The Timeline
Summer
Pre-Meet
Once students are accepted into the higher education institution for the upcoming year, an email, including application submission information, will go out to all the incoming freshman that are First-Generation students. Students who are not already part of a support based program, for First-Gen students at the institution, will be considered first for a spot in the retreat series leadership program. Applications will be due by July 31 and spot offers will go out mid August.
September
Retreat Meeting One
Subject Matter: Learning leadership knowledge that puts an emphasis on the mental processing aspect of learning and program introductions.
Learning Outcome: Gain knowledge on foundational leadership theories and methods.
Pedagogies (Teaching Strategies): Guest Speakers ​​and Leadership Theory Videos​​ (Multimedia)
Assessment (of Learning): Discussion Boards
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November
Retreat Meeting Two
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Subject Matter: Leader development with an emphasis on the personal motivation, values, and needs of each individual student.
Learning Outcome: Have a clear sense of personal motivation, values, and needs as a leader.
Pedagogies (Teaching Strategies): Vision Boards and Peer Critical Feedback Sessions
Assessment (of Learning): Small Group Discussion, Peer Ratings, and Peer-Instructor Evaluation
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January
Retreat Meeting Three
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Subject Matter: Observational aspect of leadership learning which includes observing and understanding leadership types.
Learning Outcome: Be able to identify and apply leadership models to situations both in and outside of academics.
Pedagogies (Teaching Strategies): Lectures and Videos/Movie Watching.
Assessment (of Learning): Reflective Journal
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March
Retreat Meeting Four
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Subject Matter:Experiential learning with interactional and interpersonal aspects of leadership.
Learning Outcome: Become an active participant in experiential learning through interactional and interpersonal aspects of leadership.
Pedagogies (Teaching Strategies): Team Building Activities and Games
Assessment (of Learning): Large Group Discussion and Reflective Journal Entries
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May
Retreat Meeting Five
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Subject Matter:Students being aware of their own leadership knowledge while also having the ability to incorporate this knowledge into daily life and program wrap-up.
Learning Outcome: Integrate learned aspects of leadership living into daily practice.
Pedagogies (Teaching Strategies): Group Discussion
Assessment (of Learning): Poster Presentation
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The Rationale: Framework & Taxonomy edition
The "First-Gen, Now & Again" retreat series is divided into five sections, each representing a different learning outcome that was created using the leadership learning framework and Fink's taxonomy. To design an intentional, thoughtful,purposeful leadership education program, we wanted to incorporate elements that allow students to be in charge of their own learning but also incorporate instructors for direction, assessment, and feedback for the betterment of the student.
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Our goal in designing the program, was to allow students to have a unique, personal leader development while incorporating various areas leadership learning into all aspects of life. Fink's taxonomy aligned with the program goals by having unstructured, interactive opportunities in multiple kinds of learning, as opposed to a taxonomy with a hierarchical sequence. All six areas that compile Fink's taxonomy, foundational knowledge, application, integration, human dimension, caring, and learning how to learn, align with the six areas that compile the leadership learning framework. Leadership learning " should be taken into consideration when developing program curricula" (Guthrie & Jenkins, 2018,p.100) and learning taxonomies, like Fink's (2013), "are widely used to describe the learning stages at which a learner is operating for particular content and can include elements such as knowledge"(Guthrie & Jenkins, 2018,p.97). Knowing this information, elements of both Fink's taxonomy and the leadership learning framework, were incorporated into the learning outcome design process for the "First-Gen, Now & Again" retreat series.
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Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences : an integrated approach to designing college courses. Jossey-Bass.
Guthrie, K. L., & Jenkins, D. M. (2018). The Role of Leadership Educators : Transforming Learning. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.