Professor Wendy Petersen-Boring – wpeterse@willamette.edu
Professor David Gutterman – dgutterm@willamette.edu
Teaching Assistant: Mira Karthik – mkarthik@willamette.edu
The Conversation Project – Tier I: Foundational Skills
Spring ‘23 – Mondays & Wednesday, 1:10-2:40 PM
Welcome to the Conversation Project! This is the first in a two course sequence, The Conversation Project: Tier 1. Together the courses provide training for participating in and leading transformative conversations across differences in community, professional, and educational settings. The broader aims of the program are to build conversational foundations for democratic communities and to promote principles of equality, inclusivity, and pluralism. This course, Tier 1, focuses on the interpersonal skills for effective participation and facilitation of conversations: listening, staying grounded, increasing our capacity for non-reactivity, and cultivating curiosity and compassion for self and others.
In this Tier, our focus will be on cultivating a self ready for conversation. Our learning outcomes will be focused on further developing these intrapersonal skills:
The course takes a process-oriented approach to learning, developing skills over time. It offers you the opportunity to engage not only in an intellectual and cognitive way, but also with the “whole” of you. We encourage you to see the course as an on-going conversation between the material, the unfolding community of the class, and your own experience, including experience with wider communities.
The course also utilizes what the discipline of Contemplative Studies calls “critical first-person learning.” First person learning means that it is about you and it has experiential components – in many ways, our lived experience could be viewed as the ‘primary text’ of the course. At the same time, it includes critical thinking – reflecting thoughtfully on your experience in conversation with others in the class. Finally, we should also be thinking about “critical first-person-learning” in the plural sense (and not just the singular). One of the primary aims of the course is to create a strong sense of community – a “we” – where we will both learn from one another and develop our shared wisdom and understanding. To that end, we will engage in activities to build trust, vulnerability, and resilience among us, including for storytelling and partner work.
Sample of Class Assignments:
There are four basic areas you should consider when choosing a portfolio management software solution. The first is cost, as every company needs to find something that fits into its overall budget. When considering cost, look at the monthly costs as well as any third-party costs (such as integrations with other software) that may be necessary to have an efficient system.
With that said, you also want to make sure you’re investing in a system that can keep up with your daily workflows. Efficiency is the second thing to consider when choosing a PPM. Choose a system that helps keep your people efficient in task management. The ability to create tasks and track them through a project timeline helps you make sense of complicated projects with a lot of moving parts. Having the right management features is crucial in a service of this kind.
Flexibility is another thing to consider. Things change quickly in many company operations. Your project portfolio management software should give you plenty of options for customizing workflows, tasks, and other options. This way, you have a solution that morphs into what your company needs to organize projects rather than something you need to change systems to fit into.
Software integrations can fill a lot of gaps in your system when it comes to flexibility. Many leading providers offer the ability to connect data with other types of business apps, from customer relationship management (CRM) systems to cloud storage systems and beyond. These integrations can automate a lot of tedious work on your end by automatically connecting information from these other platforms and bring that data into your project management solution.
For example, you could bring in customer information from a CRM like Salesforce into your project portfolio management solution and attach that customer to a task for an agent using Wrike. When they close a sale with that client, they could use that integration to update customer info in their platform and have it automatically update within the Salesforce app while saving them the trouble of having to log into that platform. These small conveniences can add up to save a lot of time and effort for you and your staff.
Finally, find a PPM that makes the whole process visible with transparency to all stakeholders.
Parties should be able to see the whole slate of projects, where each is at and review which take priority on the list. With that said, having a robust set of permissions options can help you maintain project security. While some workers on your team may need full edit access of task items, there could be scenarios where you’re dealing with sensitive information and want to block out unrelated parties from the project. You should also be able to toggle view-edit access for users depending on their involvement in the project.
Register By: September 16 Classes Start: September 18
Meet the growing demand for project leaders and couple your MBA with a project management concentration with the Master of Business Administration in Project Management from Southern New Hampshire University. Learn what it takes to plan, monitor, measure and adapt a project from start to finish, and enroll in a rigorous MBA program that fits right into your life.
A project manager's job is to keep projects and people on track, and the field of project management is growing as more companies move to project team-based business models. Our MBA is all about understanding and optimizing the functions of a business. The project management MBA builds a strong foundation of management skills, and you can apply these skills to leadership roles across a variety of industries, including construction, healthcare, IT development, manufacturing and more.
Students in this program have the opportunity to take QSO-645: Project Management for PMP® Certification, which upon successful completion awards them the 35 hours of project management education required to sit for the Project Management Professional® (PMP) certification exam. It's important to note that instructors of this course have completed the PMI® Authorized Training Partner Train the Trainer – PMP's test prep program. This program equips SNHU faculty with the authority to deliver PMP test prep and training content to PMI’s quality standards.
SNHU’s MBA in Project Management is one of the most affordable MBAs in the nation and can be completed in just over a year.
With an MBA in Project Management online from SNHU, you can develop the skills and experience you need to capitalize on the growing demand for qualified project managers.
