (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it ). The University Service will propose any adaptations to interested students, which must in any case be submitted, at least 15 days in advance, for approval by the instructors, who will assess their appropriateness in relation to the course's learning outcomes.

Office hours

See the website of Piergiuseppe Ellerani

See the website of Elena Pacetti