Exploring Instructional Strategies in Student Leadership Development Programming

Abstract

The author explored 24 commonly used instructional strategies in student leadership development programming recently profiled in the leadership education literature. Through a national web‐based survey, this study asked leadership educators teaching classroom‐based academic credit‐bearing undergraduate leadership studies courses how often they used certain instructional strategies. Leadership educators showed a preference for discussion‐based pedagogies as well as instructional strategies that promoted conceptual understanding and personal growth. Although the infrequent use of tests and quizzes in leadership education was anticipated, the sparse use of highly experiential skill‐building activities such as simulation, role play, and games was surprising.

Connecting to Experience: High‐Impact Practices for Leadership Development

“…In recent years, the theme of powerful pedagogies for leadership education has taken on new life as educators explore intersections between theories of learning and leadership development. Scholars and practitioners have asked important questions about not only what to teach but also how to teach it in pursuit of best‐practices in leadership education (e.g., Eich, ; International Leadership Association [ILA], ; Jenkins, ; Owen, ). The nexus of how students learn, what educators teach, and what leadership is for has opened new spaces for conversation, scholarship, and professional development.…”

Aligning Instructional Strategies with Learning Outcomes and Leadership Competencies

“…Critical to the work outlined in this chapter is an intentional eye on how to develop expertise in multiple domains (e.g., skill building, conceptual understanding, personal growth). When viewing leadership education through the lens of Conger's () work, Allen and Hartman () and Jenkins (, ) contend that conceptual understanding and personal growth opportunities prevail, and the intentional incorporation of leadership skill building and feedback (based on active experimentation) often lacks depth in the design of the learning. Although leadership skill building is often given a cursory nod, rarely is true skill developed in the context of a learning intervention.…”

“…A review of the literature on the use of instructional strategies in leadership education offers only recent empirical data (see Jenkins, 2012Jenkins, , 2013. Nonetheless, there are several accounts of specific instructional strategies in practice such as reflection (Densten & Gray, 2001;Guthrie & Bertrand Jones, 2012), case study (Atkinson, 2014), service learning (Buschlen & Warner, 2014;Seemiller, 2006;Wagner & Pigza, 2016), selfassessments (Buschlen & Dvorak, 2011), role-play (Jenkins & Cutchens, 2012;Sogurno, 2003), and simulation (Allen, 2008).…”

Community‐Engaged Pedagogy in the Virtual Classroom: Integrating eService‐Learning Into Online Leadership Education

“…The absence of such equivalency presents inherent inequity among traditional and virtual learning experiences. For example, learning outcomes related to group processes and team leadership are commonly featured in leadership studies programs (Jenkins, ). Hansen and Clayton () and Kliewer () suggested virtual community‐engaged pedagogies present an enhanced opportunity for students to explore collaboration and group dynamics, including power and equity.…”