Students enter their university experience seeking the academic credentials that will bring into focus an idealized direction for their professional lives. They also seek the variety of experiences that have come to symbolize higher education in the United States and the opportunity to learn and grow as individuals. At TCU, we work to ensure that they depart our campus as educated citizens and leaders.

As mentors, teachers, supporters and those who will enhance accountability, we must impart and develop those skills that will assist students’ success upon graduation. Since our founding in 1993, the TCU Leadership Center works to ensure that all students have the opportunity to develop skills to assist them in becoming campus and community leaders. We share with students that leadership skills are life skills. Whether managing others in a workplace, leading a community-building effort or in a meaningful relationship – there are many skills that will enhance their ability to succeed. These include conflict management, effective communication, problem solving, and goal setting/attainment.

We know from our students’ participation in the annual CIRP Survey that they believe they are already competent leaders, and more than half believe leadership in a community context is an important trait. The TCU Leadership Center provides seminars, workshops, retreats, programs and coaching to support individual development. We have learned from student participation and self reporting that they are also seeking opportunities to enhance their leadership learning and practice within the classroom. During the 2012-2013 academic year, a survey of nearly 1,000 undergraduate students reported that their highest leadership interest was in taking academic leadership classes that are related to either a major or minor. Students want to learn about leadership in an academic context. What follows provides some innovative ideas on how you might incorporate leadership learning in your own classroom.

Group Projects

The most popular approach to leadership development within the classroom is through group projects. I often hear frustrations about the challenges of groups, and consistently remind students that most will experience group work in the “real world” – once college has been left behind the challenges and necessity for success in a group setting become much more significant. While reality TV shows such as The Apprentice or Hell’s Kitchen portray group efforts that rarely embrace effective change, there are a number of tactics that might emphasize leadership learning in a classroom:

  • Goal Clarification: How well do groups clarify internally the goal that they are seeking?  What measures are in place to determine their success?Do the goals set by the group meet those of the faculty member or client?
  • Problem Solving: How do groups handle the challenges that are inherent in group work?  What do the members do internally to hold each other accountable?  How do they handle problems that arise before taking the issue to the professor?
  • Divergent Personalities: There are few careers that occur in isolation, and even fewer in which we can choose our coworkers. How do groups address personality clashes or an uncooperative or unpleasant member? How do students reflect on the application of this in other contexts?
  • Accountability: How well do students hold each other accountable and challenge an uninvolved member? Do they share the workload evenly or does one person take on additional responsibilities due to a reluctance to delegate?

Leadership learning can be incorporated into any academic curriculum. While group projects are the most common approach, there are additional great opportunities to enhance the learning of your students. Potential areas to consider include:

  • Reflection: Decades of research on experiential learning have proven that doing is an important aspect of learning and learning is most effective with active reflection (i.e. group or class discussion, papers or journals).
  • Clarifying Expectations: Discussing expectations of the class, project or assignment and involving all parties initially allows for easier follow-through and a baseline to discuss accountability.
  • Explicit Learning Outcomes: As educators we create learning outcomes to determine and measure success, and students might utilize this approach as well.
  • Self-Analysis: The first step to leadership is understanding one’s self.  Many projects provide opportunities for students to evaluate themselves from a leadership perspective and consider areas for further development.
  • Guest Speakers: As speakers tend to permeate the academic landscape, opportunities abound for interaction using an additional lens of leadership –asking about personal growth, leadership style, group experiences and goal attainment.

While any class does have a specific focus, there are opportunities in any discipline to work toward TCU’s mission of developing leaders.

Carol Clyde

This article was written by Carol Clyde, TCU Leadership Center, for the Fall 2013 Issue of Insights Magazine.