Participatory Action Research in a Blended Learning Course on Project Management Soft Skills

In the preceding years we employed active, blended learning in a course on project management soft skills that was particularly well received by students. In this paper we share the underlying person-centered philosophy, the current course design, students´ reactions, and our experiences and lessons learned in order to provide a realistic picture and pool of inspiration for other educators. Concurrently, we confirm the applicability of participatory action research as a methodological framework suited for improving course design, specific interventions, and theory building. Within that framework we suggest to apply qualitative and quantitative methods in order to deal with specific research questions. Initial results indicate that students consider the practical exercises during the lab hours, the active participation in the course, and dialogue/discussion the top factors 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 in the course on project management soft skills than in other courses of their study