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Corresponding Author

Jason Lackey

Abstract

At the US Air Force Academy, student developmental paths occur under both military and academic components. The academic component includes the typical collegiate coursework taught by a combination of civilian and military instructors. In this study, we explored student values of instructor leadership traits and practices that influence the classroom culture. We found that overall, the instructor’s degree of academic knowledge (distinguished from military knowledge), their ability to clearly communicate class content, and ability to inspire student participation ranked highest. Conversely, the instructor clearly communicating military responsibilities, their professional etiquette, and providing constructive feedback pertaining to military bearing ranked least, indicating that students found the elements less impactful to their learning experience. We also parsed student ranking by instructor type: civilian, military, and civilian that are prior active-duty military. Some techniques, such as the instructor possessing a high degree of academic knowledge and their ability to communicate the course content effectively, ranked highly across instructor types, while traits such as being clear on military responsibilities ranked lower overall. The presentation style of the instructor ranked lower for military faculty than civilian. Possessing military knowledge and providing constructive feedback on military bearing were ranked higher for military instructors than civilians. These findings elucidate what students desire from faculty and subsequently may be more or less receptive.

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