Active Learning Classroom Activities

Over the years the practice of project management has become more complex and the knowledge area expanded. I adopted and made easier the project management methods and techniques for the Art, Culture and Luxury Markets.

My desired objectives for my students, are that they become good project managers, able to manage and present a project by following the phases with an accurate knowhow, methodology and a creative thinking, and especially as a good team member.

I teach the process groups of Project Management as the project initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing. For each process I cover the topics of: time, cost, scope, risk, human resources, stakeholders, communication, procurement, quality and integration management.

I ask my students to form groups of 4 or five, as a “collaborative groups” technique, and to work on a project that they will choose and that they will each present to the whole class at the end of the course, for their final grade. These presentations are as videos or on power point, and teach effective use of tools as technical devices to students, and presentation skills that they would have to master in real life cases.

To prepare the presentation, students has to master what is Project Management and its phases: how its initiated, planned, executed, controlled and monitored and closed. I ask them to consider their presentation as by itself a real a project. They have to integrate the management areas such as: the scope (what they have to cover in their presentation), the time (how much time needed to prepare), the human resources (how to be organized to prepare the content), the risks (which risks they will face for the preparation), procurement (do they cover every mandatory demands), quality (what are the quality assessments?), stakeholders (will the other students and the teacher expectations be satisfied) costs (what grade or appreciation I will get if I don’t do well my presentation), integration (is my project coherent).

During the 12 weeks of the course, each group choose a Project Manager for 1 or 2 weeks in turn within the team. Team project Manager grades the team members collaboration during this week. Each group participant has to be active in the preparation and presentation of the project. That gives an opportunity to each member to talk in front of the class. At the end of the presentation, the class gives grades according to the performance of the group, as a peer review, about the originality, the feasibility, the preparation effort and the technical integrality of the project.

Each group member has to present their project, as they were in front of their boss, or the sponsors, the general public or as in front of the media. Each project presentation has to integrate a fictive risk that happened during the project (an earthquake, a robbery, a loss of a sponsor...) and their management techniques. That teaches my students to be creative and to work with a team to solve problems.

We realize these Project Presentation as a game and a simulation of real case studies. This gives them a “role playing” opportunity to understand better how to make a presentation according to different audiences.

Students have than 3mn to ask questions about the presented project before grading. So, the presenters have to have a total knowledge about their project.

From the very first day, I make sure that my students know that I care for them and I respect their ideas. If they come out with an original solution, I ask them to present in class the problem, to make the class think and then make them share the solutions.

By working by groups, they learn from each other, they learn to solve problems by creative thinking. By making the presentation they learn how to speak in public, to defend their point of view with discussions and how to use effectively their time to organize their work. As these presentations are like games students are very excited to participate and show their creativities.

Making students to work in groups and making them work on a presentation is a simulation of a real life’ case study. In project Management, working in group is essential and each student enrol the role of Project Manager (PM) in their teams to understand how it is to manage teams. All PMs, in business life have to be able to make an impressive presentation to their sponsors, boss or to the media. All the slides of the final presentations cover the main subjects and their application on a case. Students masters the numbers, methodologies and techniques of project management by applying their knowledge and measuring their knowhow on case studies. Students by choosing their own project subject, feel closer to achieving their dreams and they are more motivated to learn each steps of Project management.