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Dr. Megan S. Downing
Associate Professor of Organizational Leadership
I hope students in my courses develop an increased level of self-awareness and understanding of others and develop a passion for lifelong learning.
Degrees Held:
- Ed.D., Educational Leadership – Northern Kentucky University, 2012
- Graduate Certificate, College Student Development/Higher Education Administration – Northern Kentucky University, 2009
- M.S. in Information Systems – Northern Kentucky University, 2006
- B.S. in Office Systems Technology/Business Education – Northern Kentucky University, 2002
Career Highlights:
- Started teaching online at NKU as an adjunct professor in 2006 and became a full-time professor in 2010
- Teach a variety of courses in organizational leadership, both online and in the classroom
- Serve as the faculty advisor for the NKU online and on-campus chapters of the National Society of Leadership and Success
- Research interests focus on leadership education and leadership development, impostor phenomenon, and student philanthropy
- Active member of the Association of Leadership Educators as well as the International Leadership Association
- Have presented my research findings at national and international conferences in London, England; Barcelona, Spain; Montreal and Ottawa, Canada
Which online degree program(s) do you teach?
Which classes do you teach online?
LDR 385: Teamwork in Organizations; LDR 480: Organizational Leadership Capstone; LDR 308: Leadership Development; LDR 160: Leadership Around the World; LDR 382: Organizational Theory & Change; Special Topics Courses in Leadership and Film and Self Leadership
What do you want students in your courses to learn? What is the learning outcome or objective?
I hope students in my courses develop an increased level of self-awareness and understanding of others and develop a passion for lifelong learning. I want students to learn the targeted course learning outcomes and while doing so to consider the course content and its application in context with real-world situations and experiences.
Why did you start teaching?
I enjoy working with students from all walks of life and all levels of experience as they strive to obtain an education that will help them achieve their goals. As a first-generation student myself, I truly appreciate the opportunity to work with students on their educational journey.
What advice would you give to those considering this online program?
My advice is to develop a master calendar to stay organized. It's also a great strategy to front-load coursework and reading to avoid pushing work to the deadline. This provides a little wiggle room in case of the unexpected. It's also very helpful to schedule time for reading, coursework, and online engagement into the daily and weekly routine. Also, avoid procrastination—one tactic that can help with this is to allow time for self-reward after accomplishing a task.
What qualities make someone particularly successful in the field in which you teach?
I encourage students in organizational leadership studies to build a healthy level of self-awareness and emotional intelligence and to hone their communication skills (including active listening), all of which will contribute to their capacity to work with people. It is also essential to develop critical-thinking skills for organizational problem-solving and decision-making. Finally, it is important for students of organizational leadership to embrace lifelong learning so they can continually develop their leadership skills and navigate organizational change.
What is the one book you think everyone should read?
"Biased” by Jennifer Eberhardt.
Tell us something interesting about yourself that your students may not know about you.
I once worked as a critical-care ICU and home health nurse and switched careers as an adult. As a result, my academic experience was very nontraditional, and I took advantage of every available nontraditional learning option (and those options were very few at the time)! I believe this is one reason why I'm so very passionate about making the online learning experience as positive as possible for the students I teach.
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