What We Know to What We Do: Enhancing Cohort Culture and Learning

• In Event: Roundtable Session 18.
  In Roundtable Session: Innovation and Impact in Educational Leadership Preparation Programs

Abstract

Many leadership development programs use a cohort model, which is efficient and designed to build a strong learning community. However, in Part 1 of our study the authors discovered many negative aspects of cohort cultures that actually inhibited learning. This study (Part 2) explores the strategies used by professors who have successfully mitigating these challenges. The participants were 12 graduate students and 4 faculty members from four leadership development cohorts. The institutions were located in three states and varied in size and scope. Results point to several key conditions that transform cohorts from groups of students who reinforce each other’s weaknesses, to real learning communities that explore difficult issues, value multiple perspectives, and challenge taken-for-granted beliefs and assumptions.

Authors

• Dianne L. Hoff, The University of West George

• Mary A. Hooper, The University of West Georgia

• Barbara B. Kawulich, The University of West Georgia