Leadership Formation
An 8-week leadership experience focused not only on what leaders do, but who they are becoming. Through four developmental “Prints”—Blueprint, Fingerprint, Thumbprint, and Footprint—participants clarify purpose, identity, leadership signature, and influence, culminating in a personalized Leadership Formation Print Map™ and Values Charter™
Cost: $3499.00
Start Date: October 22, 2026
Residency Dates: October 22 - 24, 2026 | Clark Atlanta University
End Date: December 19, 2026
Purpose
This eight-week leadership formation experience invites participants to move beyond acquiring leadership tools and techniques to examine the deeper foundations that shape how they lead: purpose, identity, values, character, decision-making, influence, and legacy. Leadership development focuses primarily on what you do as a leader. Leadership formation asks a deeper question: Who are you becoming as a leader? The distinction matters. The strategies, skills, and behaviors leaders use are ultimately shaped by the person using them. Sustainable leadership begins with greater clarity about the values, beliefs, purpose, and character that guide those choices.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
Differentiate a clear understanding of the difference between leadership development (what you do) and leadership formation (who you are) and why formation must come first.
Define your Blueprint — a defined sense of personal purpose and the “why” behind your leadership.
Map your Fingerprint — a mapped set of core values, beliefs, and character that shape how you lead and relate to others.
Develop your Thumbprint — an honest picture of your leadership signature, including the impact you leave behind every environment, even when you are not in the room.
Clarify your Footprint — a clear-eyed assessment of your sphere of influence, the quality of your decisions, and the legacy you are building.
Complete a Leadership Formation Print Map™ and Values Charter™ — a personal, one-page leadership identity document that brings all Four Prints together into something you can actually use.
Learner Engagement
Earning the 4 CEUs associated with this course requires participants to engage in one 3-day in-person residency (Thursday through Saturday) followed by guided asynchronous and live virtual sessions across the remaining seven weeks — a minimum of 40 hours of instructional interaction over 8 weeks. Beyond these hours, you will also spend time in personal reflection, real-world practice, and dialogue with your cohort.
Requirements
Hardware: A laptop or tablet with a working camera and microphone for virtual sessions.
Platform: Access to CAU's Canvas learning management system and the course community space (login provided upon enrollment confirmation). Cohorts run 12–18 participants, kept intentionally small enough for real reflection and honest dialogue.
Course Schedule of Activities
Asynchronous Activities: Weekly modules include assigned readings, assignments with various digital tools, quizzes, and tasks related to participants personal goals din addition to the seminars.
Week | Topics/Tasks |
Week 1 | Orientation (Asynchronous) Get set up in Canvas and the course community space, meet your cohort online, and complete your “Leadership Best” reflection — a personal writing exercise that becomes the foundation for the work ahead. |
Week 2 | In-Person Residency (Thursday – Saturday) Thursday: Check-in, program kickoff, welcome dinner, and the start of Module 1 — Blueprint (Purpose). Friday – 8:15 AM – 4:30 PM: Blueprint (Purpose) completes; Module 2 — Fingerprint (Identity) begins. Saturday – 8:15 AM – 4:30 PM: Fingerprint (Identity) completes with your Values Charter — presented publicly to your cohort, followed by a commitment ceremony. |
Week 3-4 | Module 3 — Thumbprint (Signature) A live session on how you show up as a leader, followed by a real-world feedback exercise — you will check your own sense of your leadership signature against how the people around you actually experience it. Reflect and share with your cohort online. |
Week 5-6 | Module 4 — Footprint (Influence) A live session on your sphere of influence, decision-making, and the legacy you are building — followed by applied work on real decisions from your own leadership context, with reflection and dialogue in your cohort community. |
Week 7 | Module 5 — Print Mapping A guided live session bringing all Four Prints together into your personal Leadership Formation Print Map — the practical document you will carry forward from this course. |
Week 8 | Virtual Celebration of Leadership You will present your completed Print Map to your cohort in a live virtual session, mark your commitment to sustained, purposeful leadership, and receive your Clark Atlanta University specialty certificate and digital badge. |
About the Instructor
Dr. Thando Sibanda, Ph.D., is a leadership scholar-practitioner, executive coach, and curriculum designer whose work spans the classroom, the boardroom, and global leadership development initiatives, including the Mandela Washington Fellowship and the Global Influence Summit.
On the web: http://www.drthando.com/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drthandosibanda
NOTE: The instructor holds proprietary interest in the frameworks and resources used in this course, including Leadership Formation Science and The Four Prints. Participants are under no obligation to purchase any additional materials or services. Opportunities to continue this work independently with the instructor may be available outside of this CAU course.
Faculty Development Institute (FDI) Learner-Centered Instructional Design
- Recognize the features of learner-center instructional design with 85% accuracy;
- Develop a refined teaching and learning philosophy that addresses each of the features of Learner-Centered Instructional Design; and
- Apply effective instructional practices to transform a course from a teaching system to a learning system and include at least one of the following: digital learning, adaptive learning or scholarly inquiry.
