Making Teaching Matter: Student Perspectives on Cultivating Character in Higher Education

The project focuses on the cultivation of civic virtues including civic engagement, discourse across differences, and ethical decision-making as well as intellectual virtues such as curiosity, open-mindedness, and intellectual humility.

We have all mastered the "Yes, and..." conversations in our classrooms. Drew Seidel points out how "Yes, and..." discourse falls short of the deep learning goals we can achieve with our students.

We often teach polarizing issues and want our students to pay attention to nuance and understand different perspectives. Hannah Lipinski offers strategies to facilitate engagement in civil discourse.

Many students from minoritized groups have had unique experiences that shape their character virtues. Amy Tran describes research that can help faculty identify strengths and size up unique ways to promote growth in students who may feel marginalized at a predominantly white institution.

High quality faculty-student relationships drive the development of character virtues. Lily Fowler describes teaching strategies that create connection and whole-person learning.

This resource from Wake Forest University's Educating Character Initiative makes a case for character education and shares the program's conceptual framework.

Despite renewed academic interest in virtue ethics and character education, institutions of higher education have largely neglected the character education of university students. This article seeks to make two contributions to the theory and practice of character education within the university, with a particular focus on postgraduate students.