Leadership and Professional Practice Course Descriptions
LEAD 7000 - Learning and Leadership: Induction and Integration
(1) Credit Hour
The purpose of this course is to provide participants with an overview of the theoretical foundations for the LEAD Doctoral Programs, including expectations for competency. Additionally, participants will explore program core competencies and application of program theoretical constructs to participants’ professional practice.
LEAD 7050 - Leadership: Learning and Professional Practice
(3) Credit Hours
This course focuses on leadership and learning theories and their connections to professional practice. Course activities provide an overview of contemporary and traditional views of human learning and cognition as well as leadership process and practice. After examining definitions and feature of theoretical models, participants will demonstrate application to their instructional practice.
LEAD 7060 - Inquiry and Research
(2) Credit Hours
Provides an overview into methodologies and practices both quantitative and qualitative in nature. Applies techniques and processes used in addressing a significant issue for a group with which the participant is affiliated. Emphasis is on self-understanding in the context of research and the appropriate use of various research methodologies. Participants conceptualize their own research design as well as become more knowledgeable consumers of extant literature.
LEAD 7070 - Effective Professional Presentations
(1) Credit Hour
This course focuses on the preparation, development, and delivery of effective professional presentations. Course activities include analysis of the audience to receive a presentation, development and design of appropriate effective presentations applying current design techniques, and delivery of presentations.
LEAD 7410 - Learning Outcomes: Alignment and Analysis
(3) Credit Hours
This course focuses on alignment of learning outcomes with all program/course related materials, activities, and assessments. Course activities provide detailed analysis of learning outcome strategies including backward design, curriculum mapping, and other alignment practices and processes. After examining best practices and related research, participants will demonstrate application to their professional/instructional practice.
LEAD 7380 - Statistics and Data Analysis
(3) Credit Hours
This course will focus on the use of statistics (descriptive and inferential), research design, and data analysis, including specific software application, for data-informed decision-making.
LEAD 7375 - Qualitative Design and Application
(3) Credit Hours
In this course, participants will be introduced to the various methodologies for structuring, collecting, and analyzing qualitative data utilizing qualitative techniques and software for demonstrable outcomes. Participants will examine qualitative designs, including mixed method approaches and the best practices for organizing and reporting diverse sources of data by addressing different types of research questions. Utilizing data-informed decision-making through action-based research, participants will capitalize on their professional practice through the utility of complex data and designs and will report outcomes and findings.
LEAD 7560 - Leadership: Accountability in Practice
(3) Credit Hours
The course focuses on leadership accountability related to professional practice, examining the process from a theoretical and applied perspective. Course activities will require comparing and contrasting organizational efficacy and leadership performance modeling to create an ethical and transparent process. Trust and its relationship to concepts of authenticity, integrity and accountability will be explored.
LEAD 7640 - Program Evaluation: Outcomes
(3) Credit Hours
In this course, participants will develop a detailed hypothetical outcome evaluation plan for an anticipated or ongoing work-embedded activity within the student’s current professional practice. The outcome evaluation plan will be based upon and follow a recognized model of program evaluation and must provide clear evidence of adhering to recognized program standards of utility, feasibility, propriety and accuracy. The course is product-oriented and plan development will be closely mentored by the course instructor(s). An opportunity will be provided for the review of comments by experts on externally developed evaluations.
LEAD 7465 - Comprehensive Assessment Preparation
(3) Credit Hours
This course is typically taken during the last semester of coursework and is designed to use the virtual classroom exclusively. This course provides participants with the opportunity to explore and engage in reflective practice and critical reflection relative to learning, leadership, and professional/instructional practice. The competencies used as the foundation of the doctoral program for Leadership and Professional Practice will be used as reference points. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their own experience and practice utilizing the course, the theoretical literature, peer input, and their own formal reflections as resources. The course is an exploration of the meaning and application of critical reflection and critical thinking to our experiences as active participants in the learning, leadership, and instructional practice process.
LEAD 7750r - Pre-Research Project of Practice Seminar
(5) Credit Hours
This seminar prepares participants to identify a measurement evaluation problem appropriate for the Research Project of Practice. The Research Project of Practice Seminar serves as the final project for the participant, who will develop a measurement and evaluation plan and scope that identify the evaluation problem as informed by peer-reviewed literature, methods for measuring and addressing the problem, and potential outcomes of programmatic interventions. These interventions can serve as a change or restructuring of process, culture, or perception in pursuit of measuring outcomes or change in actionable programmatic research.
LEAD 7899r - Research Project of Practice
(3-6) Credit Hours
The Research Project of Practice provides an opportunity to showcase the ability to (1) identify a current measurable learning program, (2) describe and relate that program to an extant knowledge base and (3) effectively evaluate the active program within the professional workplace. Identification of the learning program and agreement to perform evaluation must include approval by the cooperating agency. Description of the program will require a rigorous review of the literature regarding conceptual models underlying the program and, where possible, the identification of empirical outcomes of similar, previously implemented, learning programs. Effective measurement and evaluation of the program will first require the construction of an approved measurement and evaluation plan followed by a thorough implementation and completion of the plan. Final activities will include a formal presentation/defense of the Research Project of Practice to a committee.