Leadership Education Needs Assessment
Learning one’s strengths and areas for growth as a leader are crucial for personal and professional development. The Leadership Education Needs Assessment (LENA) from the Center for the Study of Student Life was created to help all students regardless of their major, year or academic level.
LENA measures students’ leadership skills as they relate to four different areas: Purpose and Vision, Accomplishing Tasks, Building Relationships and Influence. By taking a 5-minute survey, students receive scores associated with these four leadership areas. Additionally, students will indicate any leadership-related activities or roles they want to become involved in during the rest of their time at Ohio State. At the end of the survey, students will be provided lists of campus resources, tailored to each individual’s needs.
This leadership tool was created to help students at the undergraduate level as well as at the graduate or professional level. LENA can be taken as many times as the student wants, which can allow students to track their leadership skill development over time.
Students can take the assessment at go.osu.edu/osulena. If you would like to test the assessment to see if it might be useful for your students or group, please email cssl@osu.edu.
Click here for the most recent reports from LENA. Please contact cssl@osu.edu for older LENA reports.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can take LENA?
The Leadership Education Needs Assessment (LENA) was created specifically for students of all levels at The Ohio State University.
If you are an Ohio State staff or faculty member and would like to see what your students would see, please contact cssl@osu.edu, and the Student Life LENA team will send you a test link that is specifically for staff and not to be shared with students.
When should I take LENA for the first time?
There is no “right time” to take LENA; the assessment is open year-round to all students at all stages in their careers. A good time to consider taking LENA for the first time is when you are starting to think about your professional and/or leadership development. Ultimately, when to take it is up to you. It might also be helpful to discuss timing with a mentor, advisor or friend.
Is it one of your goals to get more involved at Ohio State within the span of one year? In that case, it might be useful for you to take LENA at the beginning and end of that year. When you take LENA the second time, you will be able to get a sense of your growth and development.
Should I take LENA more than once? If so, how much time should I wait before I take it again?
Yes! Consider taking LENA more than once and even more than twice. One of the central purposes of the assessment is to track your growth over time. It is important to note that growth and change is usually a slow process, so if you take LENA every month, you might not see much progress on your scores right away. Thus, it is recommended that you do not take LENA more than once a semester.
What should I do if I lost my LENA scores and want to see them again?
Email cssl@osu.edu, and the Student Life LENA team will send you a PDF of your score report.
How do I interpret my scores?
Great question! An entire section of the Facilitator’s Guide focuses on giving you the most comprehensive interpretation possible.
Who can I contact with questions about the survey itself?
Email cssl@osu.edu for any and all questions about the survey. You can expect a response back within two to three business days.
I want to facilitate LENA, but I want to see the survey myself first. Is that possible?
Yes, it is possible to see a copy of the survey. Email cssl@osu.edu for information about this survey preview.
I am a staff member and would like to request a report on my student group. How do I go about requesting one?
Please email your CSSL analyst with your request. Reporting takes place in January for data collected during autumn semester, and June for data collected during spring semester. Depending on the timing of your request, you will likely receive your report during one of those two months. Please note that at least 20 students in your group must take LENA for you to receive a report.
Who else can I talk to about my scores?
We encourage you to talk to someone that might be able to help you connect your scores to your daily life or how you lead. This could be an advisor, mentor, supervisor, Resident Advisor, Assistant Hall Director, Hall Director, faculty or staff member, etc.
What tools are available to facilitate discussion involving LENA and leadership development?
We have a facilitation guide that includes reflection questions, activities and more! View the guide above.
Have you already taken LENA? Check out the Facilitator’s Guide PDF above for score interpretation and activities!
Questions?
Email cssl@osu.edu for more information.