2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Leadership Capabilities Exploration and Development via an Experiential Leadership Course: A Work in Progress

Presented at Engineering Leadership Development Division (LEAD) Technical Session: Innovative Approaches to Teaching & Developing Engineering Leadership

Objective: This work-in-progress practice paper describes the assessment of learning via an experiential leadership course and supports LEAD’s strategic initiatives “Design” and “Assess.”

Motivation: This research seeks to analyze the leadership development of students enrolled in a self-directed course, Experiential Leadership. Specifically, we are interested in the following questions:
Q1: What leadership capabilities do students choose to explore?
Q2: What self-reported growth do students experience in each capability?
Q3: What factors contribute to that change?
Q4: What lessons do students describe?

Methodology: Each student will create an initial leadership development plan (LDP). The student will review a provided list with descriptions of leadership capabilities and choose three “target” capabilities as their focus for the semester. For each target capability, the student will provide reasoning for their current competence level as described by Bloom’s Taxonomy. The student will create an action plan for developing these capabilities using the SMART goals method (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Reasonable, and Timely/Time-Bound) and will participate in the self-prescribed activities over the course of the semester. At the midpoint and end of the semester, the student will write reflections regarding their actions and progress on each of the three target capabilities. Following submission of the initial LDP and midterm reflection, the student will receiving coaching from the course instructor or other engineering leadership instructors and will revise the LDP as needed. The final reflection will include a self-assessment of the student’s current level for each capability on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Students will be reminded that their course grade is not dependent on their Bloom’s Taxonomy levels or on the direction of progress on the scale, and that regression on the Bloom’s scale does not indicate a regression in their leadership development.

To answer the research questions, the target capabilities chosen will be counted and a frequency analysis performed (Q1). Self-reported growth will be evaluated by the student’s initial and final Bloom’s Taxonomy level (Q2). Factors contributing to the reported change and lessons described by students will be evaluated by thematic analysis of written assignments (Q3, Q4).

Theoretical Frameworks: Leadership identity development theory (Komives et al., 2005, 2006), the Team Leadership Framework (Burke et al., 2006), Functional Leadership (Fleishman et al., 1991), Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom et al., 1956, 1994), and Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) will inform the analysis.

Results: Some results will be ready in time for the draft paper submission deadline. Additional results will be included in the final paper.

Authors

Dr. Kim Graves Wolfinbarger http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-4595-5674 University of Oklahoma [biography]

Kim Graves Wolfinbarger, director of the Jerry Holmes Leadership Program for Engineers and Scientists, designs and delivers leadership development curricula tailored to the needs of collegiate engineering and science students. An assistant professor in the Engineering Pathways Program, she teaches leadership and professional development courses, supports student organizations, manages the engineering leadership certificate program, and provides advice and counsel to Holmes Leadership Associates and their professional mentors. Her research focuses on leadership development and teamwork among engineering and science students. She holds a PhD in industrial & systems engineering, an MS in industrial engineering, and a BBA in marketing, all from OU. She is the 2023-24 chair of ASEE’s Engineering Leadership Development Division.
Dr. Javeed Kittur http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6132-7304 University of Oklahoma [biography]

Dr. Kittur is an Assistant Professor in the Gallogly College of Engineering at The University of Oklahoma. He completed his Ph.D. in Engineering Education Systems and Design program from Arizona State University, 2022. He received a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and a Master’s in Power Systems from India in 2011 and 2014, respectively. He has worked with Tata Consultancy Services as an Assistant Systems Engineer from 2011–2012 in India. He has worked as an Assistant Professor (2014–2018) in the department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, KLE Technological University, India. He is a certified IUCEE International Engineering Educator. He was awarded the ’Ing.Paed.IGIP’ title at ICTIEE, 2018. He is serving as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Engineering Education Transformations (JEET).

He is interested in conducting engineering education research, and his interests include student retention in online and in-person engineering courses/programs, data mining and learning analytics in engineering education, broadening student participation in engineering, faculty preparedness in cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of learning, and faculty experiences in teaching online courses. He has published papers at several engineering education research conferences and journals. Particularly, his work is published in the International Conference on Transformations in Engineering Education (ICTIEE), American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Computer Applications in Engineering Education (CAEE), International Journal of Engineering Education (IJEE), Journal of Engineering Education Transformations (JEET), and IEEE Transactions on Education. He is also serving as a reviewer for a number of conferences and journals focused on engineering education research.

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