PMI® expects the number of project management jobs to skyrocket: It cites that the global economy will need 25 million new project professionals by 2030.1 Earning potential for project management workers is also strong – particularly for workers with the PMP certification. A 2021 PMI survey found that PMP-certified workers earned 32% more than those without certification.1
However, job growth and earning potential for project management careers will vary depending on the career you pursue with your project management MBA.
The project management MBA offers a unique mix of project management skills and broad-based business knowledge that can help you stand out in this growing field.
“This degree will not only prepare you to carry a project management certification but it provides you the business acumen to put those project skills to work with any industry and any project model environment,” said Gina Cravedi '18, SNHU’s director of student experience operations, an MBA graduate and certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
Not sure you want to work as a project manager? The skills gained in a project management MBA can help you develop key leadership and career skills that enhance any business management position.
Earning an MBA in Project Management gave Dara Edge '15 new tools to support her career. During her time as a social media community manager, Edge managed engagement on her employer's social media channels and worked with teams from across the organization to analyze community engagement data.
Edge said her MBA program helped develop the strong critical analysis and communication skills needed for this role.
Dara Edge '15
“You have the ability to use the degree in so many different ways — whether you want to work in the project management field, work in management, or if you want to learn how to manage projects in general. You’ll always be able to use the skills and knowledge that you’ll learn in the program.”
The MBA in Project Management online combines theory with practical application. You can graduate with a set of tools that complement today's tech-intensive workplace.
In the updated curriculum, you'll engage in scenario-based learning opportunities, allowing you to complete activities and individually graded group work based on solving real-world business problems. This type of learning offers hands-on learning experience in your online classroom that mimics real-world work settings and challenges.
Taught by professors with many years of business experience, your courses will focus on how to lead a project from start to finish – smoothly. You’ll learn how to define the scope of a project, develop a project timeline, and identify costs and resources.
Project management learning will be supported by the MBA core curriculum, which focuses on all aspects of business leadership, including:
Your project management degree courses will focus on the tools, processes and strategies used to successfully hit the goals of any big project.
You’ll learn how factors like scope, time, cost, quality, risk, resources and communication impact a project. You can apply this learning to real-world case studies to gain key decision-making experience. And you’ll get hands-on practice using manual and technology-based tools to start, plan and control projects.
In SNHU's MBA program, you can take advantage of benefits like:
If you’re interested in seeking the PMP certification, you have the option to take QSO-645: Project Management for PMP Certification as part of your MBA program. In this course, you'll explore the professional and social responsibilities of project management. You can also get a deeper understanding of the tools and techniques you can use to plan and manage projects.
This course satisfies the education requirement of 35 hours needed to take the PMP exam. It does not certain certification or passage of the certification exam, but does get you closer to earning this key credential. You must meet all other PMP requirements, including work experience hours, in order to sit for the exam.
No matter what your goals are, an MBA in Project Management offers key leadership and career skills you can use to be successful as a project manager or business leader. These skills include:
As an add-on to your degree with minimal additional courses required, MBA students can also pursue a graduate certificate beyond the standard degree program, including a project management graduate certificate. This allows you to list another significant credential on your resume with minimal additional coursework.
Don't have a business background? No problem. Our MBA is accessible to everyone. Interested students must have a conferred undergraduate degree for acceptance, but it can be in any field. Those without an undergraduate degree in business or a related field may be asked to complete up to 2 foundation courses to get started. These foundations cover essential business skill sets and can be used to satisfy elective requirements for the general-track MBA. With foundations, the maximum length of your online MBA would be 36 credits.
Attend full time or part time. Students in the MBA have the option to enroll full time (at 2 classes per term) or part time (with 1 class per term). Full-time students should be able to complete the program in about 1 year, while part-time students could finish in about 2 years. Our SNHU students are busy, often juggling jobs, family and other obligations, so you may want to work with your academic advisor to identify the course plan that works for you. The good news is, you can switch from full time to part time and back again as often as you want.
Tuition rates for SNHU's online degree programs are among the lowest in the nation. We offer a 25% tuition discount for U.S. service members, both full and part time, and the spouses of those on active duty.
Online Graduate Programs | Per Course | Per Credit Hour | Annual Cost for 15 credits |
---|---|---|---|
Degree/Certificates | $1,911 | $637 | $9,555 |
Degree/Certificates (U.S. service members, both full and part time, and the spouses of those on active duty)* |
$1,410 | $470 | $7,050 |
Tuition rates are subject to change and are reviewed annually.
*Note: students receiving this rate are not eligible for additional discounts.
Additional Costs:
Course Materials ($ varies by course)
SNHU has provided additional information for programs that educationally prepare students for professional licensure or certification. Learn more about what that means for your program on our licensure and certification disclosure page.
The Project Management Professional (PMP) is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
The PMI Authorized Training Partner seal is a mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
Your credit score, debt-to-income ratio and loan-to-value ratio, or LTV, can affect your PMI rate. Borrowers with low credit scores, high DTIs and smaller down payments will typically pay higher mortgage insurance rates. Building your credit score, paying down debt and putting down as much as you can afford may reduce your PMI costs.
