1. ALED 485 Updated September 2013 Page 1
Veteran Student Directed Studies
3 Hours Credit
Name: Michael Sayre
UIN: 909008587
Semester: Fall 2013
Final Project Due Date: December 2, 2013
This project is designed only for veteran students or currently active military students. Military
contracted students are not eligible. Students must have completed ALED 301 and ALED 340.
We also recommend completing/co-enrolling in ALED 426.
Format:
1. Your Portfolio must be a bound document and look professional.
2. Grammar and editing are important.
3. Clearly label each graded section from the list below.
4. Papers are to be double spaced in Times New Roman, Ariel or Calibri font,
with 1” margins.
Each Portfolio should include:
1. Cover Sheet with name, date, title
2. Personal experience (50 pts)
3. Observed leadership theories and/or competencies (40 pts)
4. Analysis of identified leadership theories and/or competencies (100 pts)
5. Course Syllabus (200 pts)
6. Overall Professional presentation (10 pts)
Total Possible Points: 400
According to Roberts (2008), “reflection has been named as one of the key competencies needed
for effective leaders particularly as the workplace grows more complex and multicultural” (p.
116). Reflection is critical to the development of leaders, however, it is often overlooked in the
experiential learning cycle. This assignment is to serve as a tool for engagement in the reflective
process by encouraging veteran and active military leadership majors to critique and synthesize
their past experiences and leadership coursework.

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Internship Portfolio Assignment Descriptions
1. Provide an overview of your personal leadership experience while in active
duty. This can be an overview of your entire military career or one specific
event that really impacted your view of leadership. Please give as much
detail as you are comfortable with sharing.
2. Based on your experiences in active duty, list 3 major leadership theories or
competencies (you have learned about while a leadership student; at least
1 concept must be discussed from each ALED 340 and 301) experienced
and “saw first-hand.” These experiences could be you observing leadership
from others or yourself and can be positive or negative experiences. Give a
brief overview of those experiences and why you identified them as such. A
list of competencies is included, although you may select other leadership
theories or practices you discovered in your coursework.
3. Analyze each competency or theory you experienced. What did you think
worked in that experience? What did not work? What recommendations
do you have to improve that leadership experience?
4. Considering the leadership theories or competencies you selected, your
personal experiences as a Veteran/Active Duty soldier and as a student,
create a 1 credit hour course and syllabus. This undergraduate course
should be designed for active duty/veteran Ag Leadership/University
Studies-Leadership students who are required to take this 1 hour course
their first semester as a student in our department. More details are given
below.
5. Organization and presentation of portfolio

3. ALED 485 Updated September 2013 Page 3
Course Syllabus Overview:
Think about what topics are important for leadership majors to understand, tips for surviving
college/Texas A&M, and what you know now that you wish you had known as a Veteran and/or
Active MIlitary student.
You will create a course packet that includes a course calendar, assignment descriptions, class
content (topics to cover), and class set-up (if needed) for the course. 1 credit hour courses meet
for 50 minutes for 15 weeks during a semester.
Course Objectives: Make a list of at least 5 objectives for the course. What do you want the
students to master by the end of the semester? What is the purpose of the course?
Course Calendar: Create a table that lists the week, topic for each class, and when assignments
are due
Class Set Up: Describe how you would set up the classroom. Would classes be lecture-based?
Will there be guest speakers (if so, who)? Will students have assigned seats? Will they work in
teams? Partners? Or a combination of all? Will it depend on the class topic for the day?
Class Content: Briefly describe the topics you feel need to be covered in each class session. For
each class day, provide at least a paragraph and/or notes on the content that is to be covered.
You do not need to provide the actual presentation (although you are welcome to), but include
some detail about the content and how it will be presented. You can provide an agenda, bullet
points, description about the class activity (ex: Students will partner up and discuss topic), etc.
Assignment Descriptions: Create at least 2 assignments for the students to complete. The
assignments should reflect the course content, the course objectives, and help the students
apply the topic at hand. You are creating what will be presented to the students in the
rubric/assignment descriptions so be sure to include details about the expectations of the
entire assignment. Also, if needed, add a few sentences for each assignment that explains what
topic this covers and why you feel this is an important assignment.
For your reference, a syllabus template can be found online:
http://curricularservices.tamu.edu/minimum-syllabus-requirements/

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Leadership Competencies
Below are brief samples of Leadership Competencies. This can be used in conjunction with
leadership theories.
COMMUNICATION
Active listening…Understanding that actually hearing what someone says is the best way to
open lines of communication
Oral communication…Understanding the importance of effective speaking and listening skills
Presentation skills…Ability to effectively communicate goals and ideas verbally to a
variety of audiences
Technology…Possessing a familiarity with new types of communication technology (internet,
etc.) and where resources/assistance can be found.
Writing skills…Ability to express oneself effectively through letters, memos, reports, position
papers, etc.
DIVERSITY
Cultural Appreciation…Ability to value other cultures’ customs and beliefs
Cultural Competence…Ability to effectively interact with other cultures in diverse settings
ENVISIONING
Creativity…Ability to “think outside of the box”
Develop teams…Ability to align individuals into working groups so as to achieve goals
Strategic Planning…Ability to gain and create commitments to long term goals which provide a
framework for the organization
Risk-taking…Having the courage to try new ventures
MENTORING
Career Development Skills…Understanding the organization’s needs, and the processes
required to achieve the individual’s goals in the organization
Coaching skills…Understanding an individual’s motivation while providing assistance towards
goal achievement
Self-awareness…Identifying and clarifying one’s own values, strengths and weaknesses
Staff Development…Understanding adult learning styles to optimize effectiveness of personal
and professional development programs
PROFESSIONALISM & ETHICS
Personal and Professional Ethics…Possessing an appropriate code of values and beliefs which
govern the behavior of an individual in the home, workplace, and community
Personal Responsibility…Cultivate an atmosphere of accountability and taking pride in
performance
PROBLEM SOLVING
Critical thinking…Ability to clearly analyze the problem/situation and make logical, well-
informed choices
Creativity…Ability to find innovative solutions to problems
Consensus building…Familiarity with techniques to enhance cooperation in the group
Personal judgment…Understanding the role of values and emotions in making decisions

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TEAMWORK
Collaboration…Facilitate the efforts of numerous groups or individuals in working together for a
common goal
Committee Leadership…Understanding group dynamics and power structures
Conflict management and resolution…Ability to work within a group to achieve desired (or
satisfactory) results
Delegation…Ability to share power amongst members of a group
Evaluation…Ability to provide feedback in a positive manner (constructive criticism)
WORKING WITH CHANGE
Commitment…Possessing a level of dedication to the organization, wanting to see it achieve its
goals and mission in times of transition
Creativity…Finding creative ways to address change in an organization
Motivation…Ability to encourage groups and individuals to work through difficult situations in
an organization
Stress Management…Ability to handle stress, individually and as part of a group

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Notes
Any coursework or assignments completed in this course may be used, after the conclusion of
the current academic semester, for research, evaluation, or demonstration purposes, without
students’ written consent or notification. Any method of identifying a single individual will be
removed prior to using student coursework or assignments for research, evaluation, or
demonstration purposes. Any student may request to have their coursework or assignments
excluded from research, evaluation, or demonstration efforts, without penalty, by submitting a
written objection to the course instructor
References
Roberts, C. (2008). Developing future leaders: The role of reflection in the classroom. Journal of
Leadership Education, 7(1), 116-130.