Triggering motivation and autonomy in students

Teaching motivated students is so much more satisfying. It can even save you preparation time if students come prepared and bring their own ideas to class. If such students sound illusory to you, this course will make you think again.

Course details

In this course you will learn some of the tips and tricks from positive psychology to help you trigger student motivation and autonomous learning behaviours. 

Self-Determination Theory (SDT, Richard Ryan and Edward Deci) explores the relation between motivation and our well-being.

This course looks at various educational settings and takes a pragmatic approach translating SDT principles into hands-on, applicable ideas that help students take charge of their own learning and increase their motivation and the quality of their work. 

Intended learning outcome

You will learn to:

  • Trigger motivation and autonomy in students
  • Translate Self-Determination Theory principles into hands-on ideas 

Good to know

Target audience UvA teaching staff
Language English
Trainer Erjo Beitler (TLC Central)
Participants Minimum of 8, maximum of 20 participants
Location At one of our UvA locations (see Registration).
Dates
  • Tuesday 3 March 2026 (1:30PM – 4:30PM)
Organised by TLC Central

Registration

The course is funded from central funds. Signing up is not non-committal, we will count on your participation.

  • Registration buttons for employees with an @UvA.nl email address:

  • For AUC, ACTA or FdG (AMC) employees: send an email with your name, faculty and date for which you want to register to tlc-centraal@uva.nl

 
After registering, you will receive an automated invitation for your Outlook calendar. If there are multiple dates, you’ll get a separate invitation for each (please don’t forget to accept). If the location is not yet known at that time, an update will follow later.

A proof of participation is available upon request. Please send an email to tlc-centraal@uva.nl after the course.

More Information?