Oxford brookes university Evaluation of a Learning Activity for a Postgraduate Project Management Module Kate Maguire Student number: 15000283 Oxford brookes university February 2016

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

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)

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)

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?

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

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

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)

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

References - 1 Biggs, J. & Tang, C. (2008), Constructive Alignment in Learning, Teaching & Assessment, ATN Assessment Conference: ‘Engaging Students in Assessment’, U of SA, 20-21 November 2008. Accessed at: http://www.slideshare.net/DianaMQuinn/john-biggs-and- 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, pp1369-1374 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

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, 193-212 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, pp1473-1492 Sambell, K., (2011), Rethinking feedback in higher education, The Higher Education Academy. Accessed at: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/uploads/production/document/path/2/2729/Rethi 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: https://www.learning.ox.ac.uk/media/global/wwwadminoxacuk/localsites/oxfor dlearninginstitute/documents/supportresources/lecturersteachingstaff/resources /resources/CriticallyReflectiveTeaching.pdf