TED: Understanding Happiness is sponsored by Wiley Publishers and represents a collaboration with TED, a nonprofit organization that presents talks about commissioned educational topics. TED: Understanding Happiness specifically presents a series of TEDTalks that address happiness research and explore its place in the field of psychology.
An excerpt from the website: “Teachers and students can use TED: Understanding Happiness to enhance existing curricula in undergraduate education courses. Educators and students will find activities and multimedia resources which link the study of happiness to the real world, plus expanded academic content such as key terms, related journal articles and classic experiments." The material includes an introductory essay, transcripts, summaries, and assignments for each video as well as an overview and summary essay with activities. The videos can be used independently or collectively.
Type of Material:
The material is a presentation of a collection of videos promoted by the TEDTalks website.
Recommended Uses:
• The videos can be used in whole or part to supplement related course material that in many areas within psychology (positive, cognitive, neuropsychology, evolutionary, clinical, marriage and family, emotion, and consumer behavior). The included activities in the summary essay provide many opportunities for further reading or involvement in the area of happiness. Each individual presentation also includes instructor materials with definitions of key terms, assignment questions, and suggestions for further reading.
• The material is recommended for in-class activities (both individual and team), homework assignments, or lecture supplement.
Technical Requirements:
This website is compatible with Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari, and Mozilla Firefox. It requires the viewer to watch a series of YouTube videos. High speed internet is recommended. The module also can be used with the Apple iPad and other tablets.
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Students will be presented with research on happiness from many perspectives. The major goal of the lesson is to give students, professionals and faculty a variety of educational concepts, key terms, journal articles, and classic experiences through established and popular key figures within the field.
The website presents eight (8) specific learning outcomes as follows.
From the website: "TED’s Understanding Happiness will provide learners with a deeper knowledge of:
1. The measurement of happiness (and unhappiness).
2. When and why people feel at their most happy (physiologically and psychologically).
3.The extent to which people are predisposed to be happy.
4.Effective (and ineffective) methods to increase and sustain happiness.
5.How our preferences and beliefs determine happiness.
6.How choice, freedom and embracing diversity influence individual happiness.
7.How national policy and societal changes influence collective happiness.
8.Advances in the theory and applications of positive psychology."
Target Student Population:
The target population includes students in psychology and counseling, as well as courses in social work, education and ethics. The material also can also be used in employment settings for human resource departments to promote positive well-being and encourage happiness exploration.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
While prerequisites are not strictly required, it would be useful to have basic knowledge of psychological concepts and counseling theory.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
• The videos cover different areas of research all related to the topic of happiness. They feature key individuals in the study of happiness and in particular positive psychology, most notably Martin Seligman and Dan Gilbert.
• This site is a great opportunity for anyone interested in psychology and happiness to explore different key figures in the field. The quality of content is current and relevant and can be applied to a variety of settings.
Concerns:
None.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
• Ranging from 15-25 minutes, the videos can easily be shown within a standard class period and still leave time for discussion. The accessibility of the videos also allows the students to watch them on their own and leave the entire class time for discussion. The instructor materials for each video--as well as overall summaries--help the individual user as well as the instructor use the videos effectively.
• The material has very high potential effectiveness for both teaching and learning. It can be integrated into assignments, in-class presentations, and as a supplement to lecture.
Concerns:
None.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
• The material is very easy to use – one need only click on the individual video of interest to begin. Instructor materials as well as overall materials are easily accessible through the main page.
• The ease of the use of the material was clear, and both the videos and summaries/activities were of a high design quality. The TEDTalks series is an engaging and appealing site that provides so much valuable information, both professional and personal.
Creative Commons:
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