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Category: Professional practice

Teaching and Learning Forum 2014 [ Refereed papers ]
Engaging tomorrow's leaders: Student leadership development at Curtin

Andrew Cotterell and Linley Lord
Curtin University
Email: Andrew.t.cotterell@curtin.edu.au, lord.linley@gsb.curtin.edu.au

Curtin University has established the Curtin Leadership Centre (CLC) to progressively increase the number of students engaged in leadership development, such that in 2017, 25,000 students will have had some leadership development experience. Based on the Social Change Model of Leadership Development the CLC has developed an engaging co-curricular leadership program that is available both face to face and online. Diverse student engagement strategies, rapid student feedback loops and researched strategies have contributed to high participation levels and very high satisfaction with the program. As the CLC looks to increase in scale continuous evaluation and improvement, more engaging online platforms, embedding content within existing units and developing new curricula units will be required to meet the ambitious targets.


Introduction

Curtin University is Western Australia's largest university. It has over 50,000 students studying at its various campuses. The University's main campus is in Bentley, approximately six kilometres from the centre of Perth. There are additional campuses in Perth city and regional Western Australia, as well as Sydney, Malaysia and Singapore. Curtin also has a number of international partners through which it delivers programs.

The University's strategic plan (2013-2017) outlines the University's new vision and mission, and has identified leadership as core to achieving its goals (Curtin University, 2012). One area of focus that is of particular relevance to student leadership development is to 'provide opportunity for graduates, equipping them with skills for the future' (Curtin University, 2013, p. 4).

In line with its strategic direction the University has embarked on an ambitious program to transform learning at Curtin. 'Learning for Tomorrow Ð Transforming Learning at Curtin' is a university wide strategy that aims to improve the student experience and ensure that graduate outcomes align with employer expectations. This strategy has resulted in a range of projects across the university including the establishment in 2013 of the Curtin Leadership Centre (CLC). Supported by strategic and Student Services and Amenities Fee funding the CLC has developed a range of co-curricular programs to enhance and extend the leadership development opportunities available to students. To this end an ambitious target has been set of 25,000 students engaged in leadership development activities in 2017.

The CLC provides and connects students to leadership development opportunities both within and external to Curtin. This includes both face to face and online leadership development modules, volunteering opportunities including leadership positions, community service and the provision of scholarships and grants to outstanding students to participate in leadership development opportunities interstate and overseas.

This paper describes the implementation of the pilot co-curricular program in Semester 1, 2013. The decision to adopt the Social Change Model of Leadership Development which underpins the CLC is explored with examples of existing leadership programs in the USA and the UK examined. A comparison between the Social Change Model and Curtin's existing leadership development approaches follows with high levels of alignment. Reflections of the pilot program include what has worked well, what has been improved and why, lessons that have been learned as the program continues to develop, and the likely challenges ahead in up scaling the program.

Social Change Model of leadership

The CLC has adopted the Social Change Model of leadership development (SCM) to guide the structure of its programs. Leadership itself is a complex and ill-defined concept, with many different definitions available (Watt, 2009). In order to establish a successful co-curricular program for student leadership development it was necessary to adopt a particular approach to leadership. The following factors were considered: the diversity of Curtin students (culture, gender, age, religion, nationality, course and mode of study), appropriate fit with Curtin's values and an appropriate model for tertiary leadership programs. It was also important to build on the existing programs at Curtin many of which had social change as either an explicit or implicit outcome. This led us to the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Komives & Wagner, 2012). Additionally this focus enabled us to ensure that we had a consistent approach to the activities that were undertaken as part of the program. The SCM was developed specifically for tertiary students by researchers at the Higher Education Research Institute (Astin & Astin, 1996) and has been identified as one of the most broadly applicable and well known student leadership models (Kezar, Carducci, & Contreras-McGavin, 2006).

The SCM views leadership as a collaborative, values based process that results in positive social change for the community. According to Komives and Wagner (2012, p. 10) social change 'addresses each person's sense of responsibility to others and the realisation that making things better for one pocket of society makes things better for the society as a whole'.

The values of the Social Change Model of Leadership Development

Essential to the SCM is that leadership is seen as a values based process. Social responsibility and positive social change are achieved through the development of seven core values targeted at enhancing students' levels of self-awareness and ability to work with others (Komives & Wagner, 2012). Table 1 below shows the seven values and their definition, as well as Change which is the overall goal of the model.

