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January 25, 2005
Distance Learning in Community Colleges
My research on leadership has led to an article in the Community College Journal of Research and Practice by Deborah L. Floyd entitled Distance Learning in Community Colleges: Leadership Challenges for Change and Development.
She describes how leaders must facilitate change in order to transform faculty "into "technology-savvy" 21st century instructors".(p. 339).
She goes on to say:
- First, these leaders need to seek to understand faculty unease by listening to them. Paulson (1998) suggests that leading others in a changing world requires skills of cultivating the "listening edge" by absorbing the feelings being expressed and coming to understand the issues. ... If their colleges are going to successfully adapt to the new technology and use of modalities of distance learning effectively, community college leaders must incorporate effective change leadership strategies, listen, and invest in the success of their faculty colleagues.
From Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner (1995), The Leadership Challenge: How to Keep Getting Extraordinary Things Done in Organizations.
Challenging the Process
1. Search out challenging opportunities to change, grow, innovate, and improve.
2. Experiment, take risks and learn from the accompanying mistakes.
Inspiring a Shared Vision
3. Envision an uplifting and enabling future.
4. Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to their values, interests, hopes, and dreams
Enabling Others To Act
5. Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust.
6. Strengthen people by giving power away, providing choice, developing competence, assigning critical tasks, and offering visible support.
Modeling the Way
7. Set the example by behaving in ways that are consistent with shared values.
8. Achieve small wins that promote consistent progress and build commitment.
Encouraging the Heart
9. Recognize individual contributions to the success of every project.
10. Celebrate team accomplishments regularly.
Posted by Marj at 01:32 PM | Comments (0)