The Wayne State University Office of the Provost celebrated the outstanding work of its Academic Leadership Academy Fellows earlier this month, including School of Medicine staff member Zsa-Zsa Booker, Ph.D., a learning skills specialist in the Office of Learning and Teaching. 

The academy is an intensive one-year leadership development experience, with fellows leading a team to craft and implement a project to benefit the greater WSU community.

“The program inspired and challenged me to find ways to improve my own skills and abilities, which I hope will help to strengthen my leadership skills. I learned, for the second time around, about the laws of attraction and the importance of being my best in order to attract the right opportunities,” Dr. Booker said.

Her project, a Digital Badge in Medical Education initiative that she piloted in 2019, was a form of micro-credentialing that served as a digital representation of an accomplishment. To facilitate student success in medical school and as lifelong learners that year, the school required Class of 2023 students to participate in the Advanced Learning Strategies for Physicians in Training Course, or ALS, in the first two weeks of school. It was part of a campus-wide push to introduce digital badges to the Wayne State University community.

Students had opportunities to earn digital badges as leaders in various sections of the ALS course, including clinical skills, problem-based learning, self-regulated learning and the mentoring program. More than one-third of freshmen medical students were recognized for earning the ALS Digital Badge that year. They can add the accomplishment to their portfolios and final recommendation letters at the end of their undergraduate medical education career.

Assessments included a formative quiz, concept-map and a final capstone creative project displayed in the Scott Hall Cafeteria. A year-long longitudinal program with additional sessions ran until May 2020.

“Now that the program is over, I feel like I learned a lot about leadership, more specifically, better interpersonal skills that make better leaders. Each month in the program there were meetings where we focused on our individual projects and some aspect of leadership such as active listening, empathy and team development. These sessions truly opened my eyes to some self-development that I had not considered before. I feel better prepared to lead knowing things that I can improve on within myself,” Dr. Booker said.

The Digital Badge in Medical Education program is still an initiative that Dr. Booker is passionate about.

“I'm hoping that the Office of Learning and Teaching can adopt the program and eventually the entire School of Medicine can one day use the program as a way to encourage deep learning and professional growth within its students,” she added.