Contemplative pedagogy in hybrid and asynchronous online undergraduate aging services/gerontology courses

The rapid aging of the U.S. population has brought with it the challenge of preparing effective leaders in aging services/policy. These leaders need a fresh cognitive and empathic understanding of the complex needs of older adults and those who work with them. With its experiential and integrative approach, contemplative pedagogies are ideally suited for preparing aging services leaders. Contemplative pedagogies help learners interact with course material in ways that deeply engage students, disrupt habitual ways of thinking, and encourage innovative approaches to aging services/policy issues. Given the increasing popularity of hybrid and online courses, contemplative pedagogies could enhance learners' satisfaction with and the quality of learning in these courses. This article provides a description of contemplative pedagogies and embodied cognition research and theory as a theoretical framework for them. The article discusses the ways in that contemplative pedagogies have been incorporated in two undergraduate management of aging services courses. Student responses to the use of contemplative pedagogies and directions for future research are presented.