Integrating Online Learning and Cross Cultural Communication in the Project Management Course

Transcription

1 Integrating Online Learning and Cross Cultural Communication in the Project Management Course Aarhus School of Business Aarhus, Denmark

2 History of the PM Project Search for global partners for online collaboration Students need for virtual learning Academic culture of independence Early job seekers moving to Copenhagen Ability to use face-to-face time for student initiated activites When I go on strike, they begin to pick up the ball and do the work.

3 Why Helsinki School of Economics? Parallel International programs Interested Colleagues Partial Overlap of course schedules Ability to go on-site in Helsinki and work online with Danish students who have had my courses for 3 years prior to PM Ability to coordinate online interaction as instructor at both ends

4 Project Management collaboration brings together A new approach to Project Management centered in communication rather than systems Creation and testing of materials across cultures as we work towards a textbook Online opportunities for self study Online opportunities for cross-cultural collaboration A student driven face to face component

5 Features of the Course Mind mapping structure for course content which connects the How and Why Online mini-lectures Possibility of online collaboration with others from HSE/ASB. Jointly created Knowledge Management system for the course to aid students in organization of materials Podcasts from PM practitioners with international experience about the Gurus used in Multinationals. Face- to Face meetings driven by student presentations and student initiated discussion.

6 Mini Lecture Sample

7 Issues in Producing Materials Dividing into smaller mini-lectures without losing connections between concepts Choosing appropriate length for mini lectures Finding the balance between ppt with voice-over and video Need to use more animation that live lectures= endless sinkhole for time spent revising Need to present complex information in an way that reinforces the links between concepts yet offers choices. Students need incentives to present and produce assignments in Denmark as grade is only based on exam.

8 Issues in getting students to actually use the system Need to coordinate online activities with face to face or distance real time presentations for motivation Need to connect everything explicitly to exam Need to have students do as much of the work as possible moving from lecture centered to activity centered work Need to train students and give them consequences for online interaction activities.

9 Samples of CampusNet and online course draft

10 Suggestions? We will go online January 2008 HSE course begins Jan 15, 2008 at the Master s level and goes through Feb.28 ASB course begins sometime between Feb 1 and Feb 15 (my choice) and goes for 24 hours (I choose how they are divided out). I will be in Helsinki for Jan and Feb 2008 working onsite, and dealing virtual with ASB students