Executive Leadership

HUDK5197 The Psychology of E-learning in Business and Industry

This course will focus on the design of online learning experiences in workplace environments, from a perspective that looks to put academic research into practice. Real-world cases, including numerous demonstrations of real-life courses and systems, will be used to explore uses of online learning in the workplace for both training and “just-in-time” performance support purposes. This course will cover a variety of online learning methods, including simulations, games, mobile learning, social learning, uses of artificial intelligence, and learning in virtual reality environments. The methods and case studies will be examined with an eye toward relevant research in the areas of education, software usability, and cognitive psychology. Potential career paths for someone interested in the field of workplace e-learning will also be discussed.

ORL5521 Introduction to research methods in education

This course meets a departmental requirement for an introductory course on empirical research in education and organizational studies. The goal is to help students be able to access, comprehend, synthesize, and utilize research, to support and facilitate the research efforts of others, and to begin to prepare to conduct their own research. Students read exemplars of published research, along with texts about research design, data collection and analysis, and strategies for assessing the validity and trustworthiness of research. The course covers qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches to research, such as experiments, surveys, case studies, ethnography, and action research.

ORL6500 Qualitative research

This course is an introduction to qualitative research methods—conceptualization, design and data collection procedures–with a special focus on organizational study. Students will formulate qualitative problem statements and research questions; design a qualitative study guided by an interactive model and consideration of five different approaches; learn to use observation, interviewing, focus groups, and archival data resources; and apply design and data collection skills by undertaking a pilot research study. Consideration will be given to conceptual frameworks, ethical considerations, field work, sampling, and data management. This course requires a minimum of 27 hours per week of out of classroom work.

ORLD5821 Leveraging emotional intelligence (EQ) to enhance organizational effectiveness

Leveraging Emotional Intelligence (EQ) to Enhance Organizational Effectiveness will explore research, best practices, and future directions. Students will learn to select among popular EQ assessment and measurement tools, distinguish between cognitive learning and emotional learning strategies, effectively position the business case for EQ, and evaluate the effectiveness of EQ learning strategies. Participants will receive personal profiles based on three popular EQ assessments (i.e., Emotional Social Competence Inventory - ESCI; Emotional Quotient Inventory - EQi 2.0; and Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test - MSCEIT) and applied insights to leadership development strategies including executive coaching.

ORLD6908 Adult Education: Theory and Practice

(1) Adult Development -- This course provides an overview of adult development theories and how they inform adult learning. Students will gain insight into stage and phase theories and how adult growth can be supported in a variety of workplace, educational, and community settings. Developmental assessments will be examined and differences explored based on theories that differently explore psychological, lifespan, spiritual, moral, and other frameworks for understanding adult development. (2) Adult Education/Learning: Theory and Practice -- This course helps educators gain insight into themselves as facilitators of adult learning based on theory, research, and practice related to learning from and through experience, self-directed learning, and transformative learning theory. This course supports a critical appraisal of one's facilitation practice. The format will be interactive discussion of various theoretical perspectives on adult learning, with a view to how these ideas can be used to understand / improve / change your practice. (3) Advanced Seminar: Leadership in Adult Education -- In this course, we will explore various theories and practices of leadership from the perspective of adult learning; we will do so in a workplace context. Specifically, we will examine the framing of leadership as a form of human performance and focus on contextual, conceptual, and behavioral dimensions of leadership. Our inquiry will be guided by four essential questions: 1) Are leaders born? 2) Can leadership be taught? 3) Does it all depend? 4) What's new/emerging? The format will be a seminar where cases be read and discussed to examine various perspectives on leadership theory, models of practice, and research in light of class members' own experiences and practice. (4) Workplace and Organizational Learning --In this course, we will examine trends that have affected the shift to knowledge work and globalization and implications for learning in organizations. We will contrast structured training practices with the embedded, contextualized nature of informal workplace learning and critically assess learning practices in different settings (business organizations, not-for-profits, higher education, healthcare, community, other educational settings). Finally, we will examine differences when learning is supported at individual, group, and organizational learning levels.

ORLJ5019 Data-based interventions in organizations

Prerequisite: ORLJ 4009. Reviews tools for collecting, organizing, and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data in organizations. Students explore and practice the use of data collection techniques most frequently utilized by practitioners in the field (secondary data, observations, questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups), as well as practice analysis techniques associated with these tools. The use of diagnostic tools is considered within the framework of the consulting cycle (contracting and planning, data collection, data analysis, and data feedback). Upon completion of this course, the students should be well prepared to engage in a consultation with the real client.

ORLJ6520 Advanced professional writing seminar

For doctoral students, only. This course is designed to help students develop the writing skills needed in their academic and post-academic careers. Course topics include establishing and maintaining good writing habits; writing theoretical, applied, and empirical papers; providing and responding to reviewer comments on manuscripts; and ethics in writing. The course provides a support for students as they work on completing their own qualifying papers. The desired and expected outcome of the course is at least one completed qualifying paper or paper ready to submit for publication.