Emerging Themes in Disciplinary Based Leadership Education

Abstract

This chapter uses the categories of the International Leadership Association's (2009) Guiding Questions (i.e., context, conceptual framework, content, teaching and learning, and outcomes and assessment) to present themes about leadership education among academic disciplines. Recommendations for the development of leadership education in academic disciplines are included.

Leadership identity development in curricular settings

“…Most credit‐bearing leadership courses are found in disciplines like education, business, and agriculture, and in interdisciplinary spaces or schools of leadership (Guthrie et al., 2022). This article briefly reviews additional academic contexts such as schools of engineering, nursing/medical, and military science, with acknowledgment that many other academic contexts are also doing leader and leadership identity development (See Sowcik & Komives, 2020). Leadership educators have developed a plethora of ways to engage students in leadership identity development.…”

Diversity of engineering leadership program design

“…For example, Paul et al (2018) note that "through engineering leadership, individuals and groups implement transformative change and innovation to positively influence technologies, organizations, communities, society, and the world at large" (p. 10). Key distinguishing features of engineering leadership include the technical and contextual nature of the discipline (Sowcik & Komives, 2020) and the applied nature of the engineering leadership curriculum to realize engineered designs in the context of societal systems and sustainability.…”

“…Discipline‐based leadership education to prepare graduates for professional practice is relatively new to higher education in North America (Sowcik & Komives, 2020). While the earliest EL programs were established in the late 1980s, it was not until the early 2000s when they began to appear more prominently across North America (Graham et al., 2009; Macza, 2008; Peterson, et al., 2002).…”

“…Examples include co‐curricular programs, small cohort‐based programs, and the integration of EL modules in team‐based design courses. Professors of practice and those with industry experience tend to be involved in teaching and championing EL programs (Sowcik & Komives, 2020). As growing numbers of faculty, staff, and students appreciate the value of EL, programs have grown in number, expanded their scope, and become more formalized.…”

Who's in the room? Addressing representation in leadership learning research

“…Additionally, we would be remiss if we did not note the high prevalence of white women in leadership educator roles and leadership program participant roles as well and acknowledge the implications of these identities in models utilized, the construction of leadership programs, and research focused on leadership education (Jenkins & Owens, 2016). The location of leadership programs within higher education has also shifted from its roots in agricultural departments and student personnel services to becoming separate entities that are more interdisciplinary and inclusive of other academic fields and student development initiatives (Sowcik & Komives, 2020).…”