Mas Anom Binti Abdul Rashid, AP Dr _Abdul Rashid UPTM
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This paper presents an innovative redesign of a 14-week undergraduate project management course that integrates a real-life project as the central pedagogical tool. Moving beyond traditional lecture-based instruction, the course adopts an experiential learning model where students actively manage a live project from initiation to closure. The curriculum is structured to mirror the project lifecycle, with each week dedicated to a specific phase or knowledge area, including scope definition, scheduling, budgeting, risk management, and stakeholder engagement. Students collaborate in teams to plan, execute, and deliver tangible outcomes for actual clients, such as NGOs, start-ups, or university departments.
To enhance engagement and retention, the course incorporates gamification elements, digital collaboration tools (e.g., Trello, Microsoft Planner), and interdisciplinary integration with entrepreneurship and design thinking. Agile methodologies are introduced mid-course to foster adaptability and iterative problem-solving. Assessment is diversified across project documentation, execution quality, reflective journals, peer evaluations, and final presentations, aligning with Outcome-Based Education (OBE) principles.
This approach not only cultivates technical competencies in project management but also develops critical soft skills such as leadership, communication, and teamwork. By embedding real-life complexity into the learning environment, students gain authentic experience in navigating uncertainty, managing stakeholder expectations, and delivering value. The course also promotes ethical and culturally responsive decision-making, particularly when projects engage local communities or address social impact themes.
Preliminary feedback from pilot implementations indicates increased student motivation, deeper conceptual understanding, and improved readiness for professional practice. This model offers a scalable and adaptable framework for institutions seeking to modernize project management education and bridge the gap between theory and application.
(300 words max., Arial, 11 font size, justified, single line spacing).
Keywords: project management, pedagogy, life event, digital collaboration tools, technical competencies
