Education

These units will be led by Prof. Craig Hassed and Dr Richard Chambers and will have input from many of Australia's and the world's leaders in philosophy, mindfulness, contemplative neuroscience and human flourishing.

Core units

Mindfulness embedded in core curriculum.

In partnership with Campus Community Division and several Monash Faculties, Monash University and M3CS offers mindfulness training as an integrated part of numerous units. Each year, more than 5,000 students take these units.

This includes: Medicine, Biomedical Science, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Dietetics, Education, Pharmacy, Psychology, Emergency Medicine, Business & Economics, Law, MADA, Performing Arts, Engineering, Chemical Engineering.

Check your units to see if they include some of M3CS’s offerings.

Undergraduate elective units

These units will be led by Prof. Craig Hassed and Dr Richard Chambers and will have input from many of Australia's and the world's leaders in philosophy, mindfulness, contemplative neuroscience and human flourishing.

ATS2267 / ATS3327 – True happiness: The art, practice and science of human flourishing

• Delivered on-campus
• 6 credit points
• Offered in Semester 1 2023

This course will be led by Prof. Craig Hassed and Dr Richard Chambers and will have input from many of Australia's and the world's leaders in mindfulness, neuroscience and human flourishing.

The modern, fast-paced, technologically advanced and increasingly secular world comes with many exciting opportunities but also many challenges including distraction, stress, poor mental health, social isolation, addiction, conflict and a lack of meaning in life. These challenges can leave us less fulfilled, with reduced wellbeing and quality of life, and at a greater risk of mental health problems.

In parallel with these challenges has been a widespread rediscovery of insights drawn from ancient wisdom traditions and the various contemplative practices embedded within them. Presented in a secular, evidence based way, these practices are increasingly being adapted to meet the challenges faced by the modern world, and to foster individual and collective flourishing. Our formative years tend to give rise to many large and important questions along with a desire for self-inquiry, self-knowledge and fulfilment. A supportive environment, input from wisdom traditions and the modern science and application of contemplative practices can help to facilitate a deeper exploration of these questions.

To help facilitate this inquiry, this unit will take a deep learning approach that is not merely theoretical but is deeply experiential, reflective and personally transformative. This on-campus elective unit will explore the science and practice of contemplative practices and how they can contribute to authentic and sustainable happiness and human flourishing even in the face of adversity.

ATS2266 / ATS3326 – Living a meaningful life: The history, philosophy and practice of a contemplative life

• Delivered on-campus
• 6 credit points
• Offered in Semester 2 2023

This unit will be informative, experiential and reflective. We will explore important questions relating to understanding ourselves, our connection with others and the Universe, and what is a value-driven, meaningful and fulfilling life from the perspectives of various wisdom traditions. Through such knowledge and by direct experience we will explore how those traditions have used contemplative practices to gain deep and direct insights into such important questions. Each week there will be core questions to focus inquiry including:

• What is wisdom?
• What is the purpose of life?
• Who (or what) are we?
• What values should we base our life or behaviour on?
• What is true happiness and how do we find it?
• How should we relate to each other (and why)?
• What is our place in the Universe?
• How do contemplative practices deepen our relationships with ourselves, each other and the Universe?

These questions will be explored not just theoretically but also experientially.

APG5136: Mindfulness for workplace wellbeing and productivity

• Delivered online over 12 weeks
• 6 credit points

This unit will introduce the theory and practice of mindfulness, allowing students to engage in individual practice for both personal and professional benefit through improved wellbeing, productivity and effectiveness. Students will explore mindfulness for teams and organisational culture, and the benefits of mindfulness will be examined in a variety of professional contexts.

Student interaction with the unit facilitators, and with each other, will be through asynchronous, text-based discussion forums. The expected workload of 20 hours per week will be spread between engaging with course content (videos, practical exercises and readings), participating in online discussions, and working on assignments. Students will have one additional week to complete and submit their final report. For a regular semester offering, the expected workload is the standard 12 hours per week.

On successful completion of this unit, you should be able to:

• Explain mindfulness and its history, origins, and applications in professional settings and formats.
• Critically evaluate key research linking mindfulness with workplace wellbeing, productivity and organisational effectiveness.
• Develop and apply individual mindfulness practices to personal and professional contexts.
• Apply mindfulness skills to cultivate teamwork, leadership, effective workplace practices and culture.
• Consider existing organisational adoption of mindfulness interventions and communicate the principles, practices and applications of workplace-based mindfulness.

M3CS is creating a range of professional development programs. These are aimed at industry, businesses, corporations, community organisations, educational institutions, and government.

We offer bespoke, scalable digital trainings for your organisation, addressing your unique concerns, backed by cutting edge science and led by experts from the Monash Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies (M3CS). We offer the following courses:

• Compassion Training for Health Care Workers
• Compassion Training for Educators
• Maintaining a Mindful Life
• Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance
• Mindful Critical Thinking
• Neurons of Potential Meditation Program

M3CS also offers consultancies and packages on Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance. We work with partner organisations across government, industry, education and community sectors to provide bespoke products designed for your organisation's specific needs – visit our Training for Humanity website for further details or please contact us if your organisation is interested.

Please contact us if you or your organisation would like to know more about these programs.

Monash University offers two free online courses, designed and delivered, with the support of Monash University Campus Community Division, by M3CS’s Richard Chambers and Craig Hassed:

• Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance. Learn mindfulness techniques to reduce stress and improve your wellbeing and work/study performance in this online course.
• Maintaining a Mindful Life. Learn how to apply mindfulness techniques, so you can improve your communication, relationships and emotional health.

These are among the world's most popular online mindfulness open access courses worldwide, being two of the highest rated online courses of all time by leading course aggregator Class Central. Together these courses have attracted more than 450,000 enrolments since the first course was offered in 2015.

These courses can be designed and delivered in a bespoke fashion for individual organisations – please see the Clients page and contact us for further details if your organisation is interested.