Every pattern you repeat at work, in relationships, under stress — is driven by personality traits you carry, biases you have absorbed, and habits you have built over time.
This course gives you the scientific framework to understand all three: who you are, why you behave the way you do, and what it takes to change your behaviour.
Over seven modules, Dr Sanna Balsari-Palsule, a behavioural scientist, University of Cambridge PhD, and active researcher whose work spans personality change, workplace behaviour, and the science of more meaningful relationships, will guide you through why you behave the way you do, and what it actually takes to shift it.
Using the Big Five personality framework, weekly self-observation challenges, and evidence-based behaviour change tools, you will build a personal picture of your own traits and leave with a plan to work with them.
This is not a course about motivation or mindset. It is about the science of who you are and the practice
of becoming who you want to be as a leader, colleague, partner, or friend.
At the start of this course, you will set a personally meaningful learning goal that you will actively track and refine throughout the course. You will also understand what makes this course distinctive, its integration of live self-observation with behavioural science theory and will identify the habits of mind that will help you get the most out of this learning experience.
What's included
7 videos3 readings1 assignment
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 18 minutes
Welcome Note from Professor Sanna •1 minute
Inspiration Behind This Course•2 minutes
Course Overview•2 minutes
Who Can Take This Course?•1 minute
Module 2 Preview: Who do we think we are?•3 minutes
Module 3 Preview: Our Personality at Work•5 minutes
Module 4 Preview: Goal-Driven Change•3 minutes
3 readings•Total 7 minutes
Course Requirements•4 minutes
Course Assignments & Challenges•2 minutes
Behaviour Log•1 minute
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
List Your Goal•30 minutes
What Are Our Biases?
Module 2•2 hours to complete
Module details
In module two, identify the cognitive biases and social conditioning patterns that have been quietly shaping your decisions. Recognise how your cultural environment has influenced your self-perception and behavioural patterns. Apply the evidence-based 'if-then' technique to rewrite your learning goals into actionable, adaptive strategies and begin using your Behaviour Log to collect real-time observations about your own patterns.
In module three, explore why some people thrive in chaos while others need structure to do their best work. Why does feedback roll off one colleague and devastate another? The answer often lies in personality, not as a label but as a science.
This module introduces you to the Big Five personality traits (OCEAN), the most robust framework in psychological research.
You'll do a self-assessment to see how your traits play out at work and in relationships, and take on a week-long behavioural challenge to experience change firsthand.
Introduction to the Behavioural Challenge This Week•10 minutes
3 assignments•Total 90 minutes
Module 3 Quiz•30 minutes
Describe Yourself Again - Focus on the Big Five Traits •30 minutes
Self-Reflection•30 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
Discussing the week and the challenge taken•10 minutes
Can We Direct Change?
Module 4•2 hours to complete
Module details
In module four, recognise that personality is not fixed and understand the conditions under which directed, intentional change is possible. You've set goals before. Some stuck. Most didn't. The problem usually isn't willpower; it's that we try to change too much, too fast, without understanding how personality actually shifts over time.
This module introduces the concept of balanced volitional change: how to work with your personality rather than against it. You'll also learn how to reframe stress and manage the anxiety that so often derails even the most well-intentioned growth plans.
We're sold the idea of dramatic transformation, the 30-day glow-up, the overnight mindset shift. But real personality change is quieter, slower, and far more sustainable than that.
In module five, you will capture an honest picture of how people actually change, and what the science says about what works. Using evidence-based goal-setting techniques, you'll learn to balance ambition with realism building momentum without burning out.
What's included
2 videos1 reading2 assignments1 discussion prompt
Show info about module content
2 videos•Total 11 minutes
Goal-Based Strategies •6 minutes
Approach-Based Strategies•5 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Optional Reading Material•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 60 minutes
Module 5 Quiz•30 minutes
What are your restorative niches?•30 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
Restorative Niche•10 minutes
Can We Adjust Our Extraversion?
Module 6•1 hour to complete
Module details
In module six, understand how introversion and extraversion shapes communication, collaboration, and leadership. Analyse the strategies people use to adjust their extraversion levels at work.
This module will help you understand how extraversion shapes the way we show up professionally, and how both introverts and extraverts can adapt without losing themselves. You'll take on a behavioural challenge to experiment with adjusting your own levels and discover what feels authentic versus what's just expected of you.
What's included
3 videos1 reading2 assignments1 discussion prompt
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 6 minutes
The Science of Extraversion•2 minutes
The Extravert Advantage•2 minutes
The Power of Ambiversion•2 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Optional Reading List•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 60 minutes
Behavioural Challenge•30 minutes
Opportunity for Self-Reflection•30 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
Share an example•10 minutes
How Do We Keep Growing?
Module 7•1 hour to complete
Module details
The hardest part of any learning experience isn't the learning, it's making it stick once real life kicks back in. This final module is designed to bridge the gap between insight and action.
In your final assignment, you'll revisit the core behavioural science principles from across the course that matter most, reflect on the changes you have observed in yourself over the weeks, and build a personal plan for continuing to apply what you've learned in your work, your relationships, and your sense of self.
Ashoka University’s Liberal Arts and Sciences education enables critical thinking, complex problem solving, effective communication, teamwork, and innovation for impact and change. The Ashoka University education provides students with foundational knowledge and disciplinary depth while encouraging them to find unexplored connections across disciplines, leading to innovative outcomes. The 2250-plus students on campus, drawn from 30 states and over 243 cities in India and 27 other countries, receive a world-class interdisciplinary education through undergraduate and post-graduate programmes led by internationally renowned faculty.
AshokaX is the online learning arm of Ashoka University that delivers high-quality, faculty-led certificate programmes. It blends academic rigour with real-world relevance, offering flexible courses for professionals, graduates, and lifelong learners.
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.