Innovazione didattica e sviluppo professionale della docenza universitaria: la figura del instructional coach

The improvement of academic teaching and faculty professional development are today at the center of a renewed and more mature interest on the part of the academic community and political decision makers. A wide call to implement actions within this direction can be found both in the literature and in the recommendations of international bodies. In line with these instances, it was launched in the academic year 20162017 at the University of Florence, the DIDe-L program aimed at promoting an effective use of digital technologies to improve academic teaching. This article focuses on a specific service offered within the framework of the program, namely the service of e-Learning Desk, which is based on the individualized coaching methodology offered to teachers by an instructional designer for the design of e-learningblended learning solution through the Moodle platform. In particular, the methodological protocol devised for the provision of the service is presented and a first reflection is proposed on the profile of the instructional coach in the academic context with a view to facilitating the transferability of the service.