A project requires participants, either working on their own or as part of a team, to develop a unique product that demonstrates their learning. To complete their projects, participants need to synthesize and apply their new learning to solve a problem. The assignment also may require participants to practice their communication skills if it includes a final presentation. Working through projects, participants practice their critical thinking, problem-solving, interpersonal, and time management skills.

Because participants work to solve authentic problems, projects enhance comprehension and improve retention and transfer of knowledge and skills to the workplace. Collaborative projects also allow participants to share their experiences and hear different viewpoints. The working relationships created in a project group can continue outside of the classroom and can expand participants’ professional networks. Participants take ownership of their projects and become fully engaged as they direct their own learning. As a result, the instructor becomes more of a guide during the project.

Depending on the time available and the learning outcomes, projects can be simple or complex. More involved projects can feature interim deadlines to allow participants to get feedback from instructors and/or peers. Rubrics or Assessment Checklists are often used to clarify the project’s requirements and grading scale. For more information on assessment tools, refer to Assessment Checklists and Rubrics. Because participants are more focused on applying knowledge than memorizing details, often they do not perform well on multiple-choice and short-answer question tests. It is recommended that a course not include both written tests and projects.

While less time is spent on direct instruction, instructors still need to monitor and assess participants’ work. The instructor will need to explain the project, its deadlines, and how to interpret the grading tool. If a project has interim deadlines, the instructor will need to review and provide feedback to all learners on each deliverable as well as on the final product(s). Sometimes the instructor may be asked to counsel personality conflicts or adjust grades based on individual contributions to group projects.

However, the biggest drawback for using projects in training is that it takes time for participants to complete the work and deliver their presentations. This work often needs to occur outside of the classroom. As class time is limited, projects are more appropriate for blended learning or web-conference courses where independent and online collaboration are already part of the course structure. For instructor-led courses, projects are most appropriate for advanced level courses that meet several times over the course of a year.

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Instructions

How to create a project:

1. Determine the essential question. It should tie directly to the course content. The best essential questions are open ended and have more than one possible solution or answer.
2. Create a plan for the project. What are learners expected to be able to do by the end of the course? What will participants need to research, create, and/or communicate to achieve those outcomes? What resources do they need? Will they create the project in stages? How will all the project components come together? What will the final product look like? How will it be shared with the class?
3. Create an assessment tool. What is required to complete the project? What are the most important project components or elements? What are the less important ones? What will be the grading scheme? How would you describe good (excellent and unacceptable) work? What will be the passing and failing scores?
4. Develop a schedule. How much time do you have for the entire project (including presentations)? How much time should each component take to complete? How much time will be needed for reviews and revisions? Will they work on the project in class or work online with their teammates? Ask groups to create a hypothesis to test as they research their solution.
5. Prepare to monitor progress. Schedule check-ins to observe participant progress, assess interim components, and answer questions. How do you want participants to share their work with you or their peers? What feedback will they need to guide their project development? Refer to the assessment tool you created. Can you suggest any additional resources?