Supporting Project Management for pupils

1. Supporting Project Management for pupils Eleanor Loughlin

2. The Supervisor’s Role “Guidance can and should be given but care should be taken not to remove the autonomy of the student. Give time (between meetings as well as in them) for students to think ideas through and make their own decisions and offer direction through description of alternative approaches used in the topic area or by open questions so that students make their own informed choices” EPQ Teacher Resource Bank: http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/subjects/AQA-7993-W-TRB-INT04SEPQ.PDF

3. The Supervisor’s Role “Discussing with the student the agreed timetable for the research project … reviewing and revising it as necessary Giving guidance on matters including: the choice of research topic; the planning of the research programme; appropriate literature and sources; Requesting written work as appropriate to the project, returning it with constructive criticism within an agreed timeframe.” Durham University’s guidance for PhD Supervisors

4. The Project Triangle • EPQ • Time • Resources • Product Scope • Project Scope • Scope

5. Getting Started “If you do not know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere.” • Henry Kissinger

6. Record of Initial Planning First ideas for topic/title First ideas for research and development of your project Clear identification of the topic, Clear evidence of appropriate and agreed aims and objectives, Detailed project plan, Plan for monitoring against the agreed objectives.

7. Title Is it at the right level? • A research question or a testable hypothesis • open question – could be answered in different ways • scope for: • analysis • investigation and field study • argument • An assignment, commission, or design brief • what is the purpose? • who is it for? • different possible development routes Be prepared to refine or revise the title

8. EPQ Student Blog Posting “So over the half term, ivehad a good think. When trying to research about bullying linked with chronic kidney failure, there is nothing really out there. So ive had a changed in heart. What about “how has the representation of women in pop videos changed in the last fifty-years?”. I think i would be very interested in this because it is totally different to what i am studying now.However this question needs to be refined and thought more about. There will be a lot more research on this when compared to bullying linked with chronic kidney failure.” http://jennifermarch.wordpress.com/

9. Project Plan Parkinson’s Law work expands to fill the time available for its completion

10. Project Plan Open-ended tasks take longer

11. Gantt Charts • A simple graphical presentation of tasks and times • A bar chart with start and finish dates on a timeline • Easy to produce • Easy to explain

12. Start Background Reading Design Questionnaire Review Questionnaire Distribute Data Inputting Final Analyses Write Up ACTIVITY Basic Gantt Chart Hand In Date TIME

13. http://ganttcharthead.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/extended-project-gantt-chart.htmlhttp://ganttcharthead.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/extended-project-gantt-chart.html

15. http://elliotepq.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/planning-gantt-chart.htmlhttp://elliotepq.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/planning-gantt-chart.html

16. Regular Meetings & Records “A basic record of supervision should be kept (dates and main topics of meetings) and particular notes made of elements that may not be recorded by the student in their own production log but that may contribute to your final assessment (for example, the development of a new idea that changes the direction of the project). Such supervision will aid the student (and is also usually very enjoyable!) but is also, of course, extremely important in the professional quality control of the assessment — your assessment is based upon real knowledge of the student’s development through the project process — and also as a major preventer/detector of possible malpractice or plagiarism.” EPQ Teacher Resource Bank: http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/subjects/AQA-7993-W-TRB-INT04SEPQ.PDF

17. Term 1 • Term 2

18. Term 1 • Term 2 • Project “Slippage”

19. Why do we often underestimate how long a project will take? • Not taking other commitments into account, • Not allowing time for ‘blind alleys’ and ‘false starts’, • Not allowing time for changes in direction and focus,

20. Why do we often underestimate how long a project will take? • Not allowing time for skills development “For me to successfully create and produce an entertaining documentary, I need to research what skills are required and what techniques can be used to accomplish a successful factual presentation. I need to consider what innermost target is and how I achieve it.” http://ganttcharthead.blogspot.co.uk/2010_11_01_archive.html • Not allowing time for dips in motivation

21. Don’t leave the ‘end product’ to the end Producing drafts and sections helps: • pupils hone their skills • you and pupils • identify strengths and weaknesses • Identify areas for skills development • you revise your support and advice in light of fuller understanding of what the student is capable of

22. Writing • Keeping a blog or reflective diary – recording and evaluating what they are doing and generating material for the mid and end of project reviews. Q: How do you eat an elephant? A: Bit by bit

23. Project Management Resources Businessballs - http://www.businessballs.com/ Mind Tools - http://www.mindtools.com/ Gantt Chart templates – http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/templates/gantt-project-planner-TC102887601.aspx http://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/excel-gantt-chart.html https://drive.google.com/templates?q=gantt&start=21&sort=hottest&view=public&ddrp=1#

24. Questions? eleanor.loughlin@durham.ac.uk