Relationships matter: Moving Relationship-Rich Experiences to the Center of Learning and Teaching
Conference Theater
Decades of rigorous research documents the power of relationship-rich learning in higher education. These experiences can occur in many formats and locations, including active learning exercises in a lecture hall, team-based work in a community setting, and mentored research in a laboratory. Relational pedagogies contribute to everything from enhanced disciplinary learning to a clarified sense of purpose, and these positive outcomes have long-term professional, civic, and personal significance for graduates. Yet too often we do not focus our teaching and other work with students on relationship-rich learning experiences. In this interactive session, we will explore the possibility of centering our teaching practices on the power of student-student, faculty-student, and community-student relationships to motivate and deepen learning.
Dr. Peter Felten
Elon University
Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning, Executive Director of the Center for Engaged Learning, and Professor of History
Peter is a Professor of History, Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning, and Executive Director of the Center for Engaged Learning at Elon University. His current research focuses on the influence of human relationships, and on individual and institutional change, in undergraduate education. His books include the co-authored volumes: The Undergraduate Experience: Focusing Institutions on What Matters Most (Jossey-Bass, 2016), Transforming Students: Fulfilling the Promise of Higher Education (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014), Engaging Students as Partners in Learning and Teaching (Jossey-Bass, 2014), Transformative Conversations (Jossey-Bass, 2013), and the co-edited book: Intersectionality in Action (Stylus, 2016). He has served as president of ISSOTL, the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, (2016-2017) and also of the POD Network (2010-2011), the U.S. professional society for educational developers. He is co-editor of the International Journal for Academic Development and a fellow of the Gardner Institute, a U.S. foundation that works to advance equity in higher education.