The Higher Education Review

Ranked amongst one of the safest cities in Italy, L’Aquila is the capital of Region Abruzzo and is one the main cultural centres in Italy. Hosting hundreds of international students from more than 40 countries study, University of L’Aquila is a dynamic and ambitious institution that plays full role in the European Higher Education Area providing the students and staff community with an international environment where solutions to the ever-changing needs of present society are designed with an interdisciplinary approach.

Established in 1952, University of L’Aquila is a name renowned for its public teaching and impressive research institution offering a full range of academic programmes including biotechnologies, sciences, economics, engineering, education, humanities, medicine, psychology, and sport sciences. “The history of University of L’Aquila goes back to 9th May 1464 when King Ferdinand of Aragon granted the request from the city of L'Aquila to open a ‘Studium’ equivalent to those in Bologna, Siena and Perugia. Since then, while there have been numerous changes in the historical and political scenario, the Studium has undergone several transformations, however, University of L’Aquila continued preserving its role as a Higher Education provider in the key fields of Law, Chemistry/Pharmacy, Medicine, till the final closure of the University Studies on 1923. Today, University of L’Aquila has 30 Bachelor of Science Programmes, 31 Master of Science Programmes and 8 Research Doctorate Programs that emphasize on not just Professional Learning but also on Holistic Development”, speaks Prof. Edoardo Alesse, Rector of University of L’Aquila.

Offering a Gamut of Courses to Choose from
With excellence being at the centre of both education and research, the University of L’Aquila has its teaching methodology designed to be interactive, stimulating and interlocked with research as closely as possible. The institute has seven departments which includes DICEAA -Department of Civil, Construction-Architectural and Environmental Engineering; DIIIE - Department of Industrial and Information Engineering and Economics; DISCAB- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences; DISIM - Department of Information Engineering Computer Science and Mathematics; DSFC-Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences; DSUDepartment of Human Studies and MESVA -Department of Life, Health and Environmental

Sciences. All the departments at University of L’Aquila are well-equipped to offer its 20,000 with 64-degree courses (divided between first and second level degrees), eight research doctorate programmes, specialization schools, specializing-master courses and vocational courses.

“Today, students have the opportunity to apply their knowledge to real problems drawn from working life and are embedded in an international environment, both abroad and at home, thanks to the partnerships with universities in Europe and beyond, from Asia to America and Africa (about 400 agreements in more than 60 countries). Our distinguished faculty of about 600 professors and researchers hold international recognition and are considered leaders in their fields of research, thus preparing the students to become global graduates in a global community which for a successful career is the core goal of the internationalization policy”, shares Prof. Edoardo Alesse.

“With excellence being at the centre of both education and research, the University of L’Aquila has its teaching methodology designed to be interactive, stimulating and interlocked with research as closely as possible”

Crafting Opportunities for International Students
With Sustainability and Civic Engagement being the key commitments of the University of L’Aquila, the institute emphasizes on enhancing and safeguarding the territory, to improve community wellbeing, to promote a knowledge based development economy, social equity, and to work effectively together for the common good. With its numerous courses delivered in English, University of L’Aquila is constantly working to develop its international dimensions along with establishing and developing networks and partnerships that guarantee the opportunity of cooperation with regard to education, research and relations with industry.

“At University of L’Aquila, we care about the quality of our teaching. While we do have online teaching we still believe in the fundamentals of personal contacts. We ensure that all our students experience teaching that is designed to be dynamic, interactive, stimulating and brings their subject alive. Our ultimate goal is to prepare students for a successful career. Today’s employers value enterprising graduates who can innovate, work creatively and implement new ideas successfully. Hence, entrepreneurial mindset is embedded into our teaching and our people”, says Prof. Edoardo Alesse.

Being recognized amongst numerous rankings from across the globe, University of L’Aquila also has several agreements with industries in the region and

abroad for internships and research on enterprise. With a vision to support the talented, each year the university launches the call for scholarships to third country students with low family income. Furthermore, the support is provided by the ADSU the regional agency in providing economical support to students with low income, including housing. Determined to support students throughout the process, in the years to come University of L’Aquila aspires to consolidate the excellent results in teaching and research while ensuring support all the fields of study.

Shaping Future of Students with Range of Industry Leading Initiatives
By using student-cantered activities focused around solving real-world problems to integrating learning, the teachers at University of L’Aquila allow students to make connections between the different skills that they have learned and to direct their own learning by internalizing the knowledge and synthesizing it with their own ideas.

Some of the activities in:
Competency based Education:Students are empowered daily to make important decisions about their learning experiences, how they will create and apply knowledge, and how they will demonstrate their learning. By moving from Time-Based System to Competency-Based System students are allowed to study with their own pace.

Project based Learning: This requires the students who address the project with different backgrounds and abilities to pull from their personal experiences and prior knowledge to be successful.

Challenge Based Learning (CBL): Through its three interconnected phases: Engage, Investigate and Act, and ubiquitous access to information and technology ensures a new relation Teacher/Learner and Learner/Teacher, breaking down the traditional hierarchical structure and allowing all participants to become both teachers and learners.

Place-based Education (PBE): This immerses students in local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities and experiences, using these as a foundation for the study of language, arts, mathematics, social studies, science and other subjects across the curriculum. PBE emphasizes learning through participation in service projects for the local community.

Entrepreneurship Courses: These are offered to students of all levels, also through guest lecturers from industry to strengthen the link between coursework and real-world settings. Furthermore online learning, blended learning, and massive open online courses (MOOCs) are the viable methods of delivering and integrate higher education and important tools for the continuous learning.