Printer Friendly VersionLIOS Graduate College leadership training is rooted in self-development through integrated, rigorous course work in the science of training a professional, competent practitioner.
Experiential Learning
The LIOS educational setting may be seen as a laboratory. The student is both scientist and subject in the systematic exploration of self, and self in relation to others. Because course content is related to the student's immediate experience, the educational process takes the form of a series of discoveries about others, about self and about the ways perceptions and judgments affect interactions, choices and actions.
By means of individual, one-on-one, and group work, focused simulations, lecture, videotaped interactive presentations, and consistent feedback from faculty and peers, students have numerous opportunities to apply their knowledge, practice their skills, experiment with change and resistance, and shape events and interactions.
Cohort Learning
The LIOS educational process is enriched by the context in which it takes place, a community committed to learning, especially from its own socio-economic, racial, cultural and gender diversity. Additionally, the faculty-to-student ratio stands at 1:8.
A key aspect of LIOS experiential education is the modular format of class delivery. Modular classes are scheduled for a sequence of days (four to five in a row), with residential stays encouraged for the duration of the conference. (Students are strongly encouraged to stay in residency at the hotel during all seven conferences, but residency at the first and fifth conference is mandatory.) This format provides an environment that fosters community growth and development, helps to build trust, and encourages learning without outside distractions. Modular course work takes the student out of known contexts and relationships, and immerses them in an educational experience that is transformative and enriching.
Applied Behavioral Science
Applied behavioral science (ABS) refers to the collection of theories and skills that places the self of the practitioner in the center of observed events. Rather than approaching events from the outside, as a detached observer, applied behavioral scientists recognize how past and present experiences influence their perceptions of and responses to events.
ABS studies rest on the premise that dynamic leadership training starts with self. The goals of this conscious-raising process are: (1) to contribute to the health of any human community; and (2) to promote healthy systems in every context through responsible interventions. ABS can be defined as "the art and science of getting things done through and with others."
Systems Theory
Systems theory is a study that recognizes a system as an entity that maintains its existence, and functions as a whole, through the interaction of its parts. Scientific systems theory may focus on an organism, an animal or plant population, or an entire ecosystem. Human systems theory may focus on an individual, a family, a community, or an organization. A key component to systems theory is the belief that you cannot know a particular system by reducing analysis to its parts or components, but rather you need to analyze or engage with that system in its entirety. At LIOS, students learn the skills needed to analyze and improve a system and its processes whether on a client, group, or organizational level.
