Scaffolding project-based learning with the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK^®)

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a study of the extent to which processes and procedures from the discipline of project management can scaffold online project-based learning in a graduate-level instructional technology course, by facilitating intra-team interaction, enhancing project outcomes and promoting a positive project team experience. With one course section using tools and templates from project management and one section using only free-form text forms and instructor guidelines as project scaffolding tools, team interactions were compared via qualitative and quantitative analyses of team threaded discussions over an 8-week project lifecycle. Project outcomes were assessed by comparing project product scores using the t-test for independent samples, while project experience was assessed via a post-project survey using the University of Wisconsin-Madison Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG) questionnaire. Results indicate that the project management methodology facilitates intra-team communication and positive collaborative behavior, but is not a critical factor for final product quality. The results provide a starting point for educators and researchers seeking to assess cross-disciplinary approaches to project-based learning.

Introduction

As part of the process of acquiring the skills and competencies needed to become instructional design professionals, learners seek to obtain a design team experience similar to what they will encounter in the real world of work. That experience includes not only the acquisition of a strong knowledge base, but also the application of diverse social, communication and cooperation skills that today’s employers expect (McLoughlin & Luca, 2002). The ability to work in teams and to communicate effectively in visual, written and oral form is deemed an essential competency by the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction (International Board of Standards for Training & Instruction (IBSTPI)., 2000). This is particularly important when design team members are dispersed across multiple locations and are meeting in a virtual environment.

One instructional strategy that enables learners to develop their collaborative skills is project-based learning. Project-based learning is grounded in general theories of knowledge such as situated learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991), which states that knowledge must be presented in an authentic context, using settings and applications that would normally involve that knowledge, and includes social interaction and collaboration to solve complex problems. However, the focus on collaboration for problem-solving has led to some confusion between project-based learning and problem-based learning. Prince and Felder (2007) note that in project-based learning, students mainly apply previously acquired knowledge and the production of some final product is the central focus of the assignment. By contrast, problem-based learning students have not previously received formal instruction in the necessary background material and the solution process is more important than the final product. Based on a qualitative review of the literature, Helle, Tynjala, and Olkinuora (2006) deem the construction of a concrete artifact as one of the main differentiators of project-based vs. problem-based learning. Nonetheless, in postsecondary settings, particularly at the graduate level, these may not necessarily be differentiators. At the graduate level, problem-based learning can include the creation of an artifact, such as a research paper, a business case or a software application (Williams van Rooij, 2007) that earns a grade or points for the team producing that artifact, so that the final product is of critical importance.

Thomas (2000) takes a broader approach to defining project-based learning, offering five criteria that a class project must have in order to be considered an instance of project-based learning. The project must be (a) central to the curriculum, (b) focused on questions or problems that drive learners to encounter and struggle with the central concepts and principles of a discipline, (c) a constructive investigation or goal-directed process that involves inquiry, knowledge building and resolution, (d) conducive to student autonomy, choice, unsupervised work time, and (e) realistic, focusing on authentic challenges where the solutions have the potential to be implemented. It is this broader view that serves as the working definition of project-based learning throughout this paper.

For the instructor, one of the challenges of project-based learning is determining how much structure to apply to the course project. On the one hand, a key feature of project-based learning is learner control of the process, affording team members the opportunity to design, develop and execute their own vision of what the project processes as well as project product should be. On the other hand, it is the instructor’s job to provide the appropriate amount of scaffolding to motivate learners, reduce task complexity, provide structure and reduce learner frustration (McLoughlin & Luca, 2002). Scaffolding refers to a process in which the instructor provides assistance to the student for tasks or concepts that the student is initially unable to grasp on his/her own. Once the student masters the task or concept, the instructor begins the process of “fading”, or the gradual removal of the scaffolding, which allows the student to work independently (Lipscomb et al., n.d).

An additional layer of complexity is added when the class is totally online and project teams are virtual teams. Project-based learning with virtual teams not only assists with knowledge generation and application, but helps learners acquire the special skills, including an understanding of human dynamics across functional and cultural boundaries, necessary to lead and work in virtual teams in many organizations (Duarte & Tennant Snyder, 2001). As noted by Palloff and Pratt (2005), the instructor working in the online environment must be comfortable with a reasonable degree of chaos and conflict, while promoting learner self-organization and empowerment.