Leadership Models And Practices Course: Student Perceptions And Development Of Leadership Skills And Incorporation Of A New Leadership Course
- Conference
- Location
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Austin, Texas
- Publication Date
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June 14, 2009
- Start Date
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June 14, 2009
- End Date
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June 17, 2009
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
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Entrepreneurship Education: Assessment and Integrating Entrepreneurship into the Curriculum
- Tagged Division
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Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation
- Page Count
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23
- Page Numbers
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14.836.1 - 14.836.23
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--4979
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/4979
- Download Count
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876
Paper Authors
Andrew Gerhart Lawrence Technological University
Andrew Gerhart is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Lawrence Technological University. He is actively involved in ASEE, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Engineering Society of Detroit. He serves as Faculty Advisor for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Student Chapter at LTU, and serves as chair for the LTU Leadership Curriculum Committee.
Melissa Grunow Lawrence Technological University
Melissa Grunow is the Coordinator for the Leadership Curriculum at Lawrence Technological University and is an instructor in the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Communications. She has ten years of experience working with student organizations and teaching undergraduates, including identifying needs and developing new initiatives and curricular and co-curricular programs. Her research interests include activist pedagogies and empowering students through creative teaching methods.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
Leadership Models and Practices Course – Student Perceptions and Development of Leadership Skills and Incorporation of a New Leadership Course
Abstract
As one part of a larger required leadership curriculum, a new course covering leadership models and practices was developed and administered. The course addresses many of the aspects of the entrepreneurial mindset including communication, teamwork, leadership, ethics and ethical decision-making, opportunity recognition, persistence, creativity, innovation, creative problem solving, and critical thinking. Through in-class activities and games, as well as assigned collaborative work, the course explores the various theories on leadership including relational, shared, global, and organizational models. Along with these models, integrity, character, diversity, entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, and sustainable change are studied. In addition, each student began development of his/her own leadership philosophy through various projects and personal reflection assignments. Team work is emphasized and all students’ leadership skills are both self-assessed and assessed by each team member.
Near the beginning of the course, the students were surveyed on their general perceptions of leadership skills including problem solving, teamwork, self-confidence, group management, ethics, organization, social awareness, and confidence. After the course, the same survey was administered. A comparison of the pre and post-course surveys yields some shift in perceptions. The students were also surveyed pre and post-course on their motivation for being a leader. Again, comparison yields a shift in perception. Upon completion of the course, the students completed a course evaluation survey to aid the course developer in determining if the course is meeting the university’s leadership education goals. In addition, the students completed a peer assessment of leadership skills and characteristics near the beginning and at the conclusion of the course. The peer assessment yields some shifts in leadership development. Finally, as a final assessment at the conclusion of the final team course project, the students completed a peer performance evaluation, and the results are reported.
1. Introduction
Entrepreneurship Lawrence Technological University (LTU) has offered students entrepreneurial education programs for many years. Recognizing that graduates entering industry will require business and entrepreneurial skills, the College of Engineering developed an entrepreneurial certificate program and founded the Lear Entrepreneurial Center (LEC). The entrepreneurial certificate program develops student skills in communication and business components in the engineering profession and includes a multi-disciplinary capstone design experience for which teams are eligible for student venture grants administered by the institution. Several multi-year grants have strengthened the program with workshops, keynote speakers, faculty curriculum awards, student venture grants, and faculty incentives to work with industry sponsored student teams. Specifically, the College of Engineering received a grant in 2006 as part of a larger initiative to develop the Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network (KEEN). In 2009, the University
Gerhart, A., & Grunow, M. (2009, June), Leadership Models And Practices Course: Student Perceptions And Development Of Leadership Skills And Incorporation Of A New Leadership Course Paper presented at 2009 Annual Conference & Exposition, Austin, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--4979
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