Course Syllabus

 

LDR 3115:

Contemporary Issues in Leadership

Course designed for the Integrative General Studies major

College of Undergraduate Studies

3 Credit Hours

Instructor Information 

• Instructor: Dr. Mandy Pacheco
• Office Location: Virtual (Spring 2022)
• Office Hours: By appointment
• Digital Contact: Webcourses@UCF messaging through the course
• Phone (text or call): (321) 946-5574 -- Be sure to leave a voicemail if I don't answer. Please be mindful of hours, as this is my personal cell phone.

Course Information

• Term: Spring, 2022
• Course Number: LDR 3115
• Course Name: Contemporary Issues in Leadership
• Credit Hours: 3
• Class Meeting Days/Time/Location: Asynchronous (online)
• Course Modality: W

Enrollment Requirements 

Course Prerequisites (if applicable): ENC 1101, 1102
Other Enrollment Requirements (if applicable): Admission to Integrative General Studies Degree (BIGS) or IDS Advisor Approval

Course Description

The Contemporary Issues in Leadership course for the Bachelor of General Studies major is designed to help students be able to define and apply leadership and civic engagement concepts, practices, and theories to their community or to the environment in which they live or serve professionally. 

Course Objectives

In this course, students will:

1. Understand and articulate the five practices of exemplary leadership and how that understanding can enhance their academic, professional, and/or civic engagement success.
2. Define, describe, and apply the Social Change Model of Leadership.
3. Identify civic engagement models that are based on social capital.
4. Advance their leadership and civic engagement skills through service-learning, written assignments, online discussions, final project, and peer review.
5. Reflect on the relationship between the individual and society within contemporary culture.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate an understanding of their personal leadership style based on the Kouzes and Posner model of leadership, and articulate how this understanding can enhance their academic, professional, and/or civic engagement success.
• Compose a personal philosophy of leadership.
• Define, describe, and apply the Social Change Model of Leadership to a social problem within their local or national community, or their academic or professional work environment.
• Define and demonstrate an understanding of the three levels of leadership within the Social Change Model as follows:

Level	Value	Meaning
Self	Consciousness of self	Developing awareness of personal values, beliefs, and attitudes through self-reflection.
	Congruence	Acting consistently with personal values, beliefs, and attitudes.
	Commitment	Investing energy into creating positive social change
Group	Common purpose	Uniting others around collective values and a shared vision for positive social change
	Collaboration	Maximizing collective impact by utilizing strengths and diversity of the group.
	Controversy with civility	Respectfully engage in critical dialogue about ideas and decisions, and foster openness, creativity, and multiple perspectives.
Society	Citizenship	Actively participate in community life and direct change towards improving the welfare of others in the community.

(Adapted from Higher Education Research Institute, 1996)

• Complete a service-learning project.
• Develop a personal working definition of civic engagement based on social capital (connections among individuals – including social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them).
• Demonstrate an understanding and application of the leadership and civic engagement principles learned in this course through a final service-learning project that can include a website, blog, or another creative platform pre-approved by the instructor.

Required textbooks:

Purchase:

Rath, T. (2007). StrengthsFinder 2.0. Washington DC: Gallup. (Purchase a new book with one-time use online assessment access code). – Students also have the option to purchase the assessment online directly from Clifton (Top 5 CliftonStrengths) rather than the full book. Code and assessment results required in Module 3.

Resources provided in course:

Higher Education Research Institute. (1996). A social change model of leadership development (Version 3). Los Angeles: University of California Los Angeles, Higher Education Research Institute. Available free online: https://www.heri.ucla.edu/PDFs/pubs/ASocialChangeModelofLeadershipDevelopment.pdf 

Other selected chapters within webcourses (PDFs provided).

Hardware:

Students will be expected to have access to a computer frequently, as all writing assignments used will be typed out and not handwritten. Students must have regular access to a computer with a stable internet connection. If you do not own a computer, there are computers accessible to you in all of UCF’s student computer labs. For further information on computer labs, please see the following website: http://guides.ucf.edu/c.php?g=78577&p=517810. Students may need to use a video recording device (i.e. smartphone, webcam, built-in camera) if video response modality is selected for certain assignments.

