Shanxi University of Finance & Economics - Sand Table Assistance Project Management Education

Shanxi University of Finance & Economics, founded in 1951, is a multi-disciplinary university with economics and management science as its featured and advantageous programs, and economics, management and law as its main specialties, developing interdependently economics, management, laws, literal arts, science, engineering and teaching.

■Cooperation Background

With continuously deepening enrolment expansion and education system reform, colleges and universities have attached great importance to improving students’ capability in practice in their education. The Management Science and Engineering College of Shanxi University of Finance & Economics was established in 1998, presently setting up three undergraduate specialties including Engineering Management, Management Science and Project Management, giving prominence to the role of practical teaching in the specialty construction. Under the leadership of Zhang Suodi who is the dean, the university has established a series of professional teaching labs, striving to improve students’ capability in operation and practice through accelerating practical teaching.

■Cooperation Course

The Management Science and Engineering College of Shanxi University of Finance & Economics started its application of engineering project management sand table in March, 2008. In April and September, Zhou Xiaofeng, the senior sand-table lecturer of Glodon Company, had made lectures for demonstration in the university and explained the teaching methods in details. Since September, 2008, the college has set up an optional course of engineering project management sand table, and expanded the practical simulation course to the entire university.

■Cooperation Value:

■Understand the project management knowledge system

In the current teaching in colleges and universities, case operation is the most insufficient. We can say that, theoretic knowledge can be solved through specialized courses set by colleges and universities, but these specialized courses are categorized, and it is insufficient for students to learn these courses in the view of the knowledge system. As to the science of project management, various contents of the course need to be comprehended systemically, with mutual relationship. The sand table course can connect these contents through practical project cases, enabling students to comprehend and apply the knowledge systemically. In addition, undergraduates are in lack of capabilities to apply the knowledge to the actual works, or rather, when acquiring knowledge, students are usually unclear or even unaware about how to use the knowledge, which is just what an enterprise requires, namely “the capability”. Relying on the sand table, students can experience projects actually, and understand what knowledge is needed in a complete project and how to be applied.

■Role Cognition

In colleges and universities, students acquire knowledge based on their specialties, for instance contract management, purchase management, etc. However, in the actual work, human resources are set by post. Namely, in the work, you should comprehend your role, including position, requirements and professional knowledge needed. In the sand table course, students take different roles according to the organization structure of a project department, to experience their own roles and understand other positions’ duties.

■Promote learning interest

During the daily study in colleges and universities, students have no interest in study due to some reason. The sand table, such a novel teaching mode emphasizing operation, through operating project case, enhancing competitiveness among teams, can attract students to think hard, take an active part and learn project management in games, fully reflecting ‘experience is more important than comprehension’.

■Why choose the engineering project management sand table of Glodon?

According to Zhang Suodi, Dean of Management Science and Engineering College of Shanxi University of Finance & Economics, colleges and universities are duty-bound to enhance students’ capability in practice. Well, how to enhance students’ capability in practice? It is necessary for colleges and universities to establish a lab teaching system and introduce novel practical teaching courses. As a management college, all specialties we set are related with project management, requiring students to possess the capability of project management. And the engineering project management sand table can just meet our requirements in the practical view. Through twice implementation, we notice that students have taken an active part in the lesson, which enhances our determination to expand the course to the whole university.

■Future Plan:

Plan to establish a perfect project management sand table lab and develop a provincially top-quality course in years.