Leadership assignment

A leadership assignment is an assignment or project that gives students the opportunity to develop and practice leadership skills. For example, by leading a group or team, organising an event or carrying out a project. You can also use roleplays or simulations to practice or test leadership. In addition, reflection is an important part of developing and improving leadership skills. 

Leadership can be tested in different ways through an assignment, some examples:

• Reflection – have your students write a reflection on their experiences during the assignment, describing what skills they developed, what challenges they experienced and how they will improve their leadership in the future.
• Evaluation by group members – if the assignment focuses on leading a group, you can ask group members to evaluate the leader on aspects such as communication, decision-making and conflict management.
• Presentation – have students give a presentation on the project or assignment, demonstrating their leadership style and skills.
• Evaluation by you as the teacher – evaluate the students based on their performance during the assignment, such as their ability to achieve goals, their ability to solve problems and their ability to lead a team.

A combination of different methods often gives more insight into the student’s leadership skills and provides a balanced picture.

Tip: let your students first analyse their own leadership style, and determine which skills they want to develop. After this, they can better find an assignment or project that allows them to practise these skills.

Want to know more?

• How to assess your leadership skills? – Northeastern University
• The assessment of interdisciplinary education is no longer a hurdle– Universiteit Utrecht

See also: Simulatie, Roleplay

Tools: FeedbackFruits Skill Review, FeedbackFruits Self Assessment of Skills, FeedbackFruits Group Member Evaluation.

VU Taxonomy?

Interpersonal skills
Own reflexive attitude and responsibility in society
Responsible for own study career and study success

What total group size?

More than one hundred
Between fifty and one hundred
Up to fifty
Up to twenty five

What activity group size?

Individual
Small group (2-4 pers)
Medium Group (5-12 pers)