2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Evaluating Project Management Skill Development in Engineering and Agricultural Curricula

Presented at Experiential Learning in ET Programs II

Project management is the use of specific knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to deliver something of value to people (PMI, 2023). STEM programs desire to prepare their students to provide something of value to society. Developing project management skills not only aids in this but also translates to applications in their personal life, such as overall planning, organizing, and time management. With that desire, we have reason to research if these project management skills and concepts are being taught effectively enough to prepare students for senior-level capstone courses and future careers. Degree programs that do not heavily focus on management principles may impact students' abilities to obtain manager-style roles. Outside the classroom, there are opportunities to obtain this experience, such as through internships and studying abroad. Data collected stem from a self-efficacy questionnaire administered to 811 students and voluntarily completed by 361. The survey was issued at the beginning of the semester for nine fall courses through 15 different majors and intended to take approximately 15 minutes to complete. The questionnaire holds 36 questions for students to assess their background, demographics, academic career, and project management skills/opinions. The results were examined to determine the current knowledge of project management as a baseline measure and to explore relationships between student characteristics and confidence in project management. Initial findings show that overall confidence in managing a project from beginning to end is relatively low compared to their confidence in individual aspects of project management, possibly indicating that students are comfortable and confident with a few aspects of project management but are less confident with their ability to lead and manage all aspects of a project. Further analysis of the obtained results, in addition to ongoing data collection, will guide the next phase of research.

Authors

Paul Davidson University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Dr. Davidson is an Associate Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has been a faculty member since 2014, and is in a 50/50 teaching/research position. His teaching and research interests are related to project management and also soil and water resources engineering.
Travis Johnson University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Travis Johnson is an instructor and academic advisor in the department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. Travis received his A.S. in Automotive Technology from Parkland College in 2012, B.S. in Technical Systems Management in 2019, and M.S. in Engineering Technology and Management for Agricultural Systems in 2022. During his M.S. studies, he focused his research on project management education in Engineering and Engineering Technology programs. Travis joined the ABE department full-time in January 2022 and has taught ETMA 439 (Capstone Experience), ETMA 499 (3D Modeling and Printing), and ETMA 100 (Technical Systems in Agriculture).
Dr. Molly H. Goldstein http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2382-4745 University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Dr. Molly H. Goldstein is a Teaching Assistant Professor and Product Design Lab Director in Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering at the Grainger College at the University of Illinois. She is also courtesy faculty in Mechanical Science and Engineering, Curriculum & Instruction (College of Education) and Industrial Design (School of Fine and Applied Arts). Dr. Goldstein’s research focuses on student designers through the study of their design actions and thinking.
Brandon Hollenback University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Brandon Hollenback is a first-year master's student in the Engineering Technology and Management for Agricultural Systems program housed in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research currently focuses on remediating wastewater with ornamental plant species. He also assists in research related to how students learn project management skills across a range of academic disciplines.

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