Introduction
In this course, MDDE 618, the students were introduced to Instructional Project Management to learn the general concepts of project management competencies which are required for working in the development and production of educational projects. Completing this course, I explored the current and future climate of the distance education and learning industry and formulated strategies to respond to that climate. This course provided me with an awareness of the issues faced by distance education organizations, the challenges of selecting learning technologies, the relative delivery costs, and risk management. Finalizing this assignment, I learned that project management is a multifaceted activity that can be viewed as a job, a role, and an activity. In this assignment, I had the opportunity to explore and examine a project manager’s role which requires a good understanding of not only instructional design principles, but also the phases of project management, the characteristics of a project manager, team selection, and effective leadership throughout the project life cycle.
Image of a Meeting Table
Reflecting on General Learning Points
Assignment 2 provided the opportunity for me to take the role of a project manager and develop my skills in understanding and exploring the scope of duties and responsibilities of a project manager. The knowledge attained in this course will be helpful for my future career enhancement either as an instructional designer or a program manager.
Assignment 2 required me to choose an educational project related to actual teaching or training in a real setting as a workplace situation and create a project management plan to be implemented on a learning management system (LMS). While doing this assignment I learned Project Management Plan Phases from start to finish. (what).
Working as a facilitator and case manager at WorkBC, I always noticed some areas which needed to be improved. One of the areas was offering job search workshops asynchronously in a self-paced mode. I proposed a project to launch three workshops on Canvas learning management system.
In doing a project management plan I learned to start by recognizing the problem that exists in the organization. As the subject matter expert, I learned how to define the aspects of the problem and explain why this new change is needed in the organization. Applying the knowledge I got from completing this course I achieved to describe my learner audiences by considering their age, education, cultural factors, job and position, language proficiency and class size.
During completing various phases of my proposed project, there were occasions when I wanted to change my goal and focus on only one workshop instead of three workshops. I learned it is okay if I change my goals as I move on with a project. The goal is to get the best out of available resources and the best for my audience clients (how) (1.1, 1.2, 1.4).
Competencies Attained
This assignment meant different from any other assignments for me. I got familiar with Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and I successfully designed my first WBS doing my project based on activities and deliverables. I learned if I want to be a successful project manager, I need to consider every detailed element in planning a project and the more I know about the company, the better I can summarize and synthesize the information I need for drawing a solid work breakdown structure.
Completing WBS was the most challenging part of the assignment. With the experience I gained in my M.Ed. 604, I was familiar with the structure of Canvas LMS, so I got the chance to practice my skills in designing a course on Canvas. Moreover, I developed my skills to figure out each page as the welcome page, course learning objectives, course modules, and course navigation tools. Then I summarized the content for each page as the introduction and course materials for three workshops on Resume, Cover letter and Interview Skills. I learned to synthesize the information and embed each phase into the other phase in a clear way to reach the course development phase and then move on smoothly to the review, revision & implementation phase. I completed my WBS with the evaluation phase as the last step in every learning project. (how). (2.5,5.8).
Reflecting on Key Learning Points
Value of Meetings
I realized meetings with my clients and co-workers are the most effective strategy for collecting data and for having a deeper understanding of the organizational structure (why).
The meetings would help me to discover the organizational culture of the company, the relationship among members, the audience characteristics and their biggest challenge which needs to be addressed in the project plan. Then I realized being a subject matter expert would make a difference in mapping the curriculum development for the proposed project/courses.
Value of Scheduling Activities
In this course, I was introduced to a new concept called Gantt chart to illustrate my project schedule activities. As the project manager for my proposed project, I experienced developing my skills in managing the workload and considering the other commitments of my team members that I chose in completing my project. I estimated the time allocated for each activity and I was reminded to write it down based on a real calendar considering stat holidays and vacation dates of my team. I learned to figure out the key stages of the project and their duration as a bar chart, with the time scale (how).
Value of Budgeting
The other competency which I got doing this assignment was budgeting the project. I noticed in most educational projects, the majority of the budget is allocated to the staff wage which should be based on the real market value. I learned to have a holistic view of budgeting because I need to consider every single cost of the project as the cost of equipment, copyright, IT consultants, transportation, and miscellaneous fees.
What impacted me doing this project was understanding the fact that in most educational project plans there is a common challenge of having a limited budget and because of this fact, it is imperative for the project manager to masterfully prioritize the budget allocation to those aspects of the project which can potentially impact the most on the success of the project and facilitate reaching the desired outcome based on the initial goals. (how).
Value of Risk Management
I learned to include and estimate some degree of risk management and mitigation strategy in any project management plan by identifying the potential risk and evaluating the potential impact of the risk. The course material provided real examples of educational projects which ended with failure and learning about these examples was very insightful for me. So, based on the knowledge I acquired in this assignment to avoid failure, I considered %10 risks for due dates, cost, or potential negative impact on my project. To anticipate future potential risks, I suggested brainstorming sessions where the team would be asked for a list of facts that could go wrong. (5.11, 6.5, 6.6).
Image of Gantt Chart
My Project Management Plan Phases
My Aha Moment
During my years of service, I experienced different roles as an instructor, facilitator and case manager. I had the chance to be an effective part of various projects. However, I never took a position with project management responsibilities and it has always been my concern for applying for a program manager position.
After completing this course and learning to create the Work Breakdown Structure and Gantt chart according to the systematic method of project management phases followed by the submission of assignment 2 acted as a light bulb in my head. I realized with the knowledge I gained in this course and with reference to my transferable skills as an instructor and case manager, I am positive I can take the role of a project manager in different sectors at WorkBC or similar organizations. (why).
Areas to Improve
My near future plan is to hold informational interviews with project managers supporting training programs in partnership with WorkBC services. The information would help me to have a better idea of the role and better handle future job interviews. (how). (1.13).