In higher education, Financial Mathematics and Computational Finance represent distinct but interconnected areas in which the integration of Computational Thinking is particularly relevant. Inclusive computational practices appropriately designed by teachers and implemented within a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment can foster students’ knowledge co-construction. This study investigates how tailored Computational Finance practices involving VBA for Excel and Python, when synergistically integrated into group-based interactions within a face-to-face CSCL environment, enhance individual learning. The context of the research is the Advanced Computational Finance module at University College Dublin, Ireland, in Spring 2024. The study analyses the achievement of seven specific learning outcomes among 22 undergraduate students (BSc) who participated in weekly collaborative lab activities, compared with a group of 5 postgraduate students (MSc) who did not. Quantitative analysis of a final learning test administered to students reveals that the BSc cohort consistently outperformed the MSc group across nearly all learning outcomes. The most significant differences appeared in higher-order cognitive processes, such as modelling, data modification and evaluation. These findings suggest that student-led, collaborative lab activities that feature inclusive computational practices are critical drivers of sensemaking and the development of Computational Thinking skills in Financial Mathematics at the individual level.

The use of serious games in education is becoming more widespread, offering new ways to engage students and enhance their learning experience. However, it remains crucial to evaluate their effectiveness using reliable tools. The University of Turin has developed a serious game called "The murderer at the High-Tech Institute" for Mathematics that focuses on the functions of a single real variable. The game aims to facilitate the learning of the subject for university students in non-mathematical degree programmes. To qualitatively evaluate the tool, the research group developed a final questionnaire for students to complete after the game, based on validated questionnaires from the literature, including the Technology Acceptance Model and the System Usability Scale. The purpose of the questionnaire is to investigate the impact of digital game-based learning in Mathematics by measuring key aspects such as usability, effectiveness in learning Mathematics, game experience and attractiveness. A total of 156 university students answered the questionnaire after completing the serious game. This paper examines the stages of questionnaire development, from initial design to reliability study and exploratory factor analysis. The reliability of the questionnaire is discussed. The factor analysis reveals four key dimensions. Additionally, the trends in students' responses from the study are discussed, and potential improvements for future experimentation with the game are highlighted.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased educational poverty, especially among students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. To address this problem, the compiti@casa project, initiated by the University of Turin in collaboration with the De Agostini Foundation, has provided a distance tutoring service for lower secondary school students, i.e., aged between 11 and 14, with learning difficulties. This study examines the effectiveness of tutoring in improving students' learning skills and attitudes by analysing tutors' responses to a final questionnaire they completed for each student they tutored, both in Mathematics and Italian. Specifically, it aims to address two research questions: “What strategies did the tutors consider effective in improving the skills and attitudes of each student?” (RQ1) and “Is the impact of different tutoring practices visible on students' learning approach and personal improvement?” (RQ2). The results show significant improvements in students' motivation, autono my and confidence, particularly for those who were more actively engaged in an interactive and personalised approach. However, there are difficulties in engaging less motivated students or those with attendance problems. The study concludes by highlighting the importance of personalised teaching strategies to maximise the benefits of tutoring.

Close contact between schools and universities may help students take an informed choice on future paths in education and job. Educational stakeholders must act in synergy among themselves and the other partners. At the University of Turin, an experience of teacher training called "Ambasciatori start@unito nelle scuole" (start@unito ambassadors in schools) helps secondary teachers act as links between secondary and higher education institutions. Teachers attended a module in which they learn how to provide "orientative teaching" using Open Educational Resources. According to the knowledge of the authors, there is very little international research about didactics with the specifically declared purpose of orientation. All resources are based on university modules specifically developed to facilitate students’ transition from secondary school to university. Teachers experimented with their educational activities aimed at showing students possibilities for future exploration. The experience of the ambassadors was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively through questionnaires to investigate the role of the teacher and the mediation of technology in this transition context and the consequent change in school didactics, also considering the students’ point of view. Findings show that teachers appreciated this peculiar project, they recognized that students developed essential skills, and they became more aware of their role, also as orientators in their daily teaching. These findings imply the need for wider training actions to address other school teachers on these important matters.