Table 1: The values and their definition of the Social Change Model of leadership development
Source: (Komives & Wagner, 2012, p. 54), adapted from (Astin & Astin, 1996)

ValueDefinition
ChangeAs the hub and ultimate goal of the Social Change Model, change gives meaning and purpose to the other Cs. Change means improving the status quo, creating a better world, and demonstrating a comfort with transition and ambiguity in the process of change.
CitizenshipCitizenship occurs when one becomes responsibly connected to the community/society in which one resides be actively working toward change to benefit others through care, service, social responsibility and community involvement.
Common purposeCommon purpose necessitates and contributes to a high level of group trust involving all participants in shared responsibility towards collective aims, values and vision.
CollaborationCollaboration multiplies a group's effort through collective contributions, capitalising on the diversity and strengths of the relationships and interconnections of individuals involved in the change process.
Controversy with civilityWithin a diverse group, it is inevitable that differing viewpoints will exist. In order for a group to work toward positive social change, open, critical and civil discourse can lead to new, creative solutions and is an integral component of the leadership process.
Consciousness of selfConsciousness of self requires an awareness of personal beliefs, values, attitudes and emotions. Self-awareness, conscious mindfulness, introspection and continual personal reflection are foundational elements of the leadership process.
CongruenceCongruence requires that one has identified personal values, beliefs, attitudes and emotions and acts consistently with those values, beliefs and emotions.
CommitmentCommitment requires an intrinsic passion, energy and purposeful investment toward action. Follow-through and willing involvement through commitment lead to positive social change.

Figure 1 below shows how the three dimensions and the relevant values interact and intersect with each other. Development is seen as interactive and ongoing, and the application of the values to real world experiences provides the opportunity for deeper learning and understanding of leadership and social change.

Figure 1

Figure 1: The Social Change Model and change (Komives & Wagner, 2012, p. 55)
Adapted from (Astin & Astin, 1996)

Learning and growth in any of the dimensions improves understanding in the other dimensions. The interaction across levels and between values contributes to positive social change, the eighth value associated with this model (Astin & Astin, 1996).

One of the differentiating factors in the SCM is the fundamental aspect of creating a better world for others and the understanding of and addressing social issues at the cause level (Astin & Astin, 1996; Komives & Wagner, 2012), which aligns strongly with Curtin's Strategic goals and its desire to 'Make Tomorrow Better' (http://www.maketomorrowbetter.com.au/).

There is considerable research and evaluation that supports the application of the SCM in both curricular and co-curricular programs (see for example Dugan, 2006a, 2006b; Haber, 2011; Haber & Komives, 2009; Rubin, 2000). The Socially Responsible Leadership Scale is an academically valid assessment tool (Dugan & Komives, 2007) that measures students' leadership capacity in terms of the SCM. This addresses one of the challenges of leadership development, that it is difficult to define, assess and evaluate. Studies have shown that both curricular (Buschlen & Dvorak, 2011) and co-curricular leadership development programs (Dugan & Komives, 2007; Owen, 2012) based on the SCM can increase students' leadership skills and knowledge.

Curtin leadership framework

One of the challenges faced when developing the leadership development program was ensuring that it was relevant to students and that the approach resonated with other leadership development programs and activities offered by the University.

Curtin's Leadership Framework is focussed on staff development and encompasses both leadership and management, taking a managerial leadership approach. It considers both relationship and task focused approaches and recognises that staff can be in formal or informal leadership roles. Quinn et al's (2007) Competing Values Framework and Vilkinas' (2009) adaptation for academic leadership underpins the framework which lists 20 capabilities. Each of these has supporting behavioural statements and these are used to underpin leadership and management development activities.

This framework is not intended to be applied to student leadership development and does not address the purpose of leadership for social change, but as would be expected, focuses on organisational improvement.

However, there is an alignment between the SCM and the University's Leadership Framework. Core components from each model, as well as Kouzes and Posner's (2008) Student Leadership Challenge and Senge's (1994) Fifth Discipline were mapped. Kouzes and Posner was selected due to its focus on student leadership development and Senge because of the high impact of his work and its application in organisational practice. Senge was been named as 'Strategist of the Century' in 1999 by the Journal of Business Strategy and in 1997 Harvard Business Review named The Fifth Discipline as a key seminal management book (Smith, 2001).

This mapping exercise demonstrated the degree of overlap between these leadership development approaches despite their different intended audiences. They all have a values based approach that involves self-awareness, working with others and seeking to make a positive change through leadership. Thus the Curtin Leadership Centre's use of the SCM was suitable for use and is congruent with the University's approach to leadership development.

