BETA, an Acronym that Stands for New Ecosystem of Learning
The new flat and reconfigurable classrooms, the podium, the Massive open online courses (MOOCs), BClicker. When it comes to innovative teaching at Bocconi the recurring acronym is that of BETA, the Bocconi Education & Teaching Alliance, "the center created to discuss and plan the future of learning in our University and to support the needs and ideas of the faculty", as stated on its website.
In the bright office that houses BETA, on the first floor of Via Roentgen, the visitor's attention is alternately attracted to books about teaching and technology or to fashion-themed newspaper clippings, in a corner which still bears the traces of having been the set of a MOOC on fashion. And there are also computing equipment, cameras, electronic gadgets and notes and inspirational aphorisms printed on colorful sheets on the walls. It is here that we met Luigi Proserpio, the lab's director.
What is BETA?
It is a research and development laboratory on teaching and learning methods, both analog and digital. It wants to drive the university to have a consistent view on innovation processes, moving from individual to structural scale, in a world where technologies for teaching are evolving and their first adoption is often a personal initiative. BETA works along with Bocconi technical units that design and realize processes, structures and technologies.
When and how was it established?
It was established in mid-2012, at the end of Tabellini's term as a rector, and was designed primarily as a support to the faculty in terms of training on teaching. With Sironi the aim is to experiment with a new ecosystem of learning.
Which is the single innovation you are most attached to?
The new flat and reconfigurable classrooms, because they are a true laboratory of innovative teaching: students are closer to teachers, physically wrapped and mentally immersed in the learning experience, thanks to the three screens. In these classrooms there is greater interactivity, aimed at learning not only the theory, but also the know-how and the soft skills. In addition, the tools available to teachers allow for assessment in real time: the teacher can find out whether the learning process proceeds smoothly or not. Also from the aesthetic point of view, finally, the new classrooms fit the tastes of our students.
And which is the most important feature of the new classrooms?
I would say the fact that they are flat and reconfigurable. Students can move around, create discussion groups and debate. The triple screen is suitable for various uses: there are teachers who use it to compare the solution of a problem with that proposed by the students, others who project the same things on all three, allowing everybody to have a good view.
Another important experience is that of MOOCs, the Massive open online courses distributed via platforms accessible to all.
We started with three MOOCs on the Coursera platform in order to acquire new skills. Making a MOOC is a complex and sophisticated task, if you do not want to simply replicate the classroom. We have learnt how to make videos with a rhythm and appropriate aesthetics and we have fully understood the added value of communities that develos around MOOCs. Those enrolled are tens of thousands from all over the world and when the community works diversity is unparalleled.
Did the function of direct support to the faculty fade?
Absolutely not. The Teaching Excellence Seminars are Beta seminars coordinated by Stefano Gatti, a teacher with a lively interest in educational innovation, and want to create a professional community that meets regularly to discuss issues such as the use of MOOCs in the classroom courses, the teaching of quantitative methods, teaching for MBA students, just to name a few. The Teaching Excellence Program is, instead, a course delivered in September to the new teachers to familiarize them with teaching at Bocconi and give some advice to the younger. In addition, we have developed detailed manuals, we realize open days to support teachers in the use of new tools and one-on-one coaching. Finally, we are thinking about a real help desk.
What kind of relationship do you have with the rest of the University?
We never work on our own. The "A" in BETA is for "Alliance" and the partners in this alliance for educational innovation are the Academic Affairs Division, Bocconi IT Services, Infrastructures, Logistics and Purchasing Service, the Library, the Schools and the many professors who provide their time and passion to help us.