IT Leadership from Florida State University

National CAE Designated Institution

Classroom
Online, Instructor-Led

This course focuses on leadership which includes individual and group communication, project planning, strategy, and individual development, with a focus on Information Technology and its uses. Students participating in this class will actively design, implement, and coordinate numerous ongoing projects that build a strong team atmosphere and allow students to gain valuable leadership, communication, and organizational skills within the context of contemporary IT organizations. Projects focus on exposing, engaging, and recruiting women and minorities to the IT/computing field, promoting the IT/ICT major, community technology engagement, and K-12 tech initiatives. Students will address specific issues relating to leadership, management, and motivation within the context of contemporary IT organizations. Students will be actively involved in mentoring other students and will serve as role models for their peers. Together, students will learn and share ideas about leadership in order to develop both a personalized theory of leadership and a leadership action plan for the future. This class gives us an opportunity to explore what leadership means, what it requires, and how it is done.

Learning Objectives

Discuss various concepts, theories, and principles of leadership, communication, and motivation, including their own.
Discuss challenges, concerns, and opportunities (related to creating and leading effective teams, to coordinate and leading creativity and innovation, and to lead change and transition) in contemporary IT organizations.
Discuss ethical issues related to leadership.
Identify and implement activities that promote diversity in computing, and collaborate on efforts to increase diversity in IT/computing professions.
Prepare and lead class discussions that focus on IT leadership, team dynamics, and group communication.
Create a Personal Leadership Action Plan that includes the student’s own theory of leadership, a self-assessment, and her/his personal and professional career goals.
Analyze the leader’s role in the team-oriented environment; critique strategies for building, maintaining, and evaluating teams; and identify methods for assessing team performance.
Evaluate techniques for creating effective team dynamics.