Environmental scan

Leadership development for university students has gained increasing prominence with many universities offering some form of curricular or co-curricular program. A Google search (October, 2013) for leadership development programs for university students generated 387,000,000 results in 0.36 seconds. Given the volume of data available, a targeted environmental scan was undertaken to identify best practice programs and possible bench mark partners.

The environmental scan of student leadership programs focussed on universities in the USA, UK and Australia, given the similarities in approach to university education. Programs were examined (based on the web information that was available) using a set of criteria found to result in effective outcomes as indicated by the literature. Particular focus was placed on programs that had implemented the SCM.

The criteria included the presence of formal leadership programs that operated at the organisational level; some form of learning and assessment embedded in the program; positions available to students where they could practice leadership including in student organisations or through some form of volunteer activity; community service was an integral element of program design; short term intensive programs were available; peer leadership opportunities were encouraged; and tailored training was available for specific groups.

The scan indicated that although the SCM is used extensively throughout the US, and informs some programs in the UK, it is not used widely by Australian universities.

Evaluations of the programs operating in the US showed that even attending a single short-term training session (e.g. a one-hour workshop) reported significantly higher leadership outcomes than those who had no training (Dugan 2007). Community service was also found to have a positive influence on practicing socially responsible leadership, with the strongest effect in relation to the SCM on students' Citizenship and Collaboration capacity (Dugan & Komives, 2007; Skendall, 2012).

The various methods of program delivery were examined to identify effective approaches for student leadership development. Class discussion, particularly around socio-cultural issues, and instructional strategies were regarded as the best strategies for conceptual learning and personal growth. Class discussion has been referred to as 'the signature pedagogy for undergraduate leadership education' (Walker 2009).

Not surprisingly socio-cultural conversations and discussions were widely regarded as the 'single strongest environmental predictor of growth across SCM values as well as Leadership Efficacy' (Dugan & Komives, 2007). It is suggested that universities should provide as many formal and informal opportunities as possible for students to talk about different lifestyles; multiculturalism and diversity; and major social issues such as peace, human rights, and justice. Discussions with students whose political opinions or personal values are very different from their own were also strongly encouraged (Dugan & Komives, 2007; Osorio, 2013; Skendall, 2012).

Interestingly students that reported any level of involvement in campus clubs and organisations demonstrated significantly higher scores across all of the SCM values including a moderate effect on Collaboration, Common Purpose, and Citizenship (Dugan & Komives, 2007; Osorio, 2013). Self-reflection was found to be a common assessment tool (Walker 2009) and practicing self-awareness and reflection has been associated with improved leadership capacity (Dugan & Komives, 2007) and authentic leadership (Avolio & Gardner, 2005; Gardner, Avolio, Luthans, May, & Walumbwa, 2005).

The structure of the co-curricular programs was varied. A number of the university programs examined offered a range of opportunities for students which they could access according to their own development needs (see for example UCLA Bruin Leaders Project). Others had a more formal structure that required students to complete certain activities or components before moving onto the next stage of the program (see for example Kean University and University of Texas).

The environmental scan did not identify any program approaching the 25,000 students the CLC is aiming for in 2017. University of Maryland had one of the larger engagement rates of the universities whose programs were investigated, with just over 1,000 students attending at least one co-curricular leadership program each year, and approximately 18,800 students (out of a total student population of approximately 37,600) engaging in some level of community service each year (http://thestamp.umd.edu/leadership_community_service_learning/about_lcsl/quick_facts).

The Curtin leadership centre pilot

The Pilot program was implemented in Curtin's first semester of 2013. The initial design was a three-tiered approach. Each tier was mapped to a dimension of the SCM (Self, Team and Community). The Self and Team tiers each consisted of four modules. These could be completed online or by attending workshops that were held either in the evening or in designated student free time. Figure 2 shows the initial program structure that was developed for the pilot program. Each tier was designed to be completed over the course of one semester. We had an expectation that students would complete the Self Leadership modules before they undertook the Team Leadership modules. In order for student participation in the co-curricular program to be recognised by the University there was a requirement to undertake some form of recognised volunteer activity. This was seen as providing students with the opportunity to put their learning into practice. Students were also expected to provide a short reflection on their key learning.

Figure 2

Figure 2: Initial program structure for pilot program

The major focus of the pilot program was the development and delivery of modules in both face to face and online formats for the Self and Team Leadership tiers. The initial focus was on the development of the four Self Leadership modules.

