Beyond the boundaries: the unexplored territory of postgraduate distance education for multi-national professionals in project management

Abstract

This paper examines a current research study into the development of a pedagogical framework for distance education (DE) in postgraduate project management studies at an Australian university. As part of its strategy to deliver ‘transnational’ education, the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) offers a postgraduate DE program in project management to large cohorts including international students. Project management is representative of many professional disciplines in that it requires development of technical, strategic, organisational and leadership competencies, but strategies to foster these professional competencies in a DE environment require investigation. Conceptual models by Goodyear (1999), Nunes and McPherson (2003) and Engstrom’s (2000) Activity Theory are being used for analysis of USQ as a case study to identify disturbances and contradictions in relation to project management education, postgraduate students’ educational needs, competency-based standards for management education and development of professional competencies, facilitating the development of a new theoretical framework and guidelines for a more effective program.