UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF NURSING

SYLLABUS Fall 2003

N604V: LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM

Faculty: Cheryl K. Schmidt, PhD, RN

Office: Ed II 5/136D

Phone: 501-686-8705

Pager: 501-390-6004

E-mail: schmidtcherylk@uams.edu

Faculty: Elaine Gardner, PhD, RN

Office: Shorey 8/22D

Office Phone: 686-7991

Pager: 688-9285

Faculty Debbie Meikeljohn, MNSc, RN

Office: Shorey 8/22F

Office Phone: 686-6347

Pager: 405-1949

Faculty: Patricia E. Thompson, EdD, RN

Associate Dean of Education

Office: Ed II 5/106A

Phone: 501-686-7968

E-mail: thompsonpatriciae@uams.edu

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF NURSING

N604V: Leadership Development

Catalog Description:

            Special topics involve discussion and advanced study on selected topics not covered in general courses. This course will provide students an opportunity to earn academic credit for active involvement in the local, state, and/or national levels of the National Student Nurses’ Association.

Course Overview:

            This Leadership Development Special Topics course prepares students to assume leadership roles in the local, state, and/or national levels of the National Student Nurses’ Association. Students will develop individual learning contracts based on their specific roles and functions in the organization, which will enhance their critical thinking, communication, and leadership skills.

Course Credit:

            One (1) semester hour credit

Pre-requisite:

            Faculty consent

Course Objectives:

At the completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Identify leadership principles related to selected roles at the local, state, and/or national levels of the National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA).
   
   
2. Demonstrate effective verbal and written communication skills.
   
   
3. Develop an individualized learning contract to meet self-determined leadership development skills.
   
   
4. Discuss the value of involvement in pre-professional and professional organizations.

Content Outline:

I.                    Orientation to course expectations

II.                 Development of learning contracts

III.               Leadership principles related to NSNA

IV.              Communicating effectively with public officials

V.                Individual and group projects related to NSNA involvement

Teaching Methods:

            Group discussion, individual and group projects, audio-visual aids, guest speakers, and Internet.

Attendance Policy:

            Students are expected to be diligent in the pursuit of their studies and regular in their class attendance. Students have the responsibility of making arrangements satisfactory to the instructor regarding all absences. Such arrangements should be made prior to the absence if possible. Policies of making up work missed as a result of absence are at the discretion of the faculty. The College of Nursing, in consultation with the faculty members involved, reserves the right to withdraw a student from a course because of excessive absences that interfere with attainment of course objectives.

Course Preparation Requirements:

Students are expected to review objectives and to prepare for classroom participation by completing assigned readings and learning activities prior to each scheduled class.

Grading System:

            Participation in class                                   30%

            Fulfillment of learning contract     70%

Grading Scale:

93-100                          A

84-92.99                    B

75-83.99                    C

<75                  Fail

Course and Teacher Evaluations:

            Students are encouraged to evaluate the course and teaching effectiveness of instructors at the end of the course utilizing the course evaluation tool developed by the Ad Hoc Committee on Evaluation Tools of the College of Nursing. Data provided by these evaluations are used as a basis for assessing effectiveness of the teaching approaches, relevance of course content, and the need for change in content or methods.

STUDENTS WILL BE EXPECTED TO FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES AS LISTED IN:

            Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. (5^th Ed). (2001). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

FOR ALL SCHOLARLY WORKS AND PAPERS.

Required Texts:

Internet access to nsna.org.

Selected readings to be assigned.

Learning Contract Criteria:

Your learning contract will describe what type of grade you plan to earn in this course, and provide a detailed description of what goals you plan to accomplish. At a minimum, you need to include

1. Attending an orientation class early in the semester (time and location TBA).
2. Demonstrating proof of membership in NSNA.
3. Attending at least one pre-professional or professional organization meeting.
4. Describing the specific leadership activities you plan to accomplish as part of your local, state, and/or national participation in NSNA.

An optional activity would be selecting a current or pending health policy issue and writing a letter to a public official about that issue.

The learning contract will be due no later than the second Friday of the Semester.

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

College of Nursing

N4041: Special Topic: Leadership Development

Learning Contract

I, __________________, am contracting for a grade of __ in this course, and will accomplish the following in order to achieve this grade:

Goal	Date Accomplished
Join NSNA
Attend at least one meeting of NSNA (local, state or national), or of a professional nursing organization

______________________________                    _____________________________

Student                      Date                                        Faculty                                Date

^{Add your Leadership U model-send via electronic file to}

^{diane@nsna.org and we’ll consider posting it.}

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