Businesses the world over are exploring ways to use artificial intelligence in their operations. In this handbook, focused on the application of AI in the Asia-Pacific region, Computer Weekly looks at the issue of ethics in AI, what lab-grown neurons could mean for the technology, how an Indian agritech is helping firms maximise crop yields, and how to find winning AI use cases. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
A successful course includes an organized and easily navigable design, as well as a clearly deconstructed/laid out syllabus. The syllabus helps set your students up for academic success.
Creating and sharing the syllabus at the onset of a course is an important component to help orient students. The following recommendations provide guidance on producing and sharing a high-quality syllabus with your students.
Please be advised that your school or department may have specific syllabus requirements in addition to the university’s guidelines.
Please make sure the document is accessible, inclusive and student-centered. See the additional resources at the bottom of this page for guidance on syllabus language.
The easiest way to upload a syllabus is through the Content Tool in Brightspace. First, create a module. Once your module is created, follow these steps:
Note: You may want to recommend that your students bookmark the syllabus to make it easy to locate and access.
Strategically pointing out specific parts of your syllabus can be extremely helpful for both instructors and students. Learners taking multiple classes in a given semester have to navigate many pages of syllabi and may miss important information. For instructors, this strategy can help students feel more comfortable with the course content and limit the number of frequently asked questions.
There are several ways to showcase important information, here are a few ideas:
Use the due dates tool in assignments, assessments, and discussion boards
are up-to-date. Compare the dates on the Calendar tool or Course Schedule with those of your syllabus to confirm everything is accounted for and accurate.
You also may want to consider using a formative check to ensure students have acknowledged they have read and understand the material. Consider setting this up as a quiz with automatic feedback, with or without a point value and other contingencies. Remember to create questions that highlight the most important information in your syllabus.
There are various ways to grade, or ungrade, within courses. Overall, consider a policy that is inclusive, equitable, transparent, and aligned to the university’s grading policies and procedures.
Clearly articulate this policy for students and reiterate it throughout the semester as needed. Just as important, ensure the grading scheme within UB Learns aligns to the assignment values, weights, percentages, etc. Having an up-to-date and accurate grade book is critical for establishing and maintaining for transparency and accuracy.
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To choose a project management software, consider each provider’s cost and added fees, overall features and functionality offerings, reporting, integration capabilities, necessary features vs. feature overload, customer reviews and customer support. In this section, we walk you through how to approach this assessment.
Project management software has basic features that most projects need to be successful. However, extra or unique features make some software options better for certain teams or businesses. It’s important to do your research to understand what unique features might make your project more successful based on your team approach, type of business or type of project. Some highly utilized project management tools and features include:
Look for tools and designs that can help your organization use the software easier, despite barriers such as little knowledge of best practices or a cumbersome number of tasks that must be completed on a daily basis. Choosing the right ease-of-use features for your organization depends on many factors, including your company’s tech-savviness and size. However, some ease-of-use features commonly used by small to midsized companies are:
Reporting within project management software presents key data in a meaningful way to help you understand the success or needed improvements in your projects. The best project management software offer dashboards that break down data in the form of graphs, tables and the like to make gleaning insights from the data instant and intuitive.
Determine the types of key performance indicators (KPIs) you may need to track and the types of needed reports to help you track them. Then, when evaluating your considered software, explore its reporting and analytics options and dashboards to determine if they have what you need.
Common reports that may be helpful in a project management software include project status, health, team availability, risk, variance and timeline reports. Common KPIs include percentage of tasks completed, return on investment (ROI), schedule variance, planned vs. genuine hours and the planned project value.
Next, evaluate whether the software will continue to meet your needs by exploring whether you can customize the reports or dashboards to meet needs as they arise. Customization options may include the ability to add or remove columns or create new reporting views.
Customer reviews offer real-world insights into what it is like to use your considered software and do business with its provider. Search your considered software on tech review sites such as Capterra and TrustRadius. Read the reviews of past and current users. As you do, you are likely to learn the glitches the software experiences, hidden costs not highlighted on the provider’s website and how the software compares to competitor solutions.
Access to quality customer support ensures that, should a glitch happen in the software, your entire project isn’t derailed. To learn more about your chosen provider’s customer support, search for it on review sites such as TrustRadius and look at the company’s plans to understand what will be available to you and when. Aim to at least ensure support will be responsive during your normal business hours and via the mediums your team is accustomed to using.
As you look at the feature set, remember that startups have different needs in project management software than do large enterprises. For example, enterprise companies may need to manage projects with execution steps that span the globe, while startup projects are more likely to span one or two locations. Demos can help you determine what tools are useful for your organization’s size and which will unnecessarily create a steeper learning curve.
Though one software plan or tool may be best for your organization at your current size, those needs are likely to change as you grow. For example, as you grow, you may need a software or plan with greater automation capabilities to scale operations or greater file storage capacity. So, while it is important to choose a software without unnecessary features, it is equally important to choose one that will continue meeting your feature needs as they grow.