Critical learning themes in project management education: Implications for blended learning

This research examines the underlying reasons why students taking project management courses emphasise skills that are transferable and the utilisation of e-learning environments as critical to their learning experiences. Students' opinions are expressed through a series of focus groups. We found that the underlying reasons for students' emphasis on these two factors as crucial to learning and teaching project management could be classed under five higher-order themes. The implications of our findings are that in order to develop desired human, conceptual and technical skills, a teaching approach based on a blend of learning that resides at the intersection of the ‘transferable skills’ and ‘e-learning environments’ construct is required for the effective teaching of project management. For effectiveness, this blended form of andragogy (learning focused on adults) must be flexible enough to cater for the vast variations in the profiles of students, and their individual learning preferences.

Research Highlights
► Project management students emphasise transferable skills development and use of e-learning.
► Effective study of project management is best supported by blended learning.
► Blended learning in project management must be flexible in line with variation in student profiles.