Welcome to the first blog post of LRNT525! I have been looking forward to this course, and I am excited to get started! For this blog post, I have been tasked with defining important attributes of a leader when working in digital learning environments. To begin with, I would like to define what a leader is, as it can be a subjective term that changes depending on the time and context. For example, a person who lived during world war two probably would define a leader differently than we would today. Collins (n.d.) describes a leader as “The leader of a group of people, or an organization is the person who is in control of it or in charge of it” (para. 1). However, Secretan (2004), as cited in Workman and Cleveland-Innes (2012), provides a different definition, describing a leader as “the main source of inspiration, personal development, support, and guidance” (p. 1) to followers. I align more with Secretan’s definition as I believe a leader’s role is to inspire and guide their followers towards improvement, leading by example. I think Collins definition is better suited for that of a boss or manager. Hopefully, the boss or manager can be a leader, however, we have all had bosses who aren’t leaders.
Moving on, I would like to focus on two key attributes that leaders should possess in digital learning environments. From the previous activity, I identified a leader as someone who is supportive, honest, and dependable. However, for this post, I want to focus on two attributes for leaders in digital learning spaces, and these attributes are transparent and forward-thinking.
Transparent
Dr. Subramanian (2012), a professor of management and business consultation, found that when leaders were transparent, trust, openness, and tolerance developed within their organizations. To be a leader in any field, one must have these traits in relationships formed, especially in digital learning environments. This attribute is even more important in digital learning environments, as participants may not have the opportunity to interact face-to-face. Transparency is crucial to establish trust and fostering a positive learning environment (Subramanian, 2012).
Forward-thinking
This attribute is extremely important for all leaders working in digital learning environments. West Virginia University (n.d.) found that forward-thinking leaders must be able to “observe and seek trends”. An example of leadership by observing trends is companies utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in the edtech sector. While there has been significant pushback in AI since ChatGPT, a chatbot capable of passing graduate-level exams (Kelly, 2023). Several companies have embraced AI to aid teachers in marking, developing test questions, and providing real-time feedback (Haddad, 2021). Instead of resisting the technology, these companies have taken leadership in the field and used the available technology to be innovative.
While I have just started this course, it has really got me thinking about what it means to be a leader in the digital learning sphere. I look forward to further broadening my knowledge over the next few months!
References:
Collins. (n.d.). Definition of leader. Collins. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/leader
Haddad, S. (2021). Questioning the role of AI in exam marking. Raconteur. https://www.raconteur.net/digital/questioning-the-role-of-ai-in-exam-marking/
Kelly, S. (2023). ChatGPT passes exams from law and business schools. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/26/tech/chatgpt-passes-exams/index.html
Subramanian, K. (2017). Psychological contract and transparent leadership in organizations. International Research Journal of Advanced Engineering and Science, 2(1), 60-65. http://irjaes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/IRJAES-V2N1P19Y17.pdf
West Virginia University. (n.d.). 3 tips how to be a strategic forward-thinking leader [Infographic]. https://libguides.ecu.edu/c.php?g=982594&p=7463673
Workman, T., & Cleveland-Innes, M. (2012). Leadership, personal transformation, and management. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 13(4), 313-323. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v13i4.1383
February 5, 2023 at 8:12 pm
Hi Tim, I kept nodding your head as I ready your post! 🙂 You make lots of great points here. I agree that “transparent” was a characteristic notably left off of the list that I also felt should have been included. However, I hadn’t considered the argument that transparency is even more important when one doesn’t have the opportunity to interact face-to-face. I was part of a board who exclusively met on Zoom over the pandemic (as everyone did) and unfortunately the board fell apart due to a lack of trust (that was largely due to members missing digital exchanges – that could have easily been avoided in person).
Open communication is a large part of creating a transparent culture modelled by leaders at a workplace. As was also noted by Castelli (2016), a leader who is seen to be open and involved, seeking feedback and dialogue with employees is going to be much more successful at creating trust than one who doesn’t.
Reference
Castelli, P. (2016). Reflective leadership review: a framework for improving organisational performance. Journal of Management Development, 35(2), 217-236. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-08-2015-0112
February 6, 2023 at 12:06 pm
Hi Alex,
Thank you for your comment! I agree that open communication helps with transparency. These two traits go hand in hand. I think we all saw during the pandemic when leaders weren’t open in communication and that really affected the amount of trust they had within their teams.
Thank you!
Tim
February 5, 2023 at 8:57 pm
Hi Tim,
Thanks for your post – I appreciated your sharing how important transparency and forward-looking are for DL environments. I agree with the idea that transparency is that much more important when working virtually – I think we found that as we move to more remote learning and working that communication needs to be much more visible. Reflecting on my own organization, our internal work processes and communications often happened in informal F2F interactions – stopping by a desk, bumping into someone in the hall. As we changed our work practice to more online communication, these informal interactions have not been replicated or replaced and people feel like they are missing out on needed information. I think forward-looking leaders will need to carefully consider what open communication looks like (and what kinds of tools/spaces) we can use. How do you ensure that you are creating spaces for everyone’s voices (and that they feel the kind of trust needed to openly share? As you highlight – this is equally important in digital learning environments.
February 6, 2023 at 12:14 pm
Hi Michelle,
Thank you for your comment! I agree with you in that a lot of the informal communications have been missing since moving online. As an instructor, I believe these interactions have also been missing from the student experience. I have often bumped into students in the hallways and a dialogue has started about a question they may have. This interaction wouldn’t have happened in a DLE. I am curious if there are any authentic ways to replicate this in DLE’s.
This comment has given me a lot to reflect on!
Thanks,
Tim