This document contains a self-directed learning plan (SDLP) for a Kaplan University MBA student named David Roman. The SDLP is intended to help the student identify competencies needed to achieve career goals and organize their MBA learning accordingly. The student's goals are to complete an MBA, join Kaplan's leadership development program, and obtain a director role within Kaplan. The SDLP identifies the student's strengths of drive, creative decision-making, adaptability, communication, and persistence. For each upcoming MBA course, the student outlines how they expect to leverage these strengths, such as enhancing decision-making through a business simulation. Upon completing the first course, the student assesses

1. Kaplan University Graduate School of Management
SELF DIRECTED LEARNING PLAN
The Self Directed Learning Plan (SDLP) is a process and document to chronicle your
accomplishments and learning steps through the MBA program and beyond as they relate to your
professional goals. The SDLP will help you to identify and target the array of competencies you
need to reach your professional objectives and to help you organize your Kaplan MBA learning
experience to suit your career objectives. The SDLP will be a section of your Program Portfolio,
so take some quality introspective time to consider strengths and areas of development relevant
to your career objectives. We encourage you to contact Career Services for feedback on relevant
competencies for your career goal, as well as other insights. By knowing your strengths and
areas to develop, you can begin a plan to find out what you need to do to achieve your career
goals. We encourage you to continue to reflect on the identified areas throughout the MBA
program. If you feel a strength or development area is no longer relevant, you may add another
to take its place. At any time, you may also add additional areas.
Your Name: David Roman Date: 8/5/2012
Course Title: G500: Business Perspective
Professional Goal (3-5 years) from now:
Currently I am a Re admissions advisor with the Office of Returning Students Military for
Kaplan University. I love the organization and would like to continue to grow within it. My
MBA should take me roughly two years to complete.
Immediately following my MBA I would like to gain acceptance into Kaplan University's
(LEAD) Leadership and Executive Accelerated Development Program. The minimum
requirements for this program are a Graduate of Master's program of Business Administration
with three to five years work experience in increasingly responsible roles. I must gain more
experience within Project Management to enhance my Bachelor Degree experience with
emphasis in Project Management.
Should the opportunity arise while in my MBA program I would like to strive for the Associate
Director of Office of Returning Students - Military position. This would give me much needed
management experience. The LEAD Program is an 18 month leadership development program
that takes place in 6 month rotations within the core functions of Kaplan University business

2. (i.e., Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, Performance Excellence, Student Operations,
Academic Operations or Executive Operations)
The goal of this program for me would be to explore other areas in the university that may lead
me to executive leadership later on. Upon completing my MBA and the LEAD Program I would
like to re evaluate my goals base upon need and availability.
Strengths to Leverage
Step 1: The most effective and satisfied people align their work with their natural strong points.
Identify 3-5 of your key strengths (see Column 1 below); these could be a competency, skill,
ability, knowledge area or personal characteristic. Think about how you can leverage those
strengths to be effective in your work, achieve your professional goals, and become a leader in
your profession.
I believe the natural strong points that I can increasingly align with my work are, my drive,
creative decision making ability, adaptability, communication and persistence. I am a driven
person. I expect more from myself than anyone can expect from me. I am at most times the first
person to arrive at work and many times the last to leave. This allows me to gain a great amount
of experience due to the extra hours and also time to analyze processes which allow me play the
role of a change agent.
My creative decision making ability coupled with my technical background give me the
opportunity to use technology to find solutions for common issues in workflow process. It also
allows me to me become as efficient as possible. When coupled with my communication skills I
am able to utilize this knowledge base to coach and mentor other team members.
Our organization and industry are ever changing so the ability that I have to adapt has always
allowed me to make continued progress. As changes are announced I can evaluate the situation
properly and have the ability to find solutions that will not hinder my ability to complete my
assigned tasks within the organization.
Lastly, it is my persistence to complete important tasks that will allow me to succeed in staying
atop the current producers in my department. It is with this same persistence that I plan to
complete my MBA program and obtain the LEAD Program position that I am seeking.
Step 2: At the beginning of each course in your MBA program, answer the following question
either using this template or a narrative format. What do you expect to learn in this course that
will help you leverage your strengths? (See Column 2 below). Be as specific as you can, e.g.,
assume that a strength is your analytical ability. You might expect to understand more about
macro economics so that you can analyze how the housing crisis affects other segments of the
economy, such as interest rates or unemployment. At the beginning of the course you are not