Privacy Policies of Third-Party Tools:

This course uses google forms and documents and the Strengthsfinder assessment through Gallup (Clifton Strengthsfinder)

• Google: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en-US
• Gallup: https://www.gallup.com/privacy

Course Activities and Expectations

This is an entirely online course, conducted through Webcourses@UCF using the Canvas platform. The Webcourses support team will assist with technical and access questions via phone, email, and live chat:  https://cdl.ucf.edu/support/webcourses/. Each student must have regular access to the internet and plan on logging into the course at least twice each week. The time required is the same as for a face-to-face course, so plan on an average of 7-9 hours weekly. Although this course is asynchronous, meaning each student decides when to complete assignments within the allowed time, there is a clear schedule of deadlines and due dates for major assignments.

Assignment Submission

Submit all assignments through Webcourses@UCF as directed. Emailed, mailed, faxed, or personally delivered assignments will not receive a grade or credit.

Key Assignments and Dates

• Module participation, including discussions and participation in lessons
• Clifton Strengthsfinder results reflection 
• 7C’s of Social Change reflection
• Service-learning action plan
• Personal leadership philosophy reflection
• Personal definition of and reflection on civic engagement
• Final leadership and civic engagement project

The Final Project takes the place of a final exam and is an assessment of a student’s understanding of the concepts taught in this course and the successful application of them in a service-learning project. Students will complete direct service for over 10 hours and submit a reflection about that experience. Students may submit their final project in a format approved ahead of time by the instructor, a format that may range from a narrative document, a website, blog, or video presentation, but the project proposal and component parts completed during the semester will be written, and evaluated using the AAC&U VALUE rubric for written communication (https://www.aacu.org/value/rubrics/written-communication).  The page length will depend on the assignment, but should meet or exceed requirements for Gordon Rule writing courses (https://undergrad.ucf.edu/req/gordon-rule/

Examples of potential leadership and civic engagement opportunities:

• Work on Habitat for Humanity project constructing housing
• Organize and assist with voter registration
• Serve as a mentor for a young person with Big Brothers Big Sisters, or other youth organizations
• Work with Literacy Volunteers of America
• Volunteer at a homeless shelter
• Volunteer online to help a non-profit organization close to your social cause

Assessments and Grading

Grading Scale:       

A         90-100                     

B        80-89 

C       70-79   (You must earn a C or better to pass this course).                       

D        60-69             

F          0-59

Make-up Policy

Please let me know immediately, preferably in advance, if you will be participating in university-sponsored events, religious observances, legal obligations, or military duties that will prevent your completion of a required assignment. Keep in mind that because this is an online course, in many cases you can work in advance of deadlines, which is in most cases a better option than asking to make up work after the deadline, when the course focus is on new material and assignments. 

If you do have a legitimate reason to miss an assignment, please email me or send a note through Webcourses immediately.  In your email, indicate the nature of your absence, the relevant documentation you would be able to submit, as well as your suggestion for an appropriate schedule and plan to make up the missed work.  I will respond either with my approval, a request for some or all of the available documentation, or a denial if the request is inconsistent with university policies.

In cases where the student missed work for other reasons than those covered by university policies, I will accept late work, but will lower scores by one gradation (for example, from a B+ to a B, or a C to a C-) per day. 

Attendance/Participation

This is an entirely online class, and so there are no in-person attendance requirements. However, you must login and engage each week in discussions and to submit assignments when due.

Grade Dissemination

All grades will be posted in Canvas and at my.ucf.edu, and will follow student data classification and security standards.

Policy Statements:

Academic Integrity

The Center for Academic Integrity (CAI) defines academic integrity as a commitment, even in the face of adversity, to five fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. From these values flow principles of behavior that enable academic communities to translate ideals into action. http://academicintegrity.org/

UCF Creed: Integrity, scholarship, community, creativity, and excellence are the core values that guide our conduct, performance, and decisions.

1. Integrity: I will practice and defend academic and personal honesty.
2. Scholarship: I will cherish and honor learning as a fundamental purpose of my membership in the UCF community.
3. Community: I will promote an open and supportive campus environment by respecting the rights and contributions of every individual.
4. Creativity: I will use my talents to enrich the human experience.
5. Excellence: I will strive toward the highest standards of performance in any endeavor I undertake.

