Like every other professor, in creating a new course, I work hard to construct a syllabus that fits the goals and objectives I want students to learn. This does not only include session topics but also competencies that I want them to develop. With these intentions in mind, I created a course called “Learning in Motion: Exploring Holistic Learning,” which, at first glance, might look more like a spin class than an experiential learning opportunity designed to develop skills through exploration of the mind-body connection.

Ira Bedzow, executive director of the Emory Purpose Project

“Learning in Motion: Exploring Holistic Learning” seeks to go beyond new developments in problem- or project-based learning to create an experiential, embodied learning environment, where students directly experience the concepts and skills, examine the relationship between physical sensations, emotions, and cognition, and analyze how they can incorporate these concepts and skills into their lives outside the classroom. 

Intentionally incorporating competency development in education is increasingly important for today’s college students, since we can no longer take for granted that they are acquiring the personal and professional skills to navigate today’s challenges, given how their work and social worlds are changing at such a rapid pace. Yet, in creating “Learning in Motion: Exploring Holistic Learning,” I quickly came to appreciate not only that how we teach is as important as what we teach, but also that we can be much more creative in designing courses to meet student interests and needs.

Learning Through Showing and Experiencing, Not Simply Telling

“Learning in Motion” is a one-credit experiential seminar offered through Emory’s physical education program. The course brings together physical activity, philosophical inquiry, psychological research, and reflective conversation. Instead of sitting around a seminar table, students ride stationary bikes while discussing the relationship between mind and body, attention, motivation, habits, resilience, play, friendship, and identity.

Students discuss texts while cycling in "Learning in Motion" course at Emory University. Photo courtesy of Ira Bedzow

Each 50-minute class combines moderate physical activity with guided conversations grounded in short readings. Students start the course considering René Descartes’ distinction between mind and body while becoming increasingly conscious of how difficult it is to separate their own physical sensations from their mental experiences. They then explore theories on the psychology of attention, while noticing how the effort of cycling competes with, or potentially sharpens, their ability to focus. As the course moves into themes of motivation and habit formation, students don’t simply analyze theories about how people in general change their behavior. They reflect on how their own experiences in class affect the rest of their day or week and what they notice about their own motivations to come to class or do other types of activities. The goal is not simply to get students to exercise more or find ways to limit computers in class. It is for students to learn about the dynamics of the mind-body relationship through academic inquiry and firsthand experience. More generally, it is to create opportunities for students to engage with material in ways where they can make it their own. As such, “Learning in Motion” is grounded in self-determination theory, finding creative ways for students to develop autonomy, competence, and relatability to the course—and to each other —which is so important for life-long learning and wellbeing.

The goal is not simply to get students to exercise more or find ways to limit computers in class. It is for students to learn about the dynamics of the mind-body relationship through academic inquiry and firsthand experience.

Origins of the Course

The idea for “Learning in Motion” grew out of conversations with Julia Jarvis, an Emory student who had taken my “Moral Leadership” course. In office hours one day, we spoke about how we feel when trying to work when itching for a run, versus thinking while exercising and how productive we become after a good workout. This conversation became the motivation to develop a course that explored these differences in a way that would align with curricular objectives at the school. With the collaboration of April Flint, who was then the senior director of recreation and wellness at Emory, we created “Learning in Motion,” which could fulfill students’ physical education requirement.

What Students Experienced

On the first day of class, we asked students to introduce themselves (while cycling). Most could not cycle and speak, and many also found it difficult to cycle and listen to other students at the same time. However, as students developed the ability to engage in all aspects of the class—cycling and participating in class discussion—simultaneously, they saw how their minds and bodies changed, and they learned how they could intentionally change their habits to grow in the ways they wanted. 

Student responses in the course evaluation suggest that students recognized and appreciated how the combination of physical activity and reflection created a distinctive learning experience. One student noted that “biking while talking, actively changing habits while talking about them” is an effective educational practice. Another student wrote how they appreciated “good conversations while pushing us harder both mentally and physically.” A third described enjoying “the idea of moving while talking” and learning about “mind, body, and health” while becoming comfortable on a stationary bike.

The quantitative evaluations were also encouraging. Of the 22 students enrolled, 12 completed the end-of-term evaluation. All 12 rated both the course’s organization and the delivery of course content as either effective or very effective. All 12 also rated instructor-student interactions and the support shown for their learning as effective or very effective.

The evaluations provide promising evidence of students’ perceptions, even while, like every course, “Learning in Motion” will continue to undergo continuous quality improvement.

Learning for Purpose, Not Just Performance

“Learning in Motion” is part of a broader educational methodology that is central to my work with the Emory Purpose Project. I believe that purpose education cannot be about giving students their purpose or even encouraging them to find the one thing that they can call their life’s purpose. Rather, it is about helping students develop skills and tools to be more purpose-oriented. Courses and campus life activities can reinforce the idea that academic content and competencies are fodder for self-reflection and the development of life skills.  Even as students’ goals may change over time, they can learn to ask themselves if their goals are internally motivated and if their choices speak to their own values. They can learn to ask themselves if what they want is worth wanting and whether they are making their own path or following someone else’s. To do this, however, purpose-oriented education must understand students’ current motivations and needs, as well as creatively use all aspects of a course, from assigned readings and assessments to style of instruction and classroom environment, as part of the pedagogy. This does not mean abandoning conventional academic expectations. Rather, it means being very intentional, recognizing what and how students learn will inform how they live. Ultimately, “Learning in Motion” is not an argument that every classroom should become a spin class. It is an invitation to consider how students can engage with and find meaning in what they learn.

Ira Bedzow is an associate professor in the practice of organization and management at Emory's Goizueta Business School and the executive director of the Emory Purpose Project.