PROJ5002 Project Management Principles
Assessment 3 Guidelines
Assessment type Reflective Essay
Word limit / length 2,000 words
Weighting 45%
Due date 11pm Sunday Week 6
Background
To reflect means reviewing our inner processes of thinking and feeling. John Dewey, a key originator of thinking about reflection sees it as a special form of problem solving, which requires qualities of open-mindedness, responsibility and self-awareness. Schön emphasises the concept of ‘reflection-in-action’, where the reflective practitioner evaluates intuitive understandings intrinsic to experience as a guide to action. This ‘on-the-spot’ processing is different from retrospective contemplation, which typifies most reflection on learning.
This essay will require your thinking to go through the following levels and have your essay arrive at the third, the critical level.
1. the technical or evaluative level – students typically start at the first level, mostly describing and evaluating their experiences, with little connection to theory
2. the practical or sense-making level – most progress to the second level, making sense of their experiences or learning in the light of theoretical understandings
3. the critical level – students tend to find the third level the most challenging, as it requires a capacity to critically examine the values, beliefs and assumptions underlying their actions.
Learning outcomes
This assessment task is aligned to Learning Outcomes #5:
• Synthesise and reinterpret a past or existing project using PMBOK terminology and frames.
Assessment task
You are required to reflect upon a project scenario where you have applied, or failed to apply, project management theory. The reflection will require you to:
• provide a short description of the project scenario,
• analyse the project scenario with reference to project management theory and quality academic literature, and
• reflect on the project scenario to identify how you could modify project management practices to enhance or support positive outcomes for the project, or in future projects.
Project management theory should focus on the PMBOK Process Groups (Initiating; Planning; Executing; Monitoring and Controlling; or Closing) or the 10 Knowledge Areas (see Kloppenborg 2018, p. 11).
If you have no project scenario that you can reflect upon, you may the experience of project managing the Old Farm House Project.
To help you in this assessment there will be a seminar on reflective writing in Week 4.
Assessment structure
Please follow one of the recommended models for reflective writing (either the Record, Analyse, Reflect model, or the 5R’s of Reflective Writing) to support the main body of your essay. More information on these models will be provided during the Reflective Writing Seminar in Week 4.
Section Section description
Title page Name, student number, word count.
Table of contents If using headings/ sub-headings.
Introduction Contextualise the topic, provide an outline of key theory used and summarise the key insights/ results.
Main body Use a reflective writing model to structure the main body of your essay.
- Record, Analyse, Reflect
- 5R’s of Reflective Writing: Reporting, Responding, Relating, Resoning, Reconstructing
Conclusion Summarise the key insights/ results and restate how future outcomes may be modified as a result of the reflection.
References List of references cited in Harvard style.
Preparing your assessment
1. The academic nature of this essay requires the use of in-text citation and referencing in accordance with SCU Harvard Referencing Standards. Further information regarding SCU referencing standards are available at: http://libguides.scu.edu.au/harvard
2. As there is such an emphasis on the textbook, all in-text references for the textbook (both paraphrasing and direct quotes) should include a page number or the section number.
3. Word count has a tolerance of 10% over or under.
4. Contents page, tables, reference list, appendices (if applicable) are not included in the word count.
5. Headings are not mandatory but may be included as they assist both writer and reader to follow the line of discussion.
Submission format
Upload as one single MS Word file via the Assessment 3 Submission portal in the Assessment Tasks and Submission folder within Blackboard.
Assessment 3 rubric
Scale 5 Scale 4 Scale 3 Scale 2 Scale 1
Description of situation
20% Description is sophisticated and insightful Description is relevant, succinct and clear Description attempted but lacks clarity or is verbose Description attempted, but lacks relevance Description inadequate
Integration with theory
30% Analysis of situation is integrated with theory and demonstrates a sophisticated understanding Analysis of situation is integrated with theory and demonstrates a competent understanding Analysis of situation is explicitly connected to theory and demonstrates a developing understanding Analysis of situation is somewhat connected to theory, but the connection is loose and/ or implied No connection to theory
Forward casting
20% Student describes in a sophisticated manner how their future practice and/or future self will change, based on their reflection and engagement with theory Student competently describes how their future practice and/or future self will change, based on their reflection and engagement with theory Student attempts to describe how their future practice and/or future self will change, based on their reflection and engagement with theory Student makes an inadequate attempt to describe how their future practice and/or future self will change; inadequate attempt to reflect and engage with theory No attempt to describe how future practice and/or future self will change in light of reflection and/or theory
Reflective essay structure
15% Uses a sophisticated reflective structure that connects experience with three or more theoretical components Uses a competent reflective structure that connects experience with at least three theoretical components Uses a basic reflective structure that connects experience with theory Uses some semblance of a reflective structure No reflective structure; may focus more upon description than reflection; may not use theory
References
15% Five or more academic references present and relevant, and focus upon the Textbook, the PMBoK, and/or other academic literature, are well integrated and add weight to the analysis/ discussion Three to five academic references present and relevant, and focus upon the Textbook, the PMBoK, and/or other academic literature, and are somewhat integrated Three to five academic references present and relevant, and focus upon the Textbook, the PMBoK, and/or other academic literature though lack integration Academic references are limited to the textbook and/ or PMBoK. Academic references absent or are not relevant (possible sham referencing)