Purposeful Teaching Fellowship

Flourishing is a term that dates back as far as Aristotle and is still being discussed and researched today. Though not the final say on what flourishing looks like in an educational setting, researchers Richard Ryan and Edward Deci describe flourishing through an educational lens below, and we will use it as a starting point to further explore what flourishing looks like and means in a course setting.

“By flourishing, we mean becoming motivated, vital, resourceful, and fully functioning adults. Flourishing individuals feel both empowered and confident in their learning and problem solving and feel a sense of belonging to their schools and their larger human community…

…The promise and hope of school is not only that they enable and enhance cognitive learning and growth in specific subject areas…, but also that they facilitate the development of high-quality motivation, engagement, participation, citizenship, and social-emotional well-being. The capabilities for engagement and self-regulation will likely be more serviceable in subsequent life than any particular facts learned in the schools…they should not discourage, demotivate, or kill the confidence of the students they serve or leave them feeling alienated, reactive, excluded from society, or more antisocial.” (Ryan & Deci, 2017 p. 354)

Course Alignment + Design for Learning + Design for Flourishing = Purposeful Course Design

• Puts student learning and emotions at the heart of every course
• Research-based practices in cognitive and skill development coupled with research on ways to promote student well-being and flourishing

Autonomy:

Different aspects include providing choices in learning (materials and practice), autonomy-supportive vs. autonomy-controlling environments, and structural elements like grading, evaluation, and mastery. Empirical research shows that the more students feel they have a choice in how they participate in the course, the more perceived self-worth, intrinsic motivation, and cognitive competence they have. Overall, students learn better.

Competence:

“Competence concerns the feeling of mastery, a sense that one can succeed and grow. The need for competence is best satisfied within well-structured environments that afford optimal challenges, positive feedback, and opportunities for growth” (Ryan & Deci, 2020 p. 1).  Competence supports curiosity, exploration, and manipulation—all critical components of learning.

Relatedness:

Relatedness, also referred to as belonging, has to do with people feeling socially connected, feeling cared for by others, and feeling significant among others. It also is connected to people giving to others and being part of larger social organizations. A lot of language around flourishing is about connection and purpose—both to other individuals as well as to values and communities.

In course design, social connection is often seen in focusing on building a community of learners through icebreakers and introductions at the start of a semester, facilitated discussions, and group work. However, what is often missing in traditional models is helping students connect the course to a larger purpose. How does it relate to the context of the curriculum? How is it relevant to you outside of class? How can you connect it to community-based or experiential learning like internships that you participate in? (Connecting to purpose also supports competence and autonomy!)

Faculty who completed the Purposeful Teaching Fellowship in 2024/25 had a statistically significant impact on students in their redesigned courses improving students' sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness ranging from 13% to 22%. Student data was collected in eight courses in Fall 2024 that included both undergraduate and graduate students and professional schools.

Pre/post Student Survey Results

Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (BPNSNF) (Van der Kaap-Deeder et al., 2020)

Defining Flourishing

In the survey, the students were also asked how they define flourishing with the main response being “growth” which is in alignment with self-determination theory. When asked if they felt they were flourishing in the redesigned class a few responses were:

• Yes, I absolutely feel like I am flourishing, because every day I am learning something new in this class. Art making also pushes me to improve my ideas and pivot direction even if it feels uncomfortable at first. It’s all about exploration, and I feel compelled to keep trying and creating in this class.
• Yes, because we have experienced a communal pattern of mutual support and invitation.
• Yes, because I had autonomy, there were opportunities when mistakes [were] made for it not to impact grading, TAs cared about me and asked me about my life. I didn’t have to be anyone else.
• Yes I do lol. this course has been great because it has led me to make some very important developments (especially with the way I interact and show gratitude towards the nature around me), because it’s a great environment but also because the course has given me space to do so. Dr. Z is not just fair, he is also quite giving and understands that learning is something that has to be nurtured to be developed, not simply measured.

