Amy J. Hauenstein is the Director of Curriculum and Non-Degree Programs for the MSC program and Adjunct Faculty for the program. She is an experienced academic program administrator and manager, with expertise in formal and informal curriculum development, andragogy, and executive education. Her research investigates how the cumulative nature of an educational experience affects identity development with a focus on underserved, underrepresented students; the dynamics of developing and implementing interdisciplinary thematic curriculum; and the design and testing of mediated communities of practice. Hauenstein holds a B.A. in Integrated Social Sciences from The Ohio State University, a M.A. in Education from Ursuline College, and an Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies from DePaul University.

Courses

Workplace Learning and Communities of Practice
This course emphasizes learning and development for adult and organizational change in many different settings – educational institutions, business and non-profit or government institutions, and community settings. It is grounded in research focusing on learning at work, through work and for work. To meet the complex global challenges found in the workplace, it is necessary to develop new kinds of professional expertise and knowledge, new types of work identities, new forms of collaboration, and, foremost, new ways of learning. Students will analyze and synthesize forms of learning that enable people to engage in transformative and innovative rather than in rote and reproductive learning, and in networked and social learning rather than isolated and individual learning, as well as, in ethical and (organizational) value-conscious rather than ‘value-free and objective’ learning. Students in this course will also gain perspectives on teaching as a complex intellectual activity through an in-depth study of pedagogy within an integrated and interdisciplinary model. All of these components require deep, research-based study and participation in simulations and (re)creations designed to uncover how learning takes place and how it can be generated and enhanced in workplaces.

Communication Skills Practicum
Elegant communication is one of the three foundational areas of the MSC program. In this hybrid class, students are trained both in person and online in key communication skills necessary for effective leadership: cultural intelligence and managing inclusion, crisis communication management, informative public speaking, persuasive public speaking, running an effective meeting, facilitating open dialogue, mindful listening, and executive presence. This full credit course is spread throughout the year in both online and in residence sessions.

Capstone
The culminating assessment of the MSC degree is a capstone project. The MSC Capstone integrates all of the coursework and practical experiences of the program and is designed to help students develop the ability to. Monitor their own comprehension and to make their thinking processes explicit to external audiences. Students will effectively use a multiple of media to demonstrate that they have achieved all of the learning out comes of the program through a personally customized three-part project that extends the entire duration of the program.

Experiental Learning Practicum
This course is designed to give students practical experience working in teams on a project related to strategic communication or training and management. Additional topics such as presentation, implementation, and evaluation are included to enhance students’ understanding of creating, sustaining, and carrying a project through to completion. Each class also includes discussion and activities pertaining to working with clients. Students will have the opportunity to sharpen communication skills in an applied context through in-class activities as well as individual writing assignments that require the development of content for different audiences.