Four of the five Team Leadership modules were developed. Two were delivered face to face but all were available online over the course of the pilot program. The third tier for the initial pilot program was participation in the John Curtin Leadership Academy program. This was an established program at the University (and is discussed in more detail below) that had previously been offered over the course of the full academic year.

The format for the majority of the face to face two-hour workshops included a high profile keynote speaker who exemplified the SCM values, and a range of interactive, experiential learning activities. Online content was delivered through the Blackboard learning management software for the modules that had been developed. The online modules consisted of approximately two-hours of work including text-based content, videos, quizzes and exercises. To complete an online module, students were required to write three posts in the discussion forums or post once and submit a reflection piece.

A wide variety of methods were used to promote the programs including through lecturers, posters around campus, Facebook, email, the Curtin website and computer lab desktop screens. Significant work was also done to engage program coordinators and student clubs on campus whose members would potentially benefit from the CLC programs. In particular we targeted programs that already had a volunteer or community service aspect such as the Curtin Student Ambassadors program. Curtin Student Ambassadors act as role models for future students and provide insight based on their experiences about studying at the University. Internal support was strengthened through inviting senior leaders from within Curtin to attend the workshops including to introduce guest speakers.

Evaluation of the pilot program

Evaluation of the CLC's programs in Semester one 2013 was three fold. Satisfaction ratings were completed at the end of each face to face workshop. An online survey was undertaken at the end of semester which asked students for their feedback on each module including aspects they had found most and least helpful. Five semi-structured interviews were also undertaken with students to gain some further insights into the aspects of the program.

Figure 3 shows the average satisfaction ratings for the face to face workshops. Students were asked to rate the seven areas listed in the figure below on a five point Likert scale. For example students were asked rate the workshop as: Excellent, Good, Average, Poor, or Very Poor. The other questions required a response that ranged from: Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, to Strongly Disagree). Scores in the figure indicate the percentage of student responses that responded 'Excellent' or 'Good', and 'Strongly Agree' or 'Agree'. Students were also able to provide additional qualitative comments. The response rate was approximately 49% of attendees.

An online survey was distributed to students via email at the end of Semester one to assess the impact of the program on students' leadership development. 54 responses were received, of which there were 36 usable surveys. This gave us a response rate of 9% (usable surveys). It has been acknowledged that considerable effort can be required to increase response rates of web based surveys (Sánchez-Fernández, Muñoz-Leiva, & Montoro-Ríos, 2012; Sauermann & Roach, 2013). One follow-up reminder was sent but did not greatly increase the response rate. Five student interviews (one face to face and four via telephone) were also undertaken.

In addition to the figures above, the key outcomes from the evaluation were that the majority of students surveyed found the online modules (87%) and workshops (97%) useful to their development as leaders. Of those who answered the question relating to the application of leadership skills over 70% per cent believed they were able to apply the skills learnt at workshops/online during their volunteering or whilst holding a development position. Students identified three reasons for wanting to be involved in CLC programs, benefiting on a personal level, employability, and community benefits. The main reason identified for not wanting to be involved was a lack of time.

Figure 3

Figure 3: Average ratings for face to face workshops

In addition to the formal evaluation that was undertaken the CLC team regularly met and discussed the program with a focus on continuous improvement and modelling best practice. The completion of the environmental scan coupled with informal feedback from students regarding what they saw as the restrictive nature of the tiered structure led to significant structural changes for the Semester two program.

Curtin leadership centre semester two program

As previously noted, the tier structure was seen as restrictive to students as many students attended or wanted to access Team Leadership whilst undertaking the Self Leadership modules. The environmental scan showed that many programs had a flat structure, offering access to Self, Team and Community leadership modules concurrently. Further SCM research increased our awareness of the interconnectedness of the three dimensions, leading us to the decision to implement a flat structure in Semester two, with self and team leadership 'streams' as opposed to 'tiers' (Figure 4).

Figure 4

Figure 4: Semester two program structure
(arrows indicate possible student pathways through the streams).

Community conversations

The pilot program did not have many opportunities for students to engage in discussion and debate about social issues. Dugan and Komives (2007) have pointed out that the single biggest contributor to Socially Responsible Leadership capacity is the frequency of socio-cultural discussions with people from different cultures, or those who hold different values. To encompass more socio-cultural discussions and provide a way to explore the Citizenship value of the SCM, Community workshops were piloted in Semester two. Instead of focusing on a particular leadership skill (e.g. Self-Awareness), these workshops focus on a community issue. The topics were: Refugees and Asylum Seekers, Environmental Sustainability and Indigenous Culture. The workshops aim for students to become more engaged with these topics, particularly around taking action to create positive change.

