Building An Experiential Learning Model For A Project Management Course

Abstract

Teaching students to become project management professionals requires a real world experience. Incorporating live clients into student projects, instead of using case studies or mock companies, adds a dimension that exposes students to the realities of project management. This paper will describe a structured methodology used in a project management course to learn a completed project life cycle. Based upon the written evaluations included with the final project documentation, students feel this project is the most valuable learning experience of the course. Furthermore, the positive relationship established with the clients allows this project to serve as a bridge between business and academe. This paper will discuss a variety of approaches to build an experiential learning model and provide a case study of a project management course using experiential learning to evolve a learning opportunity.