Washington State University’s Tidal Leadership certificate program has won the 2016 Online Learning Consortium’s Outstanding Online Program award, which recognizes an outstanding online program offered by a member institution. Award criteria include access, learning, effectiveness, cost effectiveness, as well as student and faculty satisfaction.
Tidal Leadership is offered online through the WSU Center for Transformational Learning and Leadership (CTLL) and WSU Global Campus. The certificate program supports participants around the country and world who are seeking transformational leadership skills for personal and professional growth.
David Cillay, vice president of WSU Global Campus, serves on the OLC board. His team of Global Campus instructional designers and media developers worked with Tidal Leadership subject matter experts to identify goals for the course and then translated these expected outcomes online in an asynchronous environment. Media developers also created and produced videos and interactive activities featured within the course space.
Kim Kidwell, former executive associate dean of the WSU College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences and founding director of the CTLL, said Tidal Leadership aims to help participants manifest their leadership potential regardless of their title, duties, or position, through customized coursework focused on their personal leadership challenges and goals.
“A person’s job title, such as executive director, signifies that the person is in a leadership role but a title does not always accurately reflect a person’s effectiveness as a leader,” said Kidwell. “Tidal leadership focuses on consciously creating a value-based leadership platform that is applicable regardless of one’s job title.”
Cillay said the convenient online format is ideal for working professionals regardless of work schedule or location.
“The online, asynchronous course allows working professionals to engage during the time they have available, from wherever they are,” he said. “The learning doesn’t have to stop because someone is travelling for work or because their shift changes from a day shift to a night shift.”
Registration for Tidal Leadership in 2017 is now open. Classes start for Graduate Students on January 9 and on February 6 for Working Professionals and for Women. Visit tidal.wsu.edu to register or call (509) 335-0049.
The Online Learning Consortium (OLC) is the leading global professional organization dedicated to providing access to high quality e-education and incorporating online learning in mainstream education. The award will be presented to members of the WSU Tidal Leadership team at the OLC’s 2016 annual meeting on November 17, in Orlando, Fla.