• Laura Asherman, Director Ethics and the Arts – Film & Media, Center for Ethics – ECAS
• Sarah Bogue,  Associate Professor, Candler School of Theology
• Cherie Cofield, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
• Katie Cole, Assistant Clinical Professor, School of Nursing
• Rose Deighton-Mohammed, Assistant Teaching Professor, IDS, ECAS
• Logan Edwards, Associate Teaching Professor, Director of the Health 1-2-3-4 Program, ECAS
• Susan Elizabeth Gagliardi, Professor, Art History, ECAS
• Anna Errore, Assistant Professor in the Practice, Goizueta
• Taylor Hayes, Assistant Professor, Emory PA Program, School of Medicine
• Mary Johnson, Assistant Professor of Art, Oxford College
• Megan Massa, Assistant Teaching Professor, NBB, ECAS
• Hiram Maxim, Professor, German Studies & Linguistics, ECAS
• Mizuki Mazzotta, Assistant Teaching Professor of Japanese, ECAS
• Emily McLean, Assistant Professor, Biology, Oxford College
• Linda Merrill, Teaching Professor, Art History, ECAS
• Cristy Tower-Gilchrist, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
• Heather Wensil Venrick, Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
• Carolyn Yeago, Acting Associate Professor, Advanced Therapeutics, School of Medicine

Here's what they say!

Regarding your teaching, what have you gained from the instruction portion of the Purposeful Teaching Fellowship?

I have thought much more about the affective aspect of teaching, about how I want students to feel about the work they're doing and the skills they're gaining. This had not been part of my thinking before, and it changes the way I approach my course.

The instruction portion allowed me to identify patterns in my class that I had never considered before. It allowed me to view my course in a new light and showed me how to integrate "purpose" into the goals and activities that I am planning while still reaching the goals of and help students build the various proficiencies desired in this core class.

The intentional time spent investigating ways to improve my course was wonderful! When I initially developed the course, I was so structured and tunnel-visioned toward the content I had to teach that I neglected many of the other aspects of learning (well-being, engaging all learner types, etc.). For the first time, I'm actually excited to teach this course!

The Purposeful Teaching Fellowship has helped me develop a more integrated and transparent approach to teaching. Considering student autonomy, relatedness, and competence throughout my course activities and structure has helped me restructure the course to be more centered on the student rather than the content, and allow them to engage with the content in ways that will meet their own goals. The course instruction throughout the Fellowship introduced key concepts as well as helped connect me with resources throughout Emory, like the Teaching & Technology teams, Center for Student Wellbeing, and the Purpose Project. The instruction has been critical for me as I develop a new course and an entirely new program. I’m excited to apply the concepts and tools!

Regarding your connection to other faculty, what have you gained from the instruction portion of the Purposeful Teaching Fellowship?

It was great to meet colleagues from other colleges, and my own, and to hear about their dedication to teaching and their creative solutions.

It has broadened my perspective and understanding of my own students, by giving me the opportunity to relate and discuss with colleagues from very different acadamic domains than mine

The connections I made with other educators through the Purposeful Teaching Course opened my eyes to innovative approaches for designing meaningful learning experiences. Beyond the ideas shared, I found a sense of community and support that I believe will be lasting as I continue to grow in my journey as an educator.

Connecting with other faculty through the Fellowship has been one of the best parts. The breadth of departments and expertise in the room was incredibly enlightening. I benefited from hearing how those teaching in the College, in the Nursing Programs, and in the Business School approach their course teaching and how they apply the concepts we discussed. These discussions helped me to consider different ways to engage with my Master’s Degree students and ways to incorporate more relevant assessments, grading, and activities. My sessions with my peer partner were particularly helpful to talk through new ideas and brainstorm together about connections with student flourishing components.

What would you say to other faculty about the Purposeful Teaching Fellowship?

Take this course if you have the time! You won’t regret it. The dedicated time to truly reflect individually and with others about the design and intention of your course increased my efficiency and enhanced the quality of the course design.

This fellowship was very generative for me because it gave me the time and space to think about why I teach the way I do, and how to make those intentions more visible to students, or to adjust them when they were not actually aligned with my goals. The time and space to rethink a course is valuable to faculty who run from meeting-to-meeting all day everyday. This was much needed.

This is a truly unique space at Emory (and I suspect other schools) where you can think creatively about your teaching, placing your own well-being and that of your students as a top priority-- you can then converse about the process with an incredibly diverse and brilliant group of faculty!

