I am preparing the delivery of a revised Diploma of Project Management comprising all current PMBoK elements and one elective - change management. The diploma is delivered online with weekly webinars for each unit, starting with Manage Project Scope and ending with Manage Project Integration, and is organized to emulate the steps involved in developing a project. The Integration subject is a capstone subject that brings together all the previous eleven (11) subjects of the course into a final report. What suggestions do people have to enhance the online learning experience and optimize student engagement?
Regards,
Guy Keble-Johnston Course Leader Project Management Saving Changes...
When given large assignments such as semester papers and especially the capstone, I would allow student to pick topics of their own interest so long as they meet some established criteria rather than give a set of topics from which to choose.
In academia, students are often assigned semi-realistic projects to demonstrate the underlying principles. You're not really going to build the thing, so it involves a bit of fantasy. Why have students learn about some discipline they don't care about and will never use again? For my masters capstone, I sometimes had to write 40+ pages of project plan in a week. That is an intense effort and I don't know how well I could have done if it was a topic of no interest to me. Instead I invented a fictional company building a product I'm passionate about.
It might seem more challenging as an instructor that way, but since the thing doesn't have to actually work, the instructor doesn't have to consider so much whether their plans are technically feasible, but rather whether they show sound PM judgement and planning skills. That can be interesting both from the student's perspective of demonstrating their skills in a domain they enjoy, and for the instructor to review materials from domains where they have no background, to grade on the PM content rather than the technical feasibility. Saving Changes...
Keith - Great comments, thank you very much. At the moment we actually allow the students to choose either a project from their current work or a case study based on an actual business already in operation here in Australia. But I think your suggestion is a really good idea. Saving Changes...
I would suggest using a single sufficiently complex business case to support the exercises across all the modules, and have the learners explore how the same project might be delivered using a predictive and an adaptive life cycle.
Kiron
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2 replies by Guy Keble-Johnston
Oct 06, 2020 5:00 PM
Guy Keble-Johnston
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Kiron - Thank you for your comments. It is interesting that you provide this comment as we teach the Diploma as though it is actually a project with a defined order of subjects to be completed. We start with Scope and Time and end with Governance and Integration. The Integration subject is similar to a capstone project where the students bring all their knowledge gained into one final report. This report is based on either a case study of a fictitious business (based on a real and successful business here in Australia) or a project from the student's own work environment. The students use their chosen project in every subject in the course so that it simulates developing a real project.
Regards
Guy K-Johnston
Oct 06, 2020 5:11 PM
Guy Keble-Johnston
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Kiron - I must thank you again as I have just realised that you commented to my predecessor when he asked for similar guidance back in 2018. We have taken those comments on and have developed the course accordingly. So we greatly appreciate your support.
Regards
Guy K-Johnston
Financial Management Specialist | US Peace CorpsYaounde, Centre, Cameroon
This is vast, but I'll propose you prepare real life comprehensive case studies that covers many PM areas
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1 reply by Guy Keble-Johnston
Oct 06, 2020 5:05 PM
Guy Keble-Johnston
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Kwiyuh - Your comments are really pertinent to what we are trying to achieve in this course. We have a case study based on a successful business here in Australia - but we do not tell them which business it is until late in the course. This way we are trying to get them to really think about the 'new' project they are developing rather than copying what this business has done to be so successful.
The case study covers all ten areas of PMBoK plus Project Governance and Change Management.
Thank you for your comments, you have made us realise that we are taking the course in the right direction for Project Management.
Cheers
Guy K-Johnston
I would suggest using a single sufficiently complex business case to support the exercises across all the modules, and have the learners explore how the same project might be delivered using a predictive and an adaptive life cycle.
Kiron
Kiron - Thank you for your comments. It is interesting that you provide this comment as we teach the Diploma as though it is actually a project with a defined order of subjects to be completed. We start with Scope and Time and end with Governance and Integration. The Integration subject is similar to a capstone project where the students bring all their knowledge gained into one final report. This report is based on either a case study of a fictitious business (based on a real and successful business here in Australia) or a project from the student's own work environment. The students use their chosen project in every subject in the course so that it simulates developing a real project.
Regards
Guy K-Johnston Saving Changes...
This is vast, but I'll propose you prepare real life comprehensive case studies that covers many PM areas
Kwiyuh - Your comments are really pertinent to what we are trying to achieve in this course. We have a case study based on a successful business here in Australia - but we do not tell them which business it is until late in the course. This way we are trying to get them to really think about the 'new' project they are developing rather than copying what this business has done to be so successful.
The case study covers all ten areas of PMBoK plus Project Governance and Change Management.
Thank you for your comments, you have made us realise that we are taking the course in the right direction for Project Management.
Cheers
Guy K-Johnston Saving Changes...
I would suggest using a single sufficiently complex business case to support the exercises across all the modules, and have the learners explore how the same project might be delivered using a predictive and an adaptive life cycle.
Kiron
Kiron - I must thank you again as I have just realised that you commented to my predecessor when he asked for similar guidance back in 2018. We have taken those comments on and have developed the course accordingly. So we greatly appreciate your support.
Regards
Guy K-Johnston Saving Changes...
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