Global classrooms offer new perspectives on project management

In 2021, project management is no longer associated exclusively with IT projects where engineers are at the helm. A lot of work is done in project form on a regional, national, and municipal level and the private sector is hungry for well-prepared students. Karlstad Business School offers a unique and groundbreaking approach in the course titled Perspectives on Project Management.

Erik Månsson, lecturer in Business Administration with a specialisation in project management, and Henrik Bergman, programme director for the Master Programme in Project Management, saw the Covid situation as the start of something new.

- We used a digital approach, developed our teaching, and implemented global classrooms that enable at-home internationalization, whether there is a pandemic or not, explains Erik Månsson.

The students take a lot of initiative and work with Karlstad Business School teachers to create a whole new type of programme. Guest lecturers from India and China no longer stay an item on a wish list – they are right there on Zoom. And the lecturers are very impressed by the students they meet through the screen.

A guest lecture on 11 May that featured a US speaker marked the first occasion where Swedish and international Kau students all met in a global classroom spanning four continents. This was a unique event that generated new synergies and interactions, the likes of which the students had not experienced before.

- The visiting lecturers enjoy this new concept as well and can see the benefits of being able to share experiences with our well-educated and outgoing students, says Erik Månsson. We see this as a major shift in teaching.

Perspectives on Project Management is the final course in the study programme and offers two primary tracks – a softer, human-centric track and a more technical track, where focus is on Gantt charts and other aspects related to project management.

- Coming from psychology, I can contribute knowledge about leadership and groups, says Henrik Bergman. Erik has years of professional experience in the industry. What is unique about this programme is that both aspects are featured more or less equally. Students get to try project work throughout the programme – a teaching structure based completely on activity.

The demand for an education in project management is high – very high.

- This is the most cutting-edge Master programme we have at Karlstad Business School, explains Henrik Bergman. We have 150-200 applicants for the on-campus programme and as many as 600 applicants for 35 distance learning spots.

Erik Månsson: My former colleagues in the private and public sector all spoke highly of Karlstad Business School. We have a good reputation and the students who have graduated with this degree have made an impact in their new jobs. The students are blurring the line between student and professional in a way that is truly impressive.

Student experiences from the pilot programme:

- With our final course, we stepped away from books and scholarly articles. Now we are learning through experiences and by assuming responsibility for making seminars a success – the kind of knowledge that you cannot learn without hands-on experience. We get one step closer to real life and get to spread our project management wings.

Åsa Ågren, student, Munich

- The best part of the Master Programme in Project Management has been the exchange with my fellow students in group projects and discussions. We have always stayed focused on projects and reflected on team roles, tools, and our leadership, which has been so valuable.

Malin Borchies Ahlén, student, Södertörn

- Describing my experience with the project management programme and this project-based course is not easy for me. I see my journey at Karlstad University as a privilege in that I got to explore my inner leader and become more motivated to venture outside of my comfort zone to reach ’above and beyond’. The ambitious and driven teachers have given us students a golden opportunity to not only learn about project management, but about the importance of practical self-management to be able to lead in a responsible and sustainable way.

Tina Manochehri, student, Stockholm

- The course layout created by our innovative teachers – where they weren’t afraid to have faith in us students as cocreators and integrate distance, campus, and international students – created a global classroom where we were able to reach further and go above and beyond. We made the most out of the opportunity to show that we can help make the world a little bit better through our studies, to not just learn but also utilise our knowledge to create professional events that we could use to give to those who are less privileged – a crucial step towards Project Excellence.

Magnus Olsen, student, Arvika