Today’s college students are grappling with questions of meaning and purpose — questions about how to make sense of life and about who they are and want to become — amidst the pressures of college and the increasing uncertainty and complexity of the world. Professors (and graduate students who teach) are uniquely positioned to help students explore how they understand themselves and the world during this pivotal time in their lives. Teaching on Purpose brings doctoral students and faculty together to explore what it means to be a good teacher of undergraduates and to cultivate educational practices that will help their students flourish.

Program

Teaching on Purpose is a one-semester fellowship program for doctoral students, from any discipline, who have a heart for teaching undergraduates. Through a rich set of readings, weekly conversations, and practical and reflective assignments, Teaching on Purpose Fellows cultivate a clearer and deeper purpose as aspiring teachers who soon will be (and maybe already are) playing a vital role in the flourishing of undergraduates. They also develop confidence in the value of their teaching and research, ideas for courses, and teaching skills that make them more competitive on the job market.

This fellowship program is a unique opportunity to

• be part of a dynamic, cross-disciplinary learning community of graduate students who care about teaching
• explore questions and ideas rarely discussed but fundamental to teaching in higher education
• practice pedagogical approaches that cultivate curiosity and make learning meaningful
• learn how to create compelling disciplinary and interdisciplinary courses that engage a broad range of students; and
• gain insight from faculty across disciplines on teaching and other professional matters.

The questions we’ll explore are central to cultivating one’s own sense of meaning and purpose as an educator of undergraduates: What’s the purpose of college? What’s the value of our disciplines? What are the challenges today’s college students face, and how can our teaching help them flourish not only as students but as human beings? What is our responsibility in responding to students’ mental health challenges? What kind of teacher-student relationship, classroom environment, and assignments support meaningful learning? What is grading for, and how can we approach assessment to promote genuine learning?

Beyond preparing Fellows to teach undergraduates well, the ideas and skills Teaching on Purpose emphasizes make Fellows attractive candidates as prospective faculty:

• Fellows are better prepared to teach first-year, general education, introductory, and interdisciplinary courses, for which many institutions are seeking faculty
• Fellows gain practice in communicating with those outside their departments what their discipline and research are about and why they matter, which is necessary during the interview process at smaller institutions
• Fellows have a better understanding of students’ nonacademic needs and how to respond to them, which has increasingly become part of the role of faculty

Teaching on Purpose will benefit any doctoral student who cares about teaching, regardless of discipline or teaching experience. If you have taught previously, you’ll be able to reflect on your experience in concrete ways and gain a deeper and broader understanding of your practices. If you are currently teaching, you’ll have the opportunity to discuss some of the challenges you are encountering and immediately try out some new classroom practices. If you don’t have experience yet, you can develop a foundation for your teaching practice that will enable you to be intentional in your role as an educator.

NOTE: Fellows can also earn course credit for ETHICS 890S, which counts for the Certificate in College Teaching.

Click here to read an article about the program

Commitment

• Weekly 2.5-hour sessions (Thursdays, 12-2:30PM, lunch provided), January 8-April 9 (no session March 12)
• Weekly readings, written reflections, and practical assignments (3-5 hours/week)
• Final dinner on Thursday, April 16, ~5:30-8:30PM (exact time TBD)
• Must be able to attend most sessions, with no more than 2 absences due to prior engagements (prior notification required).

Eligibility

• Discipline: Ph.D. student in any discipline taught at the undergraduate level (at Duke or other institutions)
• Status: Must have passed preliminary exams
• No conflicts with other funding: Participation in this program must not conflict with policies of departmental or external funding sources.
• Approval of DGS: Applicants must confirm at the time of application that their DGS is aware that they are applying. The Purpose Project team will reach out to the DGSs of selected applicants to confirm approval of participation

Award

• Fellows will receive a $1000 fellowship award upon completion of the program and its requirements.

Apply

Applications for spring 2026 are due Wednesday, November 19, 2025. Please review eligibility requirements and commitment before applying.

Faculty are also invited to nominate graduate students from their departments whom they believe are excellent candidates for this fellowship. To do so, please email Katherine Jo at katherine.jo@duke.edu.

Applications requirements include:

• Responses to four short-answer questions, two recorded on video, two written.
• Brief written reference from faculty member or other professional familiar with your commitment to and experience with (if applicable) teaching.

Please complete the application at the link below and have your reference submit their recommendation according to the prompt within the form by Wednesday, November 19, 2025.

Apply Now

Contact

If you have questions about the program, contact Katherine Jo at katherine.jo@duke.edu.

Katherine Jo is the Director of Program Development and Design for The Purpose Project. In this role, she develops courses, programs, and pedagogy that engage students in questions of meaning, purpose, and character. Her undergraduate courses include “Education and (Un)happiness: The Promises and Risks of Elite Higher Education” and “What should I do with my life? The Art of Choosing Well.” In addition to teaching undergraduate courses, she leads programming for graduate and professional school students, including Teaching on Purpose, which prepares doctoral students for their future roles as educators, and is an instructor in the Program in Education. She also leads workshops for faculty at and outside of Duke on teaching in ethically formative ways.

Katherine serves on the Advisory Board of The Project on the Good Surgeon at Duke Medical School and has served on the Project Leadership Team of Yale University’s Life Worth Living Network. Her scholarly interests include philosophies of liberal learning, the place of leisure in education, and faculty vocational identity. She has previously worked in career development, undergraduate advising, and faculty development. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from Harvard University, an M.A. in Philosophy of Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Teaching on Purpose was the most helpful and engaging professional development program I have ever participated in. I particularly enjoyed the variety of speakers and structure, as well as the dialogue with and the insight gained from those in other disciplines. In addition to the brainstorming that came about from discussions, I learned tangible strategies to implement in the classroom. ~ Adam Soliman, Economics

Teaching on Purpose fundamentally changed my approach to college teaching, and I would highly recommend it to any graduate student that is thinking about teaching. From discussing the big questions (e.g. What is the purpose of college?) to implementing practical strategies (e.g. What should you do as an instructor in the first five minutes of the first day of class), Teaching on Purpose prepares you to create an inclusive and engaging classroom environment. ~ Claire Rostov, Religion

The Teaching on Purpose meetings were my favorite of the entire week. Every week I left feeling elevated, with food for thought — and I know for a fact that I wasn’t the only one. The program will connect to your personal journey in higher education. You’ll receive feedback tailored to your curricular design and reflect on how your own educational experiences have influenced how you teach and what you value as an instructor. Lessons that reach you personally are the most valuable. Teaching on Purpose achieves exactly that. ~ Sinja Küppers, Classics

Teaching on Purpose shows how teaching is more than clear syllabi and engaging homework. It allowed me to engage with peers and faculty from a wide range of disciplines and wrestle with questions often left unaddressed. (Should a teacher seek to be a student’s friend? Counselor? Coach? All of the above?). When I started working as a lecturer of mechanical engineering, what I learned from Teaching on Purpose helped me navigate the transition from grad school to faculty life. ~ Richard Hall, Mechanical Engineering

I’d recommend Teaching on Purpose to any graduate student who is considering teaching, regardless of discipline and where they think they’ll end up. The activities, discussions with guests, and reflections expanded my teaching and mentoring skills, and helped develop my teaching philosophy. As a result of participating in the program, I see myself as a more well-rounded educator. Teaching is not just something I do and love, but one of the many expressions of my aims for undergraduate students’ academic, civic, and personal growth. ~ Fernanda Andrade, Psychology and Neuroscience