Program Overview
"For any approach to school leadership to work in the long run it has to connect with a person's heart, head, and hands. That is, a person's leadership stance, the basic position one operates from, needs to feel right, make sense, and enable complex issues to be handled with skill, and even, at times, artistry" (Novak, 2009, p. 53).
The Leading with Heart four-course topic is an opportunity for those interested in leadership to connect this grand topic with the personal vision and wellness held by both self and other. Leadership theory will be explored from a lens of personal understanding that acknowledges the importance of place and of wellness while challenging preconceived notions of leadership and followership. This four-course graduate topic examines the relational aspects of leadership while giving voice to the importance of ethics and personal vision in the implementation of leadership mission and mandate. Students will examine their personal understandings of leadership and, through mindful leadership, will examine the effects of relationships and professional culture on teachers, students and community. The Leading with Heart four-course topic is rooted theoretically in the work of authors examining wellness, vision and authenticity in leadership.
Program Details
Courses in this program are offered in a blended format. Consisting of our summer residency, an on campus experience held in Summer with online work completed before and/or after your time in Calgary. Fall, Winter, and Spring courses are typically held fully online through Desire2Learn and Zoom. For additional information regarding online delivery, refer to the eLearn website.
Program Goals
- To increase awareness of the role of personal vision and wellness in educational leadership.
- To assist educational leaders in furthering discussion and learning about authenticity, vision and wellness as key aspects of leadership and staff development.
- To assist current and future educational leaders to envision and enact a personal theory of leadership that enhances the personal wellness of staff and students while remaining cognizant of current educational realities.
Target Audience:
- Educators with an interest in leadership
- Educators and consultants who work in the intersections of wellness, authenticity, vision and leadership
- Professionals in the areas of leadership design and development
A registration package will be sent to new students after they have been admitted. Registration for the summer term will be available in late winter. Fall and Winter registration opens in the spring. Your Graduate Program Administrator will send more information about registration to you.
Fee details are available through the University Calendar. An explanation of fees is available on the Faculty of Graduate Studies' website.
The University of Calgary offers multiple ways to meet the cost of your education. Please refer to the Awards, Scholarships and Bursaries page to learn more about options available to students. For additional information, please contact Student Financial Support.
Please refer to the MEd Interdisciplinary Admission Requirements page.
Program Schedule & Course Descriptions
Summer Residency 2023
Summer classes run from Monday, June 26 - Tuesday, August 8, 2023.
Students are expected to be available for this period of time and able to complete online course work before and after the summer residency period. Further details will be available in the course outline.
On campus summer residency dates are Monday, July 10 - Friday, July 21, 2023.
Program Notes
Program begins each Summer term (refer to the Academic Schedule for specific dates)
Outlines are normally available 1-2 weeks prior to the start of term in D2L
3 units per course
Term 1 - Summer
Leading with Heart: Theoretical Foundations
This course introduces students to key leadership theorists with a focus on the importance of knowing oneself and one's personal views and educational purpose. Students will come to understand the importance and power of theory in the development of a personal vision for leadership. This theory will be employed to challenge the preconceived notions of students around the purposes for and effects of leadership in educational institutions. Students will be required to examine those theorists that both support and challenge their currently held beliefs about leadership.
Registration info:
EDER 619.38 L03 (1465)
Term 1 - Summer
Mindful Leadership: Understanding Personal Vision
In conjunction with the previously described course, this course asks students to examine the role of wellness and mindfulness in their leadership practices. Fundamentally, mindfulness asks us to be wholly present in and aware of each moment as it occurs and to respond to that moment in a non-judgemental and open manner. Through the practice of mindfulness, students will be invited to examine the reactive tendencies of self and others and to consider how mindfulness practices could impact their current and future leadership development.
Registration info:
EDER 619.40 L04 (1466)
Term 2 - Fall
Beyond Self: Leading Education with Heart
Ideas regarding leadership and followership imbue all educational institutions in different ways and are a reflection of various components including school culture, school diversity and the relationships that exist between the various power structures at play. Students will be asked to assess their role in the leadership of their particular professional context, with particular attention being given to their ability to enact a personal vision of leadership that enhances the culture and promotes positive change in their educational context.
Registration info:
EDER 619.36 (TBD)
Term 3 - Winter
Sustainable Leadership: Enacting Leadership with Heart
This course asks students to bring together the key concepts in the previous three courses in the development of a leadership framework and action plan that includes understandings of leadership theory, wellness and personal vision. The development and implementation of this framework will then act as the basis for examination and challenging of leadership theories that prioritize the relational. Students will ultimately critique the development and implementation of their leadership framework and will provide evidence-based recommendations for those who wish to lead with heart.
Registration info:
EDER 619.47 L05 (3240)
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