Spreadsheet based experiential learning environment for project management

Abstract

Research has demonstrated that people learn best when they are actively involved in the learning process. Games and simulations are especially effective as discovery learning approaches since they pull learners into the learning experience in interesting, fun and challenging ways. This article seeks to demonstrate the effective use of simulation and gaming technique in providing an engaging and high-energy approach to teaching the concepts and best practices of project management that will have practical and lasting value. The project management game described here provides a means of immersing people in situations that mimic the complexities of the real world, challenging them to take risks and make mistakes without real consequences. INTRODUCTIONA gap exists between the skills taught in a project management course in university and the skills that are actually desired of a project manager. This problem seems to stem from the way project management is typically introduced to students. Theory and concept are presented in lectures with examples drawn from case studies. There is little opportunity for students to apply the concepts in a classroom setting. Although lectures and case studies are essential in knowledge transfer, they lack a practical, in-depth treatment of the overall process of project management. Lectures usually limit the amount of interaction -teacher to students -allowing only passive learning. The size and scope of cases are often too constrained to exhibit many of the fundamental characteristics of real-world project management issues.To address this problem, I experimented with computer-based simulation games to teach project management, with favorable results. I designed a spreadsheet based gaming environment for small group learning that includes activities such as project planning, monitoring, and execution. In the game, students are to manage a "virtual" IT project and encounter typical project management issues such as team dynamics, time sensitive decision-making, personality conflicts, team motivations, different expectations of stakeholders, meeting budgets, quality issues, meeting deadlines and responding to random unexpected events. The rapid and flexible nature of simulation allows experiences to be repeated, different situations to be introduced and practiced, and promotes a general freedom of experimentation and "play" in the training exercise. By analyzing past situations and evaluating a different path that the project could have taken if specific decisions were made at particular junctures of the project, students can develop their management and decision making skills. This experiential learning platform for project management creates an environment where students can act as managers without the costs and risks associated with an unsuccessful project. 3877 978-1-4577-2109-0/11/$26.00 ©2011 IEEE

systematic review on the use of serious games in project management education

“…E.g., "The objective of the game is for students to appreciate and experience the complexity of project management in an intense and yet exciting way." [33].…”

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