Reflections from the road: exploring student outcomes and perceptions of an undergraduate Honors Leadership Academy

Purpose Leadership can be developed through interdisciplinary teaching with a focus on innovation and design thinking, and travel as an experiential learning exercise. Design thinking encourages students to engage in problem solving from an interdisciplinary lens, often resulting in personal growth. Place as Text allows students to explore places experientially, and often results in increased motivation, engagement and learning when included in courses. The purpose of the current study was to explore how participation in an Honors Leadership Academy that combined instruction and travel impacted student perceptions of growth, learning and self-report of leadership values. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-method design was used in the current study. Four cohorts of undergraduate honors students ( n = 30) enrolled in an Honors Leadership Academy rated their leadership values at pre- and post-participation in the academy. Students also completed reflection essays at the conclusion of their experience in the academy. Essays were coded and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis to assess growth or changes in leadership values and learning overall. Findings Participation in the academy resulted in improvement in participants’ ratings of their leadership values. Thematic analyses revealed growth in students’ leadership knowledge, peer relationships, self-discovery, appreciation for collaboration, connection to the college/university and place-based learning. Originality/value The current study highlights how an interdisciplinary, collaborative Honors Leadership Academy that combines instruction with travel can promote students’ understanding and growth in leadership values and learning through an innovative model. This study also adds to the literature specifically exploring leadership development in undergraduate honors students.