Engagement is one of the most powerful driving forces that moves learners forward in a learning experience. The effects of engagement are related with enjoyment in learning, good results and prevention to drop-outs. Technologies, and in particular automatic formative assessment, can positively influence engagement, as well as providing data to measure it. This paper discusses how computer-based activities with automatic formative assessment and interactive feedback can promote engagement in Mathematics at school level. After discussing a theoretical framework for defining and measuring engagement, the potentialities of activities with automatic formative assessment and interactive feedback designed according to a specific model are illustrated. The activities have been experimented with 299 students of grade 8 in Italy. Through questionnaires administered before and at the end of the experimentation and through data from the online platform, the effects of the online activities on student engagement is evaluated. The activities resulted particularly effective to increase the engagement level in students that had low attitudes toward Mathematics at the beginning of the project.

In the transition from lower to upper secondary education, Italian students are expected to have achieved a level of competence which allows them to use knowledge and abilities to model and to understand scientific and technical disciplines. Gaps or misunderstandings in basic knowledge can hinder the effort of students who attend technical high schools, where the core subjects are based on Mathematics. This paper deals with the design of a project conceived to strengthen mathematical competences of students attending the first year of a technical upper secondary school through an online course named “MATE-BOOSTER”. The online activities on the web-based platform have been developed using didactic methodologies founded on constructivist assumptions, as problem posing and problem solving, collaborative learning, learning by doing, automatic and adaptive formative assessment. In this work the process of design of MATE-BOOSTER is shown, the methodologies chosen are discussed, and the online activities are analysed from a constructivist perspective.

Formative assessment is a practice aimed to enhance teaching and learning and to develop self-regulation. Among the strategies for activating formative assessment, the provision of feedback is one of the most studied: good feedback helps close the gap between actual and desired performance and it promotes self-regulation. Automatic Assessment Systems can improve the practice of formative assessment, especially for the immediacy of feedback and the flexible solutions for questioning. In this context, the Department of Mathematics of the University of Turin has developed a model for automatic formative assessment using an automatic assessment system suitable for STEM disciplines. The key features of the model, grounded on the models from the literature, are: availability, algorithmic questions, open answers, immediate feedback, interactive feedback, and contextualization. These are detailed and discussed through evidence gained from three experimentations, involving the total number of 553 students. In particular, it emerges that the use of interactive feedback ensures that students process the information from the feedback and use it to improve their performance, thus solving the major problem raised in the literature that feedback are not useful when students do not read them.

Adaptive teaching consists in a teaching style aimed at overcoming inner differences among learners by providing them tailored ways to achieve outcomes according to their learning style, culture and needs. ICTs play an important role in supporting teachers with the adoption of adaptive strategies. Adaptive teaching acquires relevance in contexts of scholastic remediation and in reducing failures. The paper presents and discusses how adaptive teaching is used within "Scuola dei Compiti", a project proposed by the City of Turin (Italy) in collaboration with the University and the Polytechnic of Turin, aimed at reducing the drop-out rate and at enhancing scholastic success. University students help groups of 5-6 students aged 13-15 with their difficulties in the main subjects (Mathematics, Italian Language, Foreign Languages). Part of the Mathematics courses adopt a set of innovative computer based methodologies developed by the Department of Mathematics of the University of Turin, including a virtual learning environment integrated with an advanced computing environment, an automatic assessment system and a web-conference tool, which supports adaptive teaching. The project has involved over 7500 students in the last 5 years, the results achieved, discussed in the paper, show the effectiveness of these methodologies with respect to traditional teaching methods.

This paper shows the model developed by the University of Turin to support students that must face the transition from the last year of secondary school to the first year of University. Integrations that are specifically designed for Learning Management Systems help sustain three effective actions conducted in synergy: increase students' awareness in the choice of the future course of study, support them in taking the admission tests and the first-year exams, allow the autonomous administration of admission tests led by the University. The methodological strategies adopted are presented and discussed based on the analysis of the data of the years 2015 and 2016.