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LEADERSHIP REFLECTION
Professor:
Dr. Aitken
Office Hours:
In CO 229 or by phone: By Appointment.
Email:
joan.aitken@park.edu
816-584-6785
Course
Description Prerequisite: Completed at least 24 hours in
the MACL program.
Capstone course for the Master of Arts in
Communication and Leadership. Under faculty supervision, the student
may emphasize intercultural communication or some other area of
interest. As part of the reflection process, the student will
analyze, evaluate, and apply learning from the entire MA program in
communication and leadership (3 credits)
IMPORTANT: If
you start the thesis or project and receive credit, you canNOT
switch to the reflection. The
reflection does NOT count as an elective course. For the
reflection, you take an additional 3-hour elective course, then the
2-hour reflection course to replace the project or thesis option.
What Is
Needed in "Reflection?"
Reflections
The only
difference between a standard essay and a reflection is that you
need to synthesize and evaluate your own experience within the
context discussed in the essay.
Reflectivity is the idea that to learn, an individual must consider
his or her beliefs and forms of knowledge before putting new
knowledge into practice (Dewey, 1933). In this assignment, you will
reflect on previous knowledge and new learning as a way of applying
knowledge in communication or leadership practices. Consider
this metaphor by Schon (1987):
"There is a high, hard ground overlooking a swamp. On the high
ground, manageable problems lend themselves to solution through the
application of research-based theory and technique. In the swampy
lowland, messy confusing problems defy technical solutions. The
irony of this situation is that the problems of the high ground tend
to be relatively unimportant to individuals or society at large,
however great their technical interest may be, while in the swamp
lie the problems of greatest human concern" (p. 3).
Photo from Microsoft Clipart
References
Dewey, J. (1933) How we think. Boston: D. C. Heath.
Schon, D, (1987).
Educating the reflective practitioner: Toward a new design for
teaching and learning in the professions. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
.
Instructor's Educational Philosophy
I believe in mastery learning to
achieve competence in the course content. Competence includes
a demonstration of exemplary communication and leadership.
Core
Learning Outcomes
As a result of taking this
course the student should be able to
1.
Compare personal strengths and needs to the Kouzes and Posner model
of exemplary leadership.
2. Apply new learning and perspectives to
the problem-solving process.
3. Evaluate research-based information and
theories as a way of becoming an exemplary leader.
4.
Explain communication styles and
values of different cultures and how these factors influence
communication and leadership in a global environment.
5.
Synthesize
program learning by combining theoretical knowledge and practical
skills to develop effective strategies for resolving organizational
issues and improving decision-making in that context.
6.
Synthesize beliefs
and forms of knowledge as a way of putting new knowledge into
practice.
7.
Describe your framework for
ethical communication and leadership conduct in contemporary
organizations, which may operate in a global context.
If you are Dr. Aitken's student, you will write
seven essays using correct formal writing style. The topics of the
seven essays are below. You will need to attach at least one
document from at least one of the courses listed. In addition, you
can add documents from elective courses not listed below.
1. Reflect on your peception of the centrality of communication in
all aspects of personal and organizational life.
Document your learning by attaching at least one piece of work
selected from the following:
CA 501: Human Communication Perspectives
CA 504: Special Topics in Communication and Leadership
CA 505: Organizational Leadership
CA 510: Rhetorical Criticism
CA 529: Cross-Cultural Communication
CA 699: The Epistemology of Communication
2. Reflect on your ability to read and conduct research and apply
the principles to their own organizations.
Document your learning by attaching at least one piece of work
selected from the following:
CA 516: Qualitative Methods of Communication Research
CA 517: Experimental Methods of Communication Research
CA 670: Measuring Leadership
3. Reflect on the exchange of ideas between you and organizational
leaders concerning the requirements to achieve excellence.
Document your learning by attaching at least one piece of work
selected from the following:
CA 505: Organizational Leadership
CA 670: Measuring Leadership
4. Reflect on a historical overview of leadership perspectives from
the 1940s to the present.
Document your learning by attaching at least one piece of work
selected from the following:
CA 501: Human Communication Perspectives
CA 670: Measuring Leadership
CA 699: The Epistemology of Communication
5. Reflect on your learning about communication styles and values of
different cultures and how these factors influence business in a
global environment.
Document your learning by attaching at least one piece of work
selected from the following:
CA 505: Organizational Leadership
CA 529: Cross-Cultural Communication
6. Reflect on your ability to combine theoretical knowledge and
practical skills to resolve organizational issues and improve
decision-making.
Document your learning by attaching at least one piece of work
selected from the following:
CA 501: Human Communication Perspectives
CA 516: Qualitative Methods of Communication Research
CA 517: Experimental Methods of Communication Research
CA 505: Organizational Leadership
CA 529: Cross-Cultural Communication
CA 670: Measuring Leadership
CA 699: The Epistemology of Communication
7. Reflect on your framework for ethical conduct in contemporary
organizations.
Document your learning by attaching at least one piece of work
selected from the following:
CA 501: Human Communication Perspectives
CA 505: Organizational Leadership
CA 529: Cross-Cultural Communication
In your essays, synthesize and
evaluate your learning in the
Communication and Leadership Master
of Arts program. You may focus on
exploration of a particular or few topic(s) of
interest.
Other elements
may include the following:
-
Include specific
principles and theories from courses in the program.
-
Use that reflection to figure out
how you will apply your learning in
the future.