Faculty Development Institute Sample ScheduleDay 1 - FOUNDATIONS
8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. – Registration/Coffee and Conversation 9:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. (15 Minute Break Included) Welcome, purpose, outcomes, norms Icebreaker Introduction to conceptual framework Philosophy of teaching and learning Principles for learning-centered instructional design Noon - 12:45 p.m. - Lunch 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (15 Minute Break Included) RRR--Philosophy The nature of learners Voice of students 4:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. Session reflection and feedback Day 2 – ENGAGING LEARNERS 8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. - Coffee and conversations 9:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. (15 Minute Break Included) Learning Outcomes Concurrent Sessions 9:45 a.m. -10:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. -11:30 a.m. Instructional technique – Marzano’s strategies Culturally responsive learning environments Noon - 12:45 p.m. – Lunch 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (15 Minute Break Included) Metacognition Course redesign Learning outcomes applied Adaptive Learning, Digital Learning, and Scholarly Inquiry Preview 4:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. Session reflection and feedback Day 3 – DESIGN APPLICATIONS 8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. - Coffee and Conversations 9:00 am – Noon (15 Minute Break Included) Classroom assessment techniques Applied Workshops (Concurrent Sessions): Adaptive Learning Digital Learning Scholarly Inquiry Noon - 12:45 p.m. - Lunch 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (15 Minute Break Included) Syllabus Self-assessment rubric 4:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. Session reflection and feedback
Day 4 – FEEDBACK/REFINING8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. – Coffee and Conversation 9:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. - Self assessment/Refining (15 Minute Break Included 12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. – Lunch 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Presentations Tuning Protocol 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. - Closing Celebration Provost’s Address Recognition of Best and Promising Practices Certification Distribution 4:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. Institute reflection and evaluation
Technical Requirements
Hardware Requirements: PC or Mac device; Webcam required for synchronous sessions.
Software Requirements: PC: Windows 8 or newer; Mac: OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred.
Other: Internet access, email capabilities, access to a personal email account, access to a Zoom account.
Materials and Text
Related Careers:
tbd
- Dates: Spring 2022
- Time: TBD
- Location: CAU Online
- Tuition: $225.00
Course Information:
2 CEUs
Instructor:
Dr. Mary Hooper
Discount Opportunity
Students who previously completed PLACE courses and Clark Atlanta University Alumni are eligible for a discount. Select 'Contact PLACE Advisor' below to request promo code.
Instructional Leadership for Learning and Equity in Schools
Instructional Leadership for Learning and Equity
Purpose
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Identify appropriate processes and protocols to support collaborative review of required curriculum and standards for learning;
- Design an effective instructional framework that accurately clarifies and confirms expectations for teaching and assessment; and
- Document successful implementation of appropriate feedback practices to create capacity for improved teaching and learning.
Learner Engagement
Earning the 3 CEUs associated with this hybrid course requires learners to engage in both face-to-face and asynchronous online learning activities designed to maximize reflective interactions related to applied practice assignments for a total of thirty (30) hours of instructional contact. This hybrid course will be delivered 30% online. This requires the online equivalent of 540 minutes of engagement to include discussion posts (120 minutes), online assignments/assessments (120 minutes), applied practice assignments (120 minutes) and synchronous mentoring meetings with instructor (180 minutes).
Course Schedule of Activities
· On-Campus Seminars (Four): 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Each seminar is structured to provide 5.5
· Asynchronous and Synchronous Activities: Weekly applied practice and online and tasks
Requirements
Materials and Text
NOTE: The instructor may have a proprietary interest in some of the resources used in this course. Participants are under no obligation to pay for any resources beyond those provided as part of the established registration fee.
Related Careers:
tbd
- Dates: Spring 2022
- Time: TBD
- Location: CAU Online
- Tuition: $325.00
Course Information:
3 CEUs
Instructor:
Dr. Mary Hooper
Discount Opportunity
Students who previously completed PLACE courses and Clark Atlanta University Alumni are eligible for a discount. Select 'Contact PLACE Advisor' below to request promo code.
tTEC - CAU Online Teaching Certification
- Describe essential components of a quality online course is in the context of their discipline;
- Demonstrate proficiency with key features of the Learning Management System;
- Develop measurable learning outcomes and assessments for each module informed by the course outcomes and assessments in the approved CAU curriculum;
- Identify digital learning tools to promote appropriate learner engagement aligned to module and course outcomes; and
- Design a complete course that meets all requirements of the CAU QM Standards.
Course Schedule of Activities
· Weekly Synchronous Seminars (Five): 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM (Each seminar will have a corresponding eLearning module available 24 hours following the synchronous session as an option to attending the five weekly seminars)
· Asynchronous Activities: Weekly modules include readings, assignments with various digital tools, quizzes, and tasks related to participants course design in addition to the seminars.
Technical Requirements
Hardware Requirements: PC or Mac device; Webcam required for synchronous sessions.
Software Requirements: PC: Windows 8 or newer; Mac: OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred.
Other: Internet access, email capabilities, access to a personal email account, access to a Zoom account.
Materials and Text
NOTE: The instructor may have a proprietary interest in some of the resources used in this course. Participants are under no obligation to pay for any resources beyond
those provided as part of the established registration fee.Related Careers:
tbd
- Dates: Spring 2022
- Time: TBD
- Location: CAU Online
- Tuition: $225.00
Course Information:
2 CEUs
Discount Opportunity
Students who previously completed PLACE courses and Clark Atlanta University Alumni are eligible for a discount. Select 'Contact PLACE Advisor' below to request promo code.
