Over 300 attendees joined us for three days of inspiring presentations and engaging discussions at the 2024 Emerging Pedagogies Summit, which explored the theme of Designing and Scaling Transformative Learning For All. Through their work with lifelong learners, LILE staff regularly engage with both the challenges and opportunities these emerging pedagogies present. In this series of Summit reflections, they share with you their major takeaways from each session.
As the last keynote speaker for the Emerging Pedagogies Summit, Vic Strecher from the University of Michigan School of Public Health gave an incredibly motivating presentation on the importance of having and recognizing purpose in one’s life. You can watch it below:
Stretcher used several compelling examples and quantitative research to demonstrate how having a sense of purpose improves our quality of life, including physical health, income, and mental health. One example he gave which especially struck me was about the British Armed Forces having trouble recruiting young people. Their advertising to that point was always transactionally focused, but they reimagined their campaign based on what drives the current generation – they recognized young people’s need for a bigger sense of purpose and the need to do something meaningful. This new purpose-focused ad campaign was highly successful. This is very applicable to my team’s work in designing online learning experiences with faculty for a diverse spectrum of learners. To truly engage and attract learners, we need to focus on how a course can help learners gain skills and competencies that allow the learner to succeed at their meaningful and larger sense of purpose.
As an organization, Learning Innovation and Lifetime Education (LILE) has a core purpose and commitment to expand access to Duke learning opportunities through a variety of inclusive pathways for all types of learners. As my team discusses difficult and challenging questions and opportunities, it is important for us to focus on what our larger organizational purpose is and allow that to guide our decision-making. Personally, I am also excited to discuss with my family what each member views as their purpose and how we can support each other in striving towards them.