Connecting Life and Learning: Teaching to the Whole Person

The Engelhard Project is Georgetown’s contribution to the national Bringing Theory to Practice Project (BTtoP), an initiative funded by the Charles Engelhard Foundation in partnership with the American Association of Colleges & Universities. BTtoP supports campus-based initiatives that demonstrate how uses of engaged forms of learning, actively involving students both within and beyond the classroom, directly contribute to students’ cognitive, emotional, and civic development.  At Georgetown, the Engelhard Project takes the form of curriculum infusion—the introduction of wellness topics into the academic content of the course.  In addition, fitting with Georgetown’s focus on social justice, some courses extend these discussions and reflections into work in local communities. 

Four years of assessment led by CNDLS and CSJ staff and faculty member Joan Riley tell us that Engelhard courses are rewarding and fulfilling for students and faculty alike. Keys to this success are meaningful relationships built between students and faculty, the intellectual seriousness with which health and wellness issues are addressed inside the classroom, and the dedication of campus health professionals who carefully prepare for and conduct discussions on sensitive topics within the classrooms.

Georgetown Faculty from Anthropology, Biology, Business, English, Mathematics, Nursing and Health Studies, Philosophy, Psychology, SFS, Theatre and Theology have participated in this project as Engelhard Fellows.  They report that teaching in this manner has been one of their most rewarding teaching experiences, and note the positive influence these types of pedagogies have on the quality of student work. CNDLS is proud to be a leader on this project in terms of faculty recruitment and development and assessment of the project’s goals.

To see featured faculty and courses or find out how to join the project, visit http://cndls.georgetown.edu/engelhard/.