I would tell them that, honestly, I was skeptical at first—but the impact blew me away. I’ve participated in other teaching fellowships and received formal training in educational methodologies, but this experience went far beyond the basics. It offered a holistic approach that considered all aspects of student success. I would highly recommend it to any educator looking to deepen their practice and make a meaningful difference.

2024 Cohort:

Michal Arbilly, Assistant Teaching Professor, Biology & QTM, ECAS

Jennifer Ayres, Professor, Candler School of Theology

Yuk Fai Cheong,Associate Professor, Psychology, ECAS

Erica Davis, Assistant Clinical Professor, School of Nursing

Jennifer Frediani, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing

Yun Kim, Associate Teaching Professor, Linguistics, ECAS

Michael Martin, Associate Teaching Professor, Biology/Environmental Science, Oxford

Marilia Ribeiro, Associate Teaching Professor, Spanish and Portuguese, ECAS

Aaron Putt, Assistant Teaching Professor, Film & Media Studies, ECAS

Erin Weinisch, Assistant Professor, Director of Didactic Education Physician Assistant program, School of Medicine

Here's what they say!

Regarding your teaching, what have you gained from the instruction portion of the Purposeful Teaching Fellowship?

• I gained a deeper understanding with how to create meaningful class activities. These sessions helped me create activities that are both fun and helpful to students because they allow the students to open up more on the lectures taught and connect with the information learned.
  
• The model of course objectives broken down into thinking about what students should know, what they should be able to do, and how they should feel really resonated with me. Thinking about alternative grading structures was also helpful along with conversations about reflection and finding ways to help students think about purpose. And being able to break 'flourishing' into something more tangible like autonomy, competence, and relatedness is really helpful.
  
  
• I brought to the fellowship a pre-existing commitment to student flourishing, and some rather intuitive, implicit pedagogical approaches that support this goal. What I gained, though, was a more strategic and grounded framework for claiming this approach, announcing it to students, and designing assignments with autonomy and relatedness in mind, alongside our historic focus on competence.

Regarding your connection to other faculty, what have you gained from the instruction portion of the Purposeful Teaching Fellowship?

• It was eye-opening to hear other faculty, from many different disciplines, talk about their challenges and their successes. It made me think of perspectives not often discussed in my own field. I also really liked that the workshop was in-person and we committed to spending two or three hours together each week. We were able to make personal connections with other faculty, which may even lead to collaborations in the future.
  
  
• It's always nice to be reminded of the community of committed teachers we have at Emory. It was nice to see us across the university and in different roles and disciplines.
  
  
• Was really grateful to meet colleagues from across the university. The commitment that each of us have to not only our students' flourishing, but also our own, was an energizing and heart-healing discovery. It's been a hard few years for all the reasons. Thank you for introducing me to these wonderful people who still want to connect to the real heart of teaching and learning.
  
  
• It was such a rare/precious experience what I got to interact with faculty members from different campuses. I really appreciated it.

What would you say to other faculty about the Purposeful Teaching Fellowship?

• I think it is worth your time if you truly want to reduce the stress of your students and help them thrive in the current environment. This seems to be the direction higher education is moving in and it definitely strays from traditional lecture-based pedagogy that we are used to.
  
  
• One of the primary complaints faculty have about their students is that they are overly focused on grades and doing the required work for a class but not engaging in the course beyond that. I think the Purposeful Teaching Fellowship offers faculty a way of engaging students the way they want to - in a more meaningful way that is centered around personal growth.
  
  
• I'd say that the workshop was an excellent opportunity to do a close analysis of your teaching; it not only inspired me with ideas or theories, but created a time/space for actually implementing them. I usually attend workshops or webinars and leave full of ideas, but end up not having time to follow up on them. The format of the workshop allowed me to take the review of my courses seriously and devote energy to take concrete steps for changing assignments, class format, and the syllabus.
  
  
• It's a wonderful opportunity to re-imagine your course from the inside out. You'll meet other terrific colleagues who are sometimes wrestling with the same questions as you, sometimes have already tried something that will help you. And don't worry that this fellowship will ask you to "sacrifice rigor." Instead, it will help you accompany students on a deeper path of learning.