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Chapter 7.6
Can Person-Centered
Technology Enhanced Learning
Contribute to Develop Project
Management Soft Skills in
an Academic Context?
1
Renate Motschnig-Pitrik
University of Vienna, Austria
Michael Derntl
University of Vienna, Austria
AbstrAct
In the preceding years we employed active tech-
nology enhanced learning in a course on project
management soft skills that was particularly well
received by students. This chapter presents the
underlying philosophy, the current course design,
students’ reactions, and our experiences and lessons
learned. Concurrently, we confirm the applicability
of participatory action research as a methodological
framework suited for improving course design, spe-
cific interventions, and theory building. We propose
to complement that framework by qualitative and
quantitative methods in order to deal with specific
research questions. Results indicate that students
consider their active involvement in the course, both
face-to face and online, the top factor from which
they benefit. Furthermore, the majority of students
felt that it was easier for them to work in teams and
to establish social relationships. The primary goal
of the chapter is to provide a pool of inspiration for
other educators in practice and research.
INtrODUctION
Authors from constructivist, learner-centered,
and person-centered traditions have argued that
learning is most effective if it includes the whole
person. This means that for meaningful, deep and
persistent learning, not only the intellect but also
feelings, meanings, ideas, skills, attitudes, and so
forth, need to be included. Recently, this has also
been voiced in the European Association for the
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-59904-600-6.ch012