John Curtin Leadership Academy

The John Curtin Leadership Academy (JCLA) is the premier program offered through the CLC. This program gives students the opportunity to develop their leadership capabilities through engaging in real world projects with partnering community organisations. JCLA was established in 2007 and has over 250 program graduates.

JCLA currently admits a maximum of 30 students who are selected through an application and interview process to ensure they have the commitment and the capacity to accommodate the additional workload without it impacting on their academic grades. The program commences with a 3-day residential 'Foundations of Leadership Camp', followed by six leadership workshops through the semester to support their project work. The students work on community projects in association with Not for Profit Organisations. At the completion of their project students outline their achievements and key learning to an audience of industry leaders at their graduation evening.

To evaluate their leadership development, students completed a self-assessment of leadership capabilities before attending the leadership camp, and complete the same assessment after the completion of the program. Qualitative team debriefs are also be undertaken to determine if the learning outcomes are being achieved and to gain further insight into the students' experience.

The practical, real-world experience of completing significant community projects is the defining feature of the JCLA, and has proved to be transformational for students who embrace the program. Past projects include 'Minute of Noise' a fundraising and awareness campaign for the Global Good Foundation which aims to break down barriers and enable children to speak out about domestic violence by inviting them to make a 'minute of noise'. This campaign has now reached over 20,000 school children around the world (The Global Good Foundation, 2010) as well as engaging community, political and business leaders. Another major project was the establishment of the Curtin 'Relay for Life'. This is a major fundraising event for the Cancer Council of WA that celebrates survival, honours those lost to cancer and offers hope for a cancer-free future (The Cancer Council Western Australia, 2013). It is undertaken at a range of sites throughout the State and as a result of the JCLA project is now an annual event at Curtin, having raised over $120,000 over the past two years.

Semester two evaluation

At the time of writing, it is difficult to fully assess the impact of Semester Two's programs and changes to the structure as they are still in progress. Workshops continue to receive high ratings with satisfaction across all seven measures for Semester Two workshops (seven of eight completed at the time of writing) averaging 95%.

Table 2 below shows that there has been over 4,000 direct student engagements with CLC programs this year to date with additional workshops still to run. The decrease in student numbers in Semester Two is to be expected with a new program. These figures are highly encouraging however the additional new students that we engage each semester from now on that we will now be looking to grow.

Curriculum review: Mapping and measuring learning outcomes

One of the strategies for reaching the goal of 25,000 students involved in leadership programs in 2017 is to embed leadership within curricula units. This is in line with a proposed graduate capability that addresses leadership. As an initial step in this process the learning outcomes for the co-curricular program have been mapped in line with the University's processes for course review. The next step is to ensure that the learning activities embedded in the modules will help students achieve these learning outcomes.

Table 2: Student engagement in CLC programs semester one and two 2013


Semester 1 2013
(as at 5/07/13)
Semester 2 2013
(as at 9/10/13)
Total number of
engagements in 2013
Co-curricular workshop attendance8543781232
In curricula workshop attendance18006002400
Online content registrations460720 (includes 460
from first semester)
720
John Curtin Leadership Academy03030
Total311417284382

Two approaches are being pursued to embed leadership within the curriculum. Firstly a leadership unit informed by the SCM is being developed. An advisory group which includes representatives from the faculties as well as other experts from the teaching and learning area of the University has been established. The aim of the advisory group is to help inform the approach taken, which is for an experientially based unit that encourages students to address key social issues.

The second approach is to embed elements of leadership for social change into existing curriculum units. This is seen as particularly relevant for project or research based units and was trialled in 2013 with Team Function workshops in the first year Health Science unit 'Foundations for Professional Health Practice 100'.

At the co-curricular level the CLC aims to improve the number of students and the level of engagement in the online modules. As a result we are redesigning the online learning environment. The new online platform will include more two-way learning experiences by allowing students to select their own leadership pathway and demonstrate their learning by completing activities, discussing ideas with their peers, participating in volunteer work, and reflecting on their experiences. They will also have the opportunity to apply their knowledge by participating in a team based project developing an idea for positive social change. We expect that this will be more engaging, as well as deliver leadership concepts in a more realistic context. In the future, the online platform will have the capacity to work across multiple co-curricular programs and support services at Curtin.