The following definitions of plagiarism and misuse of sources come from the Council of Writing Program Administrators <http://wpacouncil.org/node/9> and have been adopted by UCF’s Department of Writing & Rhetoric.

Plagiarism

In an instructional setting, plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source. This definition applies to texts published in print or on-line, to manuscripts, and to the work of other student writers.

Misuse of Sources

A student who attempts (even if clumsily) to identify and credit his or her source, but who misuses a specific citation format or incorrectly uses quotation marks or other forms of identifying material taken from other sources, has not plagiarized. Instead, such a student should be considered to have failed to cite and document sources appropri­ately.

Responses to Academic Dishonesty, Plagiarism, or Cheating

UCF faculty members have a responsibility for your education and the value of a UCF degree, and so seek to prevent unethical behavior and when necessary respond to infringements of academic integrity. Penalties can include a failing grade in an assignment or in the course, suspension or expulsion from the university, and/or a "Z Designation" on a student's official transcript indicating academic dishonesty, where the final grade for this course will be preceded by the letter Z. For more information about the Z Designation, see http://goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu/zgrade.

For more information about UCF's Rules of Conduct, see http://www.osc.sdes.ucf.edu/.

Unauthorized Use of Class Materials

There are many fraudulent websites claiming to offer study aids to students but are actually cheat sites. They encourage students to upload course materials, such as test questions, individual assignments, and examples of graded material. Such materials are the intellectual property of instructors, the university, or publishers and may not be distributed without prior authorization. Students who engage in such activity are in violation of academic conduct standards and may face penalties, which may include immediate failure of the course.

Unauthorized Use of Class Notes

Faculty have reported errors in-class notes being sold by third parties, and the errors may be contributing to higher failure rates in some classes.  Third parties may be selling class notes from this class without my authorization. Please be aware that such class materials may contain errors, which could affect your performance or grade. Use these materials at your own risk.

In-Class Recording Policy

Outside of the notetaking and recording services offered by Student Accessibility Services, the creation of an audio or video recording of all or part of a class for personal use is allowed only with the advance and explicit written consent of the instructor. Such recordings are only acceptable in the context of personal, private studying and notetaking and are not authorized to be shared with anyone without the separate written approval of the instructor. The same goes for the unauthorized distribution of course materials.

Course Accessibility Statement

The University of Central Florida is committed to providing access and inclusion for all persons with disabilities. This syllabus is available in alternate formats upon request. Students with disabilities who need specific access in this course, such as accommodations, should contact the professor as soon as possible to discuss various access options. Students should also connect with Student Accessibility Services (Ferrell Commons, 7F, Room 185, sas@ucf.edu, phone (407) 823-2371). Through Student Accessibility Services, a Course Accessibility Letter may be created and sent to professors, which informs faculty of potential access and accommodations that might be reasonable.

Campus Safety Statement

Emergencies on campus are rare, but if one should arise when you are on campus, we will all need to work together. Everyone should be aware of the surroundings and familiar with some basic safety and security concepts.

• In case of an emergency, dial 911 for assistance.
• Every UCF classroom contains an emergency procedure guide posted on a wall near the door. Please make a note of the guide’s physical location and consider reviewing the online version at http://emergency.ucf.edu/emergency_guide.html. 
• Familiarize yourself with evacuation routes from each of your classrooms and have a plan for finding safety in case of an emergency. 
• To stay informed about emergency situations, sign up to receive UCF text alerts by going to my.ucf.edu and logging in.  Click on “Student Self Service” located on the left side of the screen in the toolbar, scroll down to the blue “Personal Information” heading on your Student Center screen, click on “UCF Alert”, fill out the information, including your e-mail address, cell phone number, and cell phone provider, click “Apply” to save the changes, and then click “OK.”
• If you have a special need related to emergency situations, please contact me.
• Consider viewing this video You CAN Survive an Active Shooter about how to manage an active shooter situation on campus or elsewhere. 

Deployed Active Duty Military Students

If you are a deployed active duty or activated Reserve or National Guard student and feel that you may need a special accommodation due to that unique status, please contact your instructor to discuss your circumstances. 

Important Dates to Remember:

Ensure that you are familiar with the academic calendar for this semester: https://calendar.ucf.edu/

LDR 3115 Course Schedule