Course Description & Learning Objectives

The primary objective of this course is to provide a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary to improve each participant’s leadership skills. This 4 week on-line course represents 10 hours of effort for each participant. The Course is organized into 6 – 1 hour segments totaling 6 hours of instruction over 3 weeks. There will be an assessment given at the end of each week that is expected to take the student approximately .5 hours to complete. In the 4th week, and at the conclusion of the presentations, there will a 1.5 hour review session and a final assessment. Each segment is designed using PowerPoint slides accompanied by audio lecture and other web-based instructional materials and exercises. There will be a weekly assessment given at the end of the segment to test the participant’s understanding of the materials presented .

Each segment is closely tied to the academic literature in the areas of Leadership, Organizations, Leadership in Organizations, Strategic Leadership, and Ethics. Participants may, at any time, complete self-directed research and reading in these topics, in addition to the lectures, as a way to enhance the learning experience.

The instructor encourages participants to assemble in informal virtual teams to share the application of the course materials to current issues and challenges in their workplaces and submit questions to the instructor using the web-based Message Board for this class. I will do my best to provide responses to questions in a timely and comprehensive manner. We will cover the areas of: Leadership Theory, Leading Teams, Executive Leadership, and Ethics. Student learning will be evaluated through the weekly assessments and the final exam.

Course Outline

1. INTRODUCTION: LEADERSHIP DEFINED
2. LEADERSHIP STYLES
3. CONTINGENCY THEORIES OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
1. TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP
2. PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP
4. EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
1. TEAM LEADERSHIP
5. LEADERSHIP SKILLS
6. ETHICS AND LEADERSHIP

Course Assessments

This course is graded using a “Pass/Fail” format.

Weekly assessments will be given at the completion of each week’s on-line class (e.g., lectures, slides, and other materials). The purpose for the assessments is to determine if the student has sufficient command of the materials and met the learning objectives. In the event the student does not pass any of the weekly assessments, he/she will have an opportunity to review the material and re-take the assessment until a passing grade is achieved.

Week 4 is designed to provide a review of all the materials from the previous 3 weeks. The review session will utilize an audio-video presentation connecting the theory, instruction and the learning objectives to the questions posed by participants. Upon completion of the review session, a final assessment will be provided.

Course Schedule

Week #	Session	Time (hrs.)	Topic
Week 1	1	1.0	Introduction: Leadership and Effectiveness
	2	1.0	The Nature of Management
	3	1.0	Managerial Traits
		0.5	Assessment
Week 2	4	1.0	Basic Leadership Skills
	5	1.0	Advanced Leadership Skills
	6	1.0	Strategic Leadership
		0.5	Assessment
Week 3	7	1.0	Ethical Leadership
	8	1.0	Culture and Leadership
	9	1.0	Final Thoughts on Leadership
		0.5	Assessment
Week 4	10	1.0	Review and wrap-up
	11	1.0	Final Assessment
Total		12.5