-
Provide specific
examples from your experience.
-
Evaluate your personal strengths and
needs and communication strategies
you use to continue your personal
communication and leadership
improvement.
-
Analyze how the
program has influenced your ethical,
professional, problem-solving, and
decision-making behaviors.
-
Reflect on what have you learned
and how will you use that to improve
your communication and leadership.
In agreement with your faculty
advisor, you may select a particular
area of emphasis, such as
intercultural communication and
leadership.
-
Discuss what you have learned
and applied, how you have improved your communication skills,
and what you still need to learn.
EXAMPLE CORE ASSESSMENT
RUBRIC
|
Competency |
Exceeds Expectation
(2) |
Meets Expectation
(1) |
Does Not Meet Expectations
(0) |
|
Analysis, Synthesis, and
Evaluation
Learning Objectives # 5 |
Synthesizes research-based
principles and theories learned in four courses and
evaluates them to their pragmatic use in the student's
experience.
|
Synthesizes principles learned
in two to three courses and evaluates them to their
pragmatic use in the student's experience.
|
Synthesizes principles learned
in fewer than two courses and evaluates them to their
pragmatic use in the student's experience. |
|
Application
Learning Objective #1, 2, 3, 6 |
Provides four examples of how the student
will apply program learning to problem-solving in the
future.
Evaluates strengths and needs
against five areas of the exemplary leadership model. |
Provides two or three examples of how the
student will apply program learning to problem-solving in
the future.
Evaluates strengths and needs
against three or four areas of the exemplary leadership
model.
|
Provides fewer than two examples of how
the student will apply program learning to problem-solving
in the future.
Evaluates strengths and needs
against less than three areas of the exemplary leadership
model. |
|
Whole Artifact
Learning Objective #6, 7 |
Effective writing makes it easy for the reader to understand
the student's
ethical, professional, and research-based strategies. |
Minor errors seldom interfere
with the overall professionalism and communication of the
reflection.
|
Lack of effective writing or APA
style interferes with focus on the content of the
reflection. |
|
|
Ideas for
Course Reading
List
Scholarly Articles
click here. Right click
on the article to download. These articles are protected by
copyright and are accessible only to enrolled students with access
to EBSCO Host or Wilson Indexes.
Aldoory, L., & Toth, E. (2004, April). Leadership and gender in
public relations: perceived effectiveness of transformational and
transactional leadership styles. Journal of Public Relations
Research, 16(2), 157-183.
Barclay, L. (2008, March). The nature of leadership: reptiles,
mammals, and the challenge of becoming a great leader. Business
Communication Quarterly, 71(1), 123-125.
Barclay, L. (2009, March). Discursive leadership: in conversation
with leadership psychology. Business Communication Quarterly,
72(1), 120-123.
Bisel,
R., Ford, D., & Keyton, J. (2007, April). Unobtrusive Control in a
Leadership Organization: Integrating Control and Resistance.
Western Journal of Communication, 71(2), 136-158.
Clifton, J. (2006, July). A conversation analytical approach to
business communication: The Case of Leadership. Journal of
Business Communication, 43(3), 202-219.
Eicher-Catt, D. (2005, Spring2005). The myth of servant-leadership:
A feminist perspective. Women & Language, 28(1),
17-25.
Farmer, B., Slater, J., & Wright, K. (1998, October). The role of
communication in achieving shared vision under new organizational
leadership. Journal of Public Relations Research, 10(4),
219-235.
Fatt,
J. (2004, March). Leadership styles between technical and
non-technical superiors: guess who will give subordinates more
freedom on the job?. Journal of Technical Writing & Communication,
34(1/2), 91-111.
Hall,
M. (2007, September). Communicating subjectivity: leadership as
situated construction. Atlantic Journal of Communication,
15(3), 194-213.
Heath,
R., Bradshaw, J., & Lee, J. (2002, October). Community Relationship
Building: Local Leadership in the Risk Communication Infrastructure.
Journal of Public Relations Research, 14(4), 317-353.
Infed.Org Site
about Reflection in Learning, click here.
Limon,
M., & France, B. (2005, Winter2005). Communication traits and
leadership emergence: Examining the Impact of Argumentativeness,
Communication Apprehension, and Verbal Aggressiveness in Work
Groups. Southern Communication Journal, 70(2),
123-133.
Madlock, P. (2008, January). The link between leadership style,
communicator competence, and employee satisfaction. Journal of
Business Communication, 45(1), 61-78.
Muir,
C. (2007, September). Leadership through storytelling. Business
Communication Quarterly, 70(3), 367-369.
Schon, D, (1987). Educating
the reflective practitioner: Toward a new design for teaching
and learning in the professions. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
Sheer,
V., & Chen, L. (2003, June). Do superiors' intranet use predict
their transformational leadership?. Asian Journal of
Communication, 13(1), 120-136.
Turman,
P., & Schrodt, P. (2004, Spring2004). New Avenues for Instructional
Communication Research: Relationships among Coaches' Leadership
Behaviors and Athletes' Affective Learning. Communication
Research Reports, 21(2), 130-143.
University of
Vermont Site about Reflection in Learning, click here.
Watt, D. (2007). On becoming a
qualitative researcher: The value of reflexivity. Qualitative
Report, 12(1), 82-101.
Tutorials
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supplement official information available through
Park
University. This page is provided as a free service, without the authority of any
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