Course Syllabus
Contact Information
Course Communication
The majority of course communication from the instructor will come through "Announcements" on Canvas. Be sure you set your personal Canvas settings to receive an email when an announcement is posted.
Course Details
For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Course Prerequisites
You must be a member of the MBA program at the University of Oklahoma to participate in the Leadership Academy. It is designed to capitalize on work experience, both past and current, and will take on a far different structure than other MBA classes.
Course Materials
Maxwell, John (2018). Developing the Leader within You 2.0. Harper Collins Leadership.
Harvard Business Review (HBR). One or two articles per week. Posted on Canvas.
CliftonStrengths for MANAGERS Report ($50). These fees are required.
Grades
Breakdown
| Activity | Description | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance (8 @ 40 points) |
Attendance is required. |
320 |
| Personal Reflections (7 @ 30) |
Write a reflection after each session based on the readings, assessment, guest speaker, activities, discussions, etc. |
210 |
| Preparation, Participation, & Professionalism |
Active participation by preparing, engaging, and consistently sharing every session not only increases what you remember, but enriches the learning experience for everyone. |
200 |
| Leadership Development Plan |
Write a personal development plan focused on your personal leadership skills. |
100 |
| Self-Assessments (3 @ 20) | Complete an online self-assessment and bring your scores to class. We will discuss them in the session. | 60 |
| Leadership Survey | Complete three brief online surveys during the course about leadership elements and interaction dynamics. | 50 |
| Self-Rate Participation (8 @ 5) | Rate your own preparation, participation, and professionalism after each session. | 40 |
| Rate Others' Participation | Rate the preparation, participation, and professionalism of your discussion group mates at the end of the course. | 20 |
| Total | 1000 |
Scale
|
900 - 1,000 A |
|
800 - 899 B |
|
700 - 799 C |
|
600 - 699 D |
|
Below 600 F |
Course Components
Grading
This is a very unique 'course' because it focuses on effort and engagement, not memorization and recall. All grading is based on the following criteria:
- Effort
- Engagement
- Authenticity
- Connection to course concepts (e.g., from readings, assessments, discussion topics)
I will grade participation and professionalism and your leadership development plans and the course TA will grade the rest of the assignments using the above criteria. Late assignments are docked 20% per day they are late.
Attendance
Attendance is required because much learning and growth will occur in our sessions and in small group discussions. I will work to create and protect a high learning and growth environment and I expect you to do the same by sharing openly and regularly and respecting others.
Personal Reflections
After each session you will complete a reflection based on the focus on the session (readings, self-assessment or guest speaker, any activities, and discussions). These are key to your learning and growth as you think and consider such things as what matters most to you from the weekly topic and session, how your thinking perspectives or attitudes might have changed, what you need to work on to improve, etc. Your weekly written reflections will also be important material to draw from as you write your leadership development plan. Instructions will be posted each week on Canvas. Reflections are due Thursday night at 11:59 PM.
Preparation, Participation, & Professionalism
Preparation, active participation (quality, quantity and consistency), and professionalism are essential to gaining value from this experience. Active participation by preparing, engaging, and regularly sharing your thoughts and ideas not only increases what you remember, but enriches the learning experience for everyone. I will assess this grade using my scores for you, your scores for you, and your discussion group mates' scores for you. I grade participation after every Live Session, and will determine each person's final score at the end of the course. My scores after every session will be based on the QUALITY of comments you shared as follows: 0 for absent, 1 for present but no comments, 2 through 5 based on quality of comments shared (not quantity of comments shared). If you don't share much you can't contribute quality comments, but talking is easy - stretching our minds and understanding is hard yet so valuable! The class average for the overall participation score tends to be around 85%.
Leadership Development Plan
Write a personal development plan focused on your personal leadership skills. This is where you will assess the culmination of your learning growth and development in the Leadership Academy. You will explain great leadership, be honest about where you are in your personal leadership development, and specify how to continue to grow. Detailed Instructions are posted under "Course Content" module. The plan is due Thursday night at 11:59 PM (central time USA) after our last class session.