Connecting Leadership in Curtin (CLIC)

Throughout the development and implementation of the CLC program it was evident that there was the potential to leverage from other change initiatives that were occurring in the teaching and learning portfolio, as well as the potential for overlap. To address this the CLIC (Connecting Leadership in Curtin) advisory group was established, which meets on a monthly basis. Its purpose is to ensure an effective and collaborative approach to the development, implementation and evaluation of student leadership programs and development opportunities across the University. It has a broad membership which includes representatives from a range of portfolio areas that offer co-curricular opportunities at the University level as well as faculty representatives who are able to provide advice on faculty level initiatives.

Discussion

The CLC is less than twelve months old and has had a significant impact on students who have engaged in the program and on the staff who have become more aware of the potential of a co-curricular leadership development program. This discussion will outline some key learning from the pilot and anticipated future challenges.

There have been many opportunities for learning throughout the implementation of these programs. At the start of the year the CLC was given the BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) (Collins & Porras, 1996) of engaging 25,000 students in 2017. Multiple ideas and approaches were generated and trialled to achieve this. The team became adept at adapting and prototyping in order to respond to both the needs of our students and the demands of the University to build a program that is well liked by students and has the potential to scale up.

The initial successes of the program has certainly resulted in support but also raised future expectations. Constant evaluation and improvement is required to manage this extra pressure and achieve positive short term gains, whilst also building capacity for long term success. Various methods of accessing timely feedback from students have been established, such as evaluation sheets at each workshop, easy lines of communication with students via email and being accessible for students to talk to us face to face. Areas for immediate improvement have been identified, demonstrating that we value student feedback. Our commitment to continuous improvement also involves frequent scans of the literature for proven examples of successful programs.

One challenge is that leadership development is difficult to measure with many recommendations needing to be considered for future evaluations. It has been noted that the evaluation of Leadership Programs, including how they achieved their outcomes, is difficult (Barker, 1997; Eich, 2008; Grove, Kibel, & Haas, 2005; Rosch & Schwartz, 2009). It has been shown that existing background characteristics contribute as much if not more to the outcome than program effect (Dugan & Komives, 2007). Attribution of outcomes to the program should include consideration of previous experiences. Additionally Rosch's work (2009) outlines common errors in assessing leadership programs. The full impacts of Leadership Programs are often not seen until months or years after the end of the program. The CLC will be required to report outcomes over much shorter timeframes and perhaps before the full impact of the program has been realised. This may impact on the perceived success of the program. The variety of targeted evaluation methods used by the CLC may help offset this.

Engaging students in a co-curricular program is also a challenge. Technical and curriculum experts assisted in the development of an experience that is meaningful engaging, relevant, challenging and fun. However, students are often time poor and engaged students are likely to be involved in a range of opportunities. To support these students and expand the student experience, these opportunities were connected and leveraged via CLIC. Formal recognition will also be given to students who are significantly involved in co-curricular programs which they will be able to use when seeking employment.

A wide variety channels must be used to raise the program profile with students. The CLC Facebook has grown to over 500 likes and is used to promote CLC events and leadership development opportunities. Short 'talking head' style videos of CLC staff introducing the workshops have had positive responses from students. Emails, posters, desktop displays and promotion during lectures have also been used to engage students.

As expected, the environmental scan showed that engagement increases when leadership programs are part of curriculum. However, numbers remain well below the targets that have been set at Curtin. Despite these challenges engagement levels to date have been higher than anticipated. Delivering leadership training in curriculum was successful and the CLC will continue to explore other opportunities to be involved in curricula units.

The CLC has a dynamic adaptable, technically savvy, energetic, smart and young team who can provide close connection to our target audience. Maintaining staff engagement as the CLC progresses from the excitement of development to implementation and maintenance is a challenge that lies ahead. It is difficult for new programs to become universally accepted in a crowded environment such as Curtin without wide level staff support. Collaborating with staff to ensure that the CLC programs are relevant to their students as well as keeping them informed of available opportunities is both a challenge and an essential foundation to long term sustainably of the program.

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Please cite as: Cotterell, A. & Lord, L. (2014). Engaging tomorrow's leaders: Student leadership development at Curtin. In Transformative, innovative and engaging. Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Teaching Learning Forum, 30-31 January 2014. Perth: The University of Western Australia. http://otl.curtin.edu.au/professional_development/conferences/tlf/tlf2014/refereed/cotterell.html

© Copyright 2014 Andrew Cotterell and Linley Lord. The authors assign to the TL Forum and not for profit educational institutions a non-exclusive licence to reproduce this article for personal use or for institutional teaching and learning purposes, in any format, provided that the article is used and cited in accordance with the usual academic conventions.


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