The search for a pedagogy for postgraduate education in the emerging profession of project management

Abstract

[Abstract]: This paper considers the pedagogical issues of professional education in distance mode for project management. There has been little educational research carried out on the issues associated with adult learners returning to higher education for continuing professional education. Postgraduate educational research is mostly limited to research programs, with little recognition of the specific needs of experienced practitioners returning to study in coursework Master’s degrees. The variables that impact on the effectiveness of postgraduate professional education are numerous and are related to the requirements of the profession, the constraints imposed by educational institutions, and the needs of the individual learner. In formulating a conceptual framework for evaluation of educational programs for project management, this exploratory research suggests that existing programs in postgraduate project management are ineffective and inappropriate for an emerging profession. A literature review has been carried out on project management education, and interviews have been carried out with representatives of the major stakeholders, and these have indicated a need for detailed research into the relationships between the needs of stakeholders and the development of theory relating to postgraduate project management education.