Service Learning in the Project Management Course: Experiences and Lessons Learned

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The term project requires the class to identify, design, and implement a charity fund raising event. Students are made aware, on the first day of class, of the nature of term project. The fact that the course is an elective allows students that do not wish to participate in a service learning project to “opt out” of the course. This helps minimize the impact of unmotivated students on the success of the project. Another reduction in risk is achieved by the nature of the event, i.e. a charity fund raiser. This allows us to support a not-for-profit organization without directly becoming part of its daily operations and without having to negotiate the nature and scope of work as is typical in service learning projects. Certainly, this precludes the student from benefiting directly from applying their skills to a business operation. However, for our institution and the particular profile of our student population, the benefits of this format are substantial vis-à-vis the aforementioned challenges posed by other service learning formats.

The key milestones of the project are delineated in Exhibit 1. Specific team assignments will vary with the project selected; the team assignments shown in Exhibit 1 are representative. Prior to the start of the semester, the instructor will investigate what venues are available on campus to support the project, e.g. auditoriums, stages, gymnasiums, space in the student union, etc. and note the dates of availability. Availability of venue represents a significant constraint on what can be done and when it can be done. Given our location in western New York State, events requiring warm-weather events are only feasible near the end of the spring semester.

- Assess General Availability of Campus Venues

- Assign and Discuss Term Project

- Students Complete Individual Proposals

- Students rate Individual Proposals

- Select Class Term Project

- Reserve Venue

- Identify Charity(s) to be Supported

- Primary Work Breakdown Structure: Devise Teams and Tasks (e.g. Event Promotion, Event Funding and Monetary Sponsors, Prizes, Raffles, and In-Kind Sponsors, Day of Event Planning: Setup and Management, Concessions, Event Programming, Ticket System/Sales/Cash Management)

- Assign Students to Teams

- Teams Execute Assigned Tasks

- Final Preparations

- Actual Fundraiser Event

- Post-Event Activities

Exhibit 1: Key Project Milestones

Task: Using the Project Proposal Form posted on the course web-site, propose and define a service learning project for the class to implement during the semester. Your proposal should satisfy the following criteria:

- Project will be a charity fundraising event

- Something fun/entertaining.

- Lends itself to maximal participation by all in class

(something for everyone to do)

- Involve maximal number of business students outside of this class

- Develop camaraderie between students

- Cost must be

- Must be able to plan and execute by Friday April 27.

- Preferably on campus

- Preferably during the week (including Friday evenings – target is Friday April 27th)

- Not embarrassing to college (e.g. no naked events)

- Must be consistent with available venues (see list on course website):

- Instructor (project manager) maintains right to veto or modify nature project/event/participant as deemed appropriate, consistent with the image and goals of the College.

Exhibit 2: Parameters For Individual Proposals

The first task (and deliverable) assigned to each student is to propose a charity event consistent with the guidelines provided to the students. See Exhibit 2. Each student provides a detailed proposal; grading criteria include completeness of proposal, uniqueness and creativity, fundraising potential, feasibility, potential to generate positive publicity, potential to involve large numbers of business majors. Students are required to delineate potential revenue sources as well as required resources and costs.

The next task is to select a project to be the class term project. This provides an opportunity to discuss the main points of the “project selection” chapter of the textbook and also to introduce the topics of 1) group decision making approaches, and 2) multiple-criteria decision making. Project selection proceeds as follows. An anonymous summary list of proposals is distributed to all students and each student completes a form in which they indicate which ideas they believe represent the best five proposals; they also provide a ranking of the five. Students are also allowed to vote “no” against 3 proposals. This helps preclude motivational problems when a majority of the class likes a particular project, but a sizeable minority very much dislikes it. A tabulation process that combines the rankings of the most preferred projects, taking into account the number of vetoes earned, determines which proposal will become the class term project. The results of the voting are then tabulated and shared with the class.

The grading rubric awards bonus points to students whose projects make the “top five” projects and additional points are awarded to the student whose project was selected. Experience suggests that the opportunity to earn extra credit does motivate the students to come up with high quality, unique, and clever proposals.

Each student also proposes (and justifies in writing) a charity organization to support. The list of proposed charities is distributed to the class, and each student makes a brief (2 minutes or less) verbal appeal to their peers as to why they believe the charity is worthy. We use this opportunity to discuss oral communication skills associated with brief presentations, i.e., how to make an effective “elevator pitch”. A voting process is used to determine what charity (or charities) will be supported by