Autonomy-Supportive Teaching in Higher Education

Using ordinary everyday language, Autonomy Supportive Teaching in Higrher Education: A Practical Guide for College Professors organizes and summarizes the mountain of research that has been conducted using autonomy supportive teaching (AST) in the classroom. Hundreds of books, articles, and presentations have been synthesized into a series of chapters and easy-to-follow workshops. By using this book, interested faculty can begin applying the principles of self-determination theory to their classrooms today.

This resource is divided into three sections: 1) AST in Theory, which summarizes the state of the art of motivation psychology in the classroom; 2) AST in Practice, which provides eight workshops where readers are led through dozens of evidence-based and classroom tested strategies for applying AST to their own classrooms; and 3) AST Results, which explores faculty and student reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of AST as it was applied by a group of faculty at an American university.

This book is for college faculty who are tired of student apathy, disinterest, and confrontation, who are interested in helping their students cultivate inner motivational resources. Autonomous learners are interested in more than getting a good grade or doing as they’re told. These are the motivations that increase need satisfaction, lead to lifelong learning, and support a wide variety of independent learning objectives.