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. 2023 May-Jun;71(4):1111-1124.
doi: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1920956. Epub 2021 Jul 9.

Does variability across three universities in the implementation of a college course on human flourishing affect student outcomes?

Karen Kurotsuchi Inkelas  1 , Blake A Colaianne  2 , Matthew J Hirshberg  3 , Mark T Greenberg  2 , Richard J Davidson  3 , John D Dunne  3 , David Germano  1 , Robert W Roeser  2
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Does variability across three universities in the implementation of a college course on human flourishing affect student outcomes?

Karen Kurotsuchi Inkelas et al. J Am Coll Health. 2023 May-Jun.

Abstract

Objective: This study explores whether variability in the implementation of an undergraduate course on human flourishing is differentially associated with student outcomes.

Participants: 101 students in the "Art and Science of Human Flourishing" course across three large, public, R1 universities in Fall 2018 participated in the study.

Methods: Formative course data included researcher observations of weekly class pedagogy, students' weekly meditation practice logs and end-of-course assessments, and pre/post surveys measuring changes in participating students' outcomes related to flourishing (e.g., attentional skills, social-emotional skills, perspectives on flourishing, mental and physical health).

Results: Although course pedagogy and student engagement varied across the three universities, students' outcomes were nonetheless similar.

Conclusions: Variability in course implementation did not appear to differentially affect students' outcomes. We tentatively conclude that other institutions interested in offering the flourishing course may make limited adaptations to fit their pedagogical preferences without concern for altering its impact on students.

Keywords: Flourishing; holistic education; stress; teaching; wellbeing.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of [country name] and received approval from the [Institutional Review Board of university name].

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
ASHF model of student flourishing. The Art and Science of Human Flourishing course addresses 15 qualities of flourishing in five general dimensions.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
ASHF theory of change model. The Art and Science of Human Flourishing course is composed of multiple experiential and academic learning opportunities, which are theorized to lead to several proximal and distal outcomes.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Overall average percentage of ASHF class time spent using various pedagogical techniques across three institutions. Overall, the three universities in the study tended to use different pedagogies in the ASHF course: Institutions 1 and 2 most heavily relied on class activities and Institution 3 utilized lecture the most. Note: “Other” category includes announcements, reflection, Q&A, and multimedia use.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Week-by-week average percentage of ASHF class time spent using various pedagogical techniques by institution. A week-by-week look at average ASHF class time spent reveals that Institution 1 tended to use different pedagogies the most during different weeks in the semester, Institution 2 (particularly toward the end of the semester) used in-class activities the most, and Institution 3 consistently lectured the most. Note: Time diary data at Institution 3 was missing for week 13 “Aesthetics,” and week 15 “Community.”
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Week-by-week average percentage of class time spent doing contemplative practices outside of class across three institutions. Overall, students at Institution 2 spent the greatest average amount of time doing their contemplative exercises outside of class, and their average practice hours gradually increased over the span of the semester. Institutions 1 and 3 showed declines in average practice hours, especially Institution 3, toward the end of the semester. Note: Practice log data at Institution 1 was missing for week 5 “Attention/Focus” and week 11 “Identity.” Additionally, practice log data at Institution 2 was missing for week 10 “Diversity” and week 13 “Aesthetics.”
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