1. Oxford brookes university
Evaluation of a Learning Activity for a Postgraduate Project Management Module
Kate Maguire
Student number:
Oxford brookes university
February 2016

2. Context: Postgraduate Project & Contract Management
The four phases of a project
Initiation
Planning
Estimation
Contract Management
Stakeholder Management
Risk Management
Execution
Project Leadership
Monitor & Control
Negotiation & Conflict
Closure
Learning Activity Selected
18 students on module

3. Alignment of Learning Outcomes
Session Learning Outcomes
Managing stakeholders has an impact on the success of a project
You need to
Understand your stakeholders’ position
Take action to move them if necessary
There are a number of tools to assist – choose the most appropriate for the situation
Stakeholder management is everywhere
Relevant Postgraduate Attributes
Academic Literacy
Becoming an expert member of the relevant community
Ability to engage in current discussion / communicate ideas
Active Citizenship
Critical awareness of the complexity of diverse perspectives
Programme Learning Outcomes
(MSc in: ITL, IMIR, IM)
Relevant Module Learning Outcomes
(ITL = International Trade & Logistics, IM = International Management, IMIR = International Management and Industrial Relations)

4. Planned Approach Guiding Principles: Outcomes led (Laurillard, 2002)
Introduction - concept and theory
Guest Speaker – the Practitioner perspective
Activity: Case study Exercise
- Apply the theoretical models to the case
Debrief and feedback on case
What have you learned? / validate against learning outcomes
Move beyond simply teaching an established body of knowledge, towards an application of the knowledge to real-life situations (Brandon-Jones et al 2012)
Guiding Principles:
Outcomes led (Laurillard, 2002)
Keep the session as interactive as possible
‘Learning by doing’
Need to achieve learning outcomes, not just ‘cover a topic’ (Biggs & Tang, 2011)

5. Personal reflection
?How can I best use the time available to achieve the learning outcomes?
We did not validate the learning outcomes were achieved…
Need to make space for conversational learning (Kolb & Kolb, 2005)
“you can hand in an
assignment thinking that you’ve got it... but
sometimes you really haven’t! But by then it’s
too late! You do wonder if you’re getting the
right idea, so it’s much better to have a go
before it counts.” (Student quote in Sambell, 2011)
?How best to provide informal feedback?
?Teacher as facilitator?

6. Reflection – the student lens
More theories please!
One negative view
Largely very positive
Really valued the link between theory and practice
More activity please!
Based on survey data

7. Peer discussion / reflection
Accommodating different learning styles
Use a variety of teaching methods
Proactively provide support around your teaching
Delivery approach?
Should be varied / flexible
Can evolve over the module as you get to know the students
Feedback
Students do not differentiate between formal and informal feedback
Preferred methods (*):
Face to face
Specific, actionable
General
To validate LOs are achieved?
Set appropriate in-class tasks
Ask for feedback (but will people be honest?)
* - based on recent survey

8. Lens 4 - Literature Dialogic Teaching (Bakhtin)
“Argumentation and dialogue are not simply alternative patterns of communication; they are principled approaches to pedagogy…”
(Sylvia Wolfe, 2008)
Social Constructivism (Vgotsky)
meaningful learning occurs when individuals are engaged in social activities
“The emphasis is on a communication-rich environment in which students are given opportunities to interact with adults and peers in order to negotiate meaning” (Palmer, 2005, p1855)
Experiential Learning in Operations Management
Students consider experiential teaching methods to be valuable in their learning
Experiential methods appear to be effective across a range of OM modules
(Piercy et al, 2012)
Learning styles – individual differences in learning based on the learner’s preference for employing different phases of the learning cycle
Constructive Alignment (Biggs & Tang)
“A key element in the planning and design of an Experiential Learning Activity is establishing a clear link between the exercise, the lecture, and the course-learning objectives”
(Cook & Olson, 2006, p406)
Me! 
Lens 4 - Literature
Does culture influence learning style? (Kolb & Kolb 2005)
Honey & Mumford (1986)
Adapted from Kolb’s learning cycle (1984)

9. Learnings and Actions Conclusion Action
Balanced reflection (the 4 lenses) is hugely valuable
Student feedback is hugely valuable
Most students wanted more activity
Students have different learning styles
Provide more feedback to students
Validate learning outcomes have been achieved
Maintain the post-activity balanced reflection process
Consider how best and how often to seek student feedback
Plan carefully how to use available time
Use a variety of teaching methods to accommodate different learning styles
Create the right environment to provide informal/peer feedback
Trial possible approaches:
end a session with a ‘What have you learned?’ discussion?
Ask students to complete a ‘one minute paper’ at the session end

10. References - 1
Biggs, J. & Tang, C. (2008), Constructive Alignment in Learning, Teaching & Assessment, ATN Assessment Conference: ‘Engaging Students in Assessment’, U of SA, November Accessed at: catherine-tang-2008-presentation?from_search=1
Biggs, J. & Tang, C. (2011), Teaching for Quality Learning at University, Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press
Brandon-Jones, A., Piercy, N., Slack, N. (2012), Bringing teaching to life: Exploring innovative approaches to operations management education, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol 32, No 12, pp
Cook, L. and Olson, J., (2006), The Sky’s the Limit: An Activity for Teaching Project Management, Journal of Management Education 2006; 30; 404
Honey, P. and Mumford, A. (1986a) The Manual of Learning Styles, Peter Honey Associates

11. References - 2
Kolb, A. and Kolb, D. (2005), Learning Styles and Learning Spaces: Enhancing Experiential Learning in Higher Education, Academy of Management Learning & Education, Vol 4, No 2,
Laurillard (2002), Rethinking University Teaching, Routledge Falmer
Palmer, D (2005), A Motivational View of Constructivist-informed Teaching, International Journal of Science Education Vol. 27, No. 15, 16 December 2005, pp. 1853–1881
Piercy, N., Brandon-Jones, A., Brandon-Jones, E., Campbell, C., (2012), Examining the effectiveness of experiential teaching methods in small and large OM modules, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol 32, No 12, pp
Sambell, K., (2011), Rethinking feedback in higher education, The Higher Education Academy. Accessed at: nkingFeedbackInHigherEducation.pdf
Tevitt C., (2007), What is Critically Reflective Teaching? Oxford Learning Institute. Drawn from: Brookfield, S. (1995), Becoming a critically reflective teacher, Jossey-Bass: San Francisco. Accessed at: dlearninginstitute/documents/supportresources/lecturersteachingstaff/resources /resources/CriticallyReflectiveTeaching.pdf