3. expected to be an expert in all facets of the course learning; however, you can glean valuable
insights from the course description or purpose, course and unit learning objectives, and from
unit themes.
I intend to gain an in depth knowledge of how business systems differ and are affected by the
outside environment so that my ability to adapt can develop. The better you understand the inner
workings of a system the more prepared you can be and then adapt accordingly. The system
knowledge will assist me in playing a stronger individual role.
Through the business simulation I hope to strengthen my creative decision making abilities. By
taking part in no risk decision making processes I can test my skills and learn without any major
repercussions.
In working on self development I hope to increase the drive that I already possess. I have a
foundation level knowledge of self development techniques. By delving more deeply into this
topic it is my goal to solidify a strong backbone that will result in an increased drive to be
successful.
With an increased analysis and understanding on improvement techniques within business
systems, I wish to enhance my communications. The more you know about a topic the more
confident you may be in conveying that knowledge properly. This will help in areas of
presentation and persuasion.
Step 3: At the end of each course (Unit 6) answer the following questions either using this
template or a narrative format. Did you learn what you expected to learn? (See Column 3 below).
Was there information or insights that helped you that you didn’t expect to learn at the outset of
the course? For example, not only did you learn about macro economics, but you learned some
software tools that help in conducting an economic analysis. What changes or additions, if any,
will you make to your SDLP based on learning in this course?
Step 1: Strengths Step 2: Course Learning Goals Step 3: Course Outcomes &
to Leverage Assessment
Driven GB500:Self Development
Enhancement.
In working on self development I hope
to increase the drive that I already
possess. I have a foundation level
knowledge of self development
techniques. By delving more deeply
into this topic it is my goal to solidify a
strong backbone that will result in an
increased drive to be successful.

4. Creative decision GB500:Strengthen Creative Decision
making Making.
Through the business simulation I
hope to strengthen my creative
decision making abilities. By taking
part in no risk decision making
processes I can test my skills and learn
without any major repercussions.
Adaptable GB500:Understanding of Business
Systems and Environment.
I intend to gain an in depth knowledge
of how business systems differ and are
affected by the outside environment so
that my ability to adapt can develop.
The better you understand the inner
workings of a system the more
prepared you can be and then adapt
accordingly. The system knowledge
will assist me in playing a stronger
individual role.
Communication GB500:Enhanced Communication.
With an increased analysis and
understanding on improvement
techniques within business systems, I
wish to enhance my communications.
The more you know about a topic the
more confident you may be in
conveying that knowledge properly.
This will help in areas of presentation
and persuasion.
Persistence GB500:Deeper meaning of
organizational structure.
My ability to gain a deeper meaning of
how organizations are structured and
the role that each individual plays
within this system will not only assist
me in refining my short and long term
goals but also in strengthening my
persistence in achieving them.

5. Areas to Develop
Step 1: We all have strengths, but we also have areas on which we need to improve. As related
to your career goal, identify 3-5 areas to develop (see Column 1 below); these could be a
competency, skill, ability, knowledge area or personal characteristic. Think about how you can
improve in these areas so that you can achieve your professional goals and become a leader in
your profession.
I believe the three areas where I stand to develop the most would be my task completion
approach, my analysis of process flow and how I relate to fellow team members within my
organization. I attack tasks given to me in a no holds barred straight lined approach sometimes
not taking into consideration the ripple effect that occurs in other areas. It would be more
effective to know how these decisions affect all parties involved to better assist with my decision
making skills.
Although I am a focused goal oriented producer, it would sometimes help me with my career if I
had more empathy and could relate to individuals that have dissimilar work habits and
methodologies. These are a few of the many areas of opportunity I intend to work on throughout
this course.
Step 2: At the beginning of each course answer the following question either using this template
or a narrative format. What do you expect to learn in this course that will help you to develop in
the identified area? (See Column 2 below).
Step 3: At the end of each course (Unit 6) answer the following questions either using this
template or a narrative format. Did you learn what you expected to learn? (See Column 3 below).
Was there information or insights that helped you that you didn’t expect to learn at the outset of
the course? What changes or additions, if any, will you make to your SDLP based on learning in
this course?
Step 1: Areas to Step 2: Course Learning Step 3: Course Outcomes &
develop Goals Assessment
Task completion GB500:Complete tasks with
approach deeper meaning of
organizational structure.
I expect that this class will
assist me in this area because of

6. the analysis of business systems
that we will partake in. In
knowing more about how
decisions affect each
component of the organization
this will allow me to more
efficiently approach tasks to
find solutions.
Monitoring the in/out GB500:Improve process flow
process flow of current day to day
activities.
I anticipate that this course will
allow me to improve my
process flow by actually having
me become more conscious of
each step that takes place. By
focusing more upon the
objectives I intend to enhance
process flow within my day to
day activities.
Empathy/Relationship GB500:Foster relationships
building and leadership skills
necessary to move members
to action.
I expect that this class will
assist me in developing my
skills in this area because of the
group environment utilized for
the business simulation.
Managing relationships and
interacting with members from
various backgrounds will be
vital in the success of these
class projects. This will help
me in my professional life.