Responding to an increased call for dialogue around the impact on and influence of technology in leadership education, I was fortunate to join a team of colleagues in delivering TEaCHing and Learning in the Digital Age at the Annual Global Conference of the International Leadership Association (ILA). This full day pre-conference session attracted administrators and faculty who research, teach, or have an interest in blended or fully online delivery models for leadership development programming.
Our session was designed to provide a holistic overview of using technology in leadership education, beginning with an understanding of what it means to learn, not just teach, online, as well as how various LMS & social media platforms can support teaching and learning. Discussions and presentations also included a particular focus on assessment of student learning and leadership development, especially the impact of technology on what data we collect and what data we deem as most valuable or meaningful for our student evaluations. The session also offered timely discussions into the use of technology in student activism and service learning, keeping with an evidence-based and student-focused approach.
What was particularly meaningful in these discussions was often the sense of optimism and excitement shared by colleagues in the session. Technology represented an opportunity to further and broaden meaningful connections between students and administrators or faculty and, perhaps even more heartening, between students themselves. Technology has helped to build a bigger virtual table for communal learning and leadership development, enabling opportunities to delve more deeply into both the 'what' and 'how' of key leadership skills, including the 'basics' of communication and teamwork alongside more modern competencies of intercultural competence and our own meaningful and effective use of technology. This multi-faceted view of leadership development in the digital age is both a rallying cry and moment of validation: technology is indeed a powerful force for leadership development, but in exploring it as a tool rather than a separate, untouchable 'site' for learning we can begin to leverage important opportunities for students to connect, share, reflect, and grow.
