From Assignment to Impact Elevating Coursework into Personally Meaningful Projects

Presenter: Lisa D'Adamo-Weinstein

Target Audience: Faculty, Staff, and Students

This presentation will feature a panel of students and the course instructor, discussing the design and development of their innovative final projects in the "Stories and Creative Leadership" course. The primary aim is to spotlight the transformative power of storytelling in shaping leadership identities and skills among students. By discussing the design and execution of their final projects, the panelists will demonstrate how they have harnessed narrative techniques to enhance their understanding of leadership, boost their communication competencies, foster a community of practice, and deepen their reflective thinking in leadership contexts.

The final project provides an opportunity for students to integrate and apply the theories and insights in personal and/or professional ways, encouraging students to produce work that is meaningful not only to their academic pursuits but also to their personal and professional aspirations. Students choose one of several approaches for their final project:

1. Scholarly Essay
2. Design of a Leadership Initiative
3. Developing a TEDTalk-style Narrative Project

After an introduction to the course and the final project by the course instructor, each student will briefly present their project, focusing on its relevance to both their personal growth and professional development. This will set the stage for a moderated discussion to examine shared challenges, thematic overlaps, and individual insights gleaned from their project experiences. The panel will include a Q&A segment, encouraging interaction between the panelists and the audience.

This session promises to offer valuable insights into creative pedagogical strategies, the empowerment of students as narrative creators, and the ongoing development of leadership through storytelling.