Educational Sciences

In 1882, on the initiative of Francesco De Sanctis, the ‘Women’s Superior Institute of Education’ was founded. Its aim was to increase the cultural level of women. The Institute was changed into the Faculty of Magistero in 1935. Sixty years later, in 1995, the Faculty of Magistero underwent another transformation and became the Faculty of Education, not only limited to training teachers, but also aimed at creating new job profiles such as educators and professional guides operating in different social institutions, apart from schools. In the academic year 2001/2002, study courses were changed radically, because of the need to conform to new European standards.

The department is now in charge of all the research and educational activities. It has a main building and a branch location in via Ofelia. The main building is in a former nuns’ monastery called “Verginelle” where the Dean’s office and secretary are located, together with a library and almost all the offices. A third building is within walking distance of the main building and is made up of all the Professors’ rooms, a branch of the Department library and two lecture halls.

At present, the total number of Professors is 54 (full, associate and researchers).
Curricular and extra-curricular study is assured by the presence of a library: there is a total of 40 workstations and a simple all day access (all year round). The library provide a total number of 130,000 volumes  (included Italian and foreign journals).

Didactics and research activities

The  Department of Education provides three BA degrees and two two-year MA degrees, which can be all grouped into three main teaching councils: Pedagogy and Education, Psychology, Tourism. The  Department has the aim of coordinating, developing and spreading the research in the fields of  Human Sciences, Humanities and Neuroscience.

There is an International PhD course in Human Sciences and a second one in Neuroscience.

Since the beginning of the first year, the Department guides the students to their professional integration through the so called ‘Best Practices’ by means of orientation seminars aimed at a good use of the apprenticeship activities, and permanent agreements with public and private territorial organizations, through stipulation of ad hoc agreements, such as region, province, city council and its several departments, local health districts, first help centres, jails, social service offices for minors, museums. This enhances an early integration in many workplaces. The assistance and the service of monitoring and stage integration are managed efficiently by three offices for apprenticeship, according to the three main teaching councils, with their qualified staff, selected according to a public competition, and supervised by some scientific commissions, made up of professors and representatives of students, who manage all the procedures, propose the agreements, monitor all the external activities to assure the quality of the training and a good result of the vocational training.

Contacts

Via Teatro greco 84, I-95124 Catania
e-mail: disfor@unict.it
www.disfor.unict.it/en