Evaluating Project Management Skill Development in Engineering and Agricultural Curricula

Project management is the use of specific knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to deliver something of value to people [1]. STEM programs desire to prepare their students to provide something of value to society. Developing project management skills not only aids in this but also translates to applications in their personal life, such as overall planning, organizing, and time management. With that desire, we have reason to research if these project management skills and concepts are being taught effectively enough to prepare students for senior-level capstone courses and future careers. Degree programs that do not heavily focus on management principles may impact students' abilities to obtain manager-style roles. Outside the classroom, there are opportunities to obtain this experience, such as through internships and studying abroad. Data collected stem from a self-efficacy questionnaire administered to 811 students and voluntarily completed by 361. The survey was issued at the beginning of the semester for nine fall courses through 15 different majors and intended to take approximately 15 minutes to complete. The questionnaire holds 36 questions for students to assess their background, demographics, academic career, and project management skills/opinions. The results were examined to determine the current knowledge of project management as a baseline measure and to explore relationships between student characteristics and confidence in project management. Initial findings show that overall confidence in managing a project from beginning to end is relatively low compared to their confidence in individual aspects of project management, possibly indicating that students are comfortable and confident with a few aspects of project management but are less confident with their ability to lead and manage all aspects of a project. Further analysis of the obtained results, in addition to ongoing data collection, will guide the next phase of research.