The Origins of INDS-1081
My journey teaching wellness began unexpectedly when I was a newly hired faculty member at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario, Canada. I was initially brought on to teach biology and human anatomy, given my background in health sciences. Not long after I started, my manager asked if I would be interested in teaching a newer course called “Personal Wellness” (INDS-1081). It debuted the previous semester, and she needed someone to take over immediately. She figured my health and fitness experience would make me a good fit. After all, wellness is basically just exercising and healthy eating, isn’t it? How hard could it be? Though I was not entirely sure what I was getting myself into, I was a young professor eager to prove myself. So, I jumped at the opportunity.
I quickly realized I had a monumental task ahead of me. If a well-designed course is like a functioning human body (i.e., structured, organized, and purposeful), then I was staring at a heap of unassembled bones, tissue, and unidentifiable fragments scattered all over the ground. Some pieces fit; others clearly did not. I had to sift through the mess, find the pieces that mattered, and begin assembling a structure that at least somewhat resembled a course designed to teach students about personal wellness.
It was not easy. Over the following weeks, I spent countless hours stripping away ‘fluff’, reorganizing material, and rebuilding a course that better reflected the essence of wellness. I also spent time reading up on several concepts that I was unfamiliar with – more on that later. By the time the semester began, the course was somewhat coherent, readable (at least to me), and more aligned with what you would expect from a college-level curriculum.
INDS-1081 has since undergone several revisions with the goal of providing students with a memorable learning experience using the most relevant, accurate, and interesting content possible. At Fanshawe, the course has grown from one section (50 students) per term, to over eight sections (400+ students) per term; that works out to over 1000 students taking the course yearly. There are also six other faculty members at Fanshawe who teach the course alongside me.
When presented the right way and received with an open mind, personal wellness is interesting, engaging, and transformative. Seeing students apply what they have learned to improve their well-being, and approach life with greater balance and resilience, has been incredibly rewarding. This experience has deepened my passion for promoting wellness education and reaffirmed my belief in the power of intentional, well-designed learning to inspire lasting personal growth.
