With an average enrolment of 40,000 students, the University of Catania has been around for hundreds of years since 1434 and is oldest one in Sicily. 7 departments run and supervise the educational system. The Department of Education Sciences, which is involved in the SMILE project, is located in Catania's historic center and has about fifty lecturers as well as thousands of students. It offers three first-year degree programs (Sciences of Education and Training, Tourism Sciences, and Psychology Sciences and Techniques) as well as two Master's degree programs (Psychology and Pedagogical Sciences and Educational Planning). The Department also offers post-graduate courses, including a doctorate, as well as specialization courses. The Department conducts research in various areas of social sciences and education and maintains connections to local and national contexts, with the goal of training new generations of educators and teachers capable of promoting and supporting quality and excellence in research, increasing its impact and visibility in scientific fields, and taking into account the needs of the social context in collaboration with other organizations (institutions, schools, companies, non-profit organizations)