Self-Assessments
- Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument
- Clifton Strengths MANAGER Report ($50)
- Big 5 personality traits
Before the assigned session you will complete an online self-assessment and bring your scores to class. We will discuss them in the session. The assessments are based on THE major leadership frameworks from the leadership development industry and the scientific study of leadership. The purpose of the assessments is to provide you with broad and deep feedback about your personal strengths and weaknesses for leadership that is both reliable and valid. Assessments are due Sunday night the week they're assigned at 11:59 PM.
Leadership Survey
During the course, you will complete three brief online surveys about various work and leadership dynamics. Each will take about 10 minutes to complete and the surveys will be sent to your OU email. At the end of the course some high level insights based on the deidentified and aggregated data will be provided back to the class. This is a great opportunity to get cutting edge insights about what's going on at work now.
Self-Rate Participation
After every session you will rate your own preparation, participation, and professionalism. A link to a very brief online survey will appear after every session. The reason for this rating is help me understand your level of preparation for the session, and your contributions in your discussion groups. Due Thursday nights at 11:59 PM.
Rate Teammates' Preparation & Participation
At the end of the Leadership Academy, you will rate your discussion group colleagues on their preparation, participation, and professionalism. I expect you to be prepared for every session (e.g., do the readings and assessments), participate actively in your group discussions, and be professional. Due Thursday night at 11:59 PM after our last class session.
Course Policies
Communication
Please email me with any questions, and I will respond within one business day, usually sooner.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
Course Catalog
Search the OU Course Catalog.
Student Handbook
Please familiarize yourself with the OU Student Handbook.
Online Library
Access digital materials and other resources at OU Libraries.
Academic Misconduct
In addition to the course conduct policies outlined by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook.
It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with the definitions, policies, and procedures concerning academic misconduct. The Student Code is available from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, and is contained in the Student's Guide to Academic Integrity.
This site also defines misconduct, provides examples of prohibited conduct, and explains the sanctions available for those found guilty of misconduct.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is basically no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism.
For more information about plagiarism, watch this video and then take this short course offered by University Libraries.
Reasonable Accommodation for Disabilities
The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who require accommodations in this course should contact their professor as early in the semester as possible.
Students with disabilities must be registered with the Disability Resource Center prior to receiving accommodations in this course.
If you have a disability and you would like to make a request for reasonable accommodation, please see the Graduate Student Handbook or get in touch with the Accessibility and Disability Resource Center.
Adjustments for Pregnancy/Childbirth Related Issues
Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss your options. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability. Learn more about the rights of pregnant and parenting students by consulting the FAQ sheets provided by the Institutional Equity Office.
Title IX Resources
For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24/7, counseling services, mutual no contact orders, scheduling adjustments, and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office at 405-325-2215 (8-5, M-F) or OU Advocates at 405-615-0013 (24/7) to learn more or to report an incident.
Religious Holidays
It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays without penalty. It is the responsibility of the student to make alternate arrangements with the instructor at least one week prior to the actual date of the religious holiday.
Copyright Policy
It is illegal to download, upload, reproduce, or distribute any copyrighted material, in any form and in any fashion, without permission from the copyright holder or his/her authorized agent. The University of Oklahoma expects all members of its community to comply fully with federal copyright laws. If such laws appear to have been violated by any user, the university reserves the right (1) to terminate that user’s access to some or all of the university’s computer systems and information resources and (2) to take additional disciplinary actions as deemed necessary or appropriate. Repeat offenders will be sanctioned and their privileges terminated.
Registration and Withdrawal
If you choose to withdraw from this course, you must complete the appropriate University form and turn the form in before the deadline. If you stop attending the course and doing the coursework without doing the required paperwork, your grade will be calculated with missed homework and examination grades entered as zero. This could result in receiving a grade of F in the course. Deadlines are shown in the Academic Calendar, which is available from the Office of the Registrar.
Student Grievances
In addition to any policies outlined related to submitting an informal or formal grievance by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook for more information about the process of submitting a formal grievance.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|