Managing In-Class Projects: Setting them Up to Succeed

Abstract

This article describes a structured method for management professors to help students succeed with in-class projects and presentations. The method described provides a highly structured process in which instructors coach students toward success. The article describes two learning modules that emphasize skills needed for project management and for making an effective oral presentation. It concludes with student reactions, a possible theoretical explanation for the success of the methods used, and practical implications for business.

Teaching Groups to Become Teams

“…bridge this gap, but it seems that business school courses and curricula are not designed to help students acquire the skills to function as effective team members (Verderber & Serey, 1996). A review of the recent business literature found only a few articles on (a) the use of team assignments in various business courses (Siciliano, 1999), (b) changing teaching methods to group-based learning instead of lecture (Roebuck, 1998), and (c) an explanation of how to create cross-disciplinary teams in projects for local businesses (McCahon & Lavelle, 1998).…”

The Student Experience In Speed Teaming: A New Approach To Team Formation

“…Several problems may arise when the professor selects the groups. The instructor faces the extra work necessary to organize and manage the process (even if random methods are used), can face difficulty in implementing the process, and can encounter resentment and blame if conflicts arising within the groups result in a poor outcome (Bacon, Steward, & Silver, 1999;Beaman & Stolz, 1992;Holter, 1994;Verderber & Serey, 1996). Student-selected groups also present numerous issues, including groups with no leaders (Beaman & Stolz, 1992); groups with limited perspectives (Jalajas & Sutton, 1984-85;Muller, 1989); and groups with students no one else wanted (Beaman & Stolz, 1992).…”

Team Leadership

“…Too often, teams are reduced to one more rational task to be efficiently dispatched versus a place to seriously learn and build leadership skills. In short, the implicit objectives of team projects are undercut by the student culture (Bolton, 1999;Bowen, 1998;Feichtner & Davis, 1985;Fisher, Shaw, & Ryder, 1994;Holmer, 2001;Jalajas & Sutton, 1984;Richardson & Harper, 1985;Verdeber & Serey, 1996). Students become unconsciously skilled in employing defensive routines antithetical to skilled team leadership (Holmer, 2001).…”

“…The intricate challenge in helping teams respond to this complexity is illustrated by the wide range of reported efforts to improve the effectiveness of student teams: attention to composition, size, and grading (Bacon, Stewart, & Silver, 1999;Ettington & Camp, 2002), establishing a positive vision (Holmer, 2001), the cooperative learning focuses of creating positive interdependence and boosting accountability (Johnson & Johnson, 1985;Mello, 1993;Mesch, 1991;Siciliano, 2001), team building (Bowen & Jackson, 1985;Clinebell & Stecher, 2003;Lundberg & Lundberg, 1992;Manning & Schmidt, 1995;Sommers, 1993;Tonn & Milledge, 2002), building skills, particularly in dealing with trouble (De Janasz, 2001;Jalajas & Sutton, 1984;Lerner, 1995), structuring project tasks, norms, and roles (Alie, Beam, & Carey, 1998;Daly & Worrell, 1993;Keleman & Spich, 1985;Lyons, 1991;Verdeber & Serey, 1996), mentoring and advising (Bolton, 1999;Congram & LaFrange, 1995), progress reports, reflection, and analysis (Bolton, 1999;Holmer, 2001;Lundberg & Lundberg, 1992;St. Clair & Tschirhart, 2002;Verdeber & Serey, 1996), and designing teamwork to be a constant and integral component of the course structure itself (Michaelsen, Knight, & Fink, 2004).…”