Current Approaches to Project Management Learning & Teaching

1. Steve Barron and Omar Hamasni, Lancaster University Current Approaches to Project Management Learning & Teaching

2. Purpose of this session......2m • Difficulties with learning PM why is it different? • Current Approaches to learning PM Identifying some issues • Suggestions/Possibilities for addressing issues

3. Difficulties with learning Project Management 2m • Inherent Uniqueness & Uncertainty in projects – how do we deal with Risk? • “Technical” skills vs. “Project” skills • Projects as Complex entities – flexibility in approach to projects • Projects & operations - transient vs. steady state sb

4. PM has no clear syllabus • E.g. PMI – APM – IPMA – P2M • Similar focus but different purposes, different approaches • And the syllabus just gets bigger and bigger...! sb

5. Balance of PMI knowledge areas 3m Missing: People skills, Ethics, Strategy & Change management oh

6. Learning approaches 1m Each one suggests different learning, teaching and assessment approaches. • Knowledge • Skills • Practitioner • Expert Is the improvement in PM capability justified by the spend in PM training? sb

7. types of programmes 2m delete • Training • Traditional Approaches • Academic • Learning PM • Advanced PM • Executive/practitioner sb

8. learning environment 1.5m • Surface/deep/strategic • explain what it is briefly • Needs for PM learning • Delete this slide oh

9. Surface approach Intention: to cope with course requirements by: • Studying without reflecting on either purpose or meaning • Treating the course as unrelated bits of knowledge • Memorising facts and procedures routinely • Finding difficulty in making sense of new ideas presented • Feeling undue pressure and worry about work Deep approach Intention: to understand ideas for yourself by: • Relating ideas to previous experience • Looking for patterns and underlying principles • Checking evidence and relating to conclusions • Examining logic and argument cautiously and critically • Becoming actively interested in course content Strategic approach Intention: to achieve the highest grades possible by: • Putting consistent effort into studying • Finding the right conditions and materials for studying • Managing time and effort effectively • Being alert to assessment requirements and criteria • Gearing work to the perceived preferences of lecturers Approaches to Learning Source: Entwistle 1996

10. Learning Environment 2.5m • Related discipline/focus of study • Student diversity backgrounds/culture • National • Organisational • learning from each other oh

11. Alternative approaches 3m • Storytelling • double loop learning • Reflective Practitioner – student perspective oh

12. The Reflective Practitioner 2m • PM as a Reflective Practitioner • Developing a critical approach • How to find time to be reflective in a busy project/learning environment? sb

13. Conclusions 1m • Teaching PM needs special consideration • Learning PM suggests particular learning approaches • The PM syllabus shows no signs of converging

14. What to take away from this session? 1m • Traditional approaches might not be sufficient to achieve necessary PM learning • What level of PM are we trying to achieve? • Professional bodies have their own syllabus agendas