This article argues that project management skills should be incorporated into graduate instructional design programs. It outlines similarities between instructional design and project management, such as both involving bringing projects to completion on time and on budget. The article notes that major organizations in both fields emphasize related skills and perspectives. It concludes that teaching project management to instructional design students would better prepare them for workplace needs and the diverse responsibilities they may encounter in their careers.

1. Theme:Projectmanagementandinstructional design
Three articles in APA 6th format:
Harris,A. (2013). TraininginSpades:Infuse instructionaldesignmethodswithpractical project
managementprinciples.American Society forTraining & Development, Inc.,67(6),58-64.
Pan,C. (2012). A symbiosisbetweeninstructional systemsdesignandprojectmanagement. Canadian
Journalof Learning and Technology,38(1),1-15. (EJ968187)
WilliamsvanRooij,S. (2013). The career pathto instructional designproject management:Anexpert
perspective fromthe USprofessional servicessector.InternationalJournalof Training and
Development,17 (1), 33-53. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2419.2012.00414.x
Methodof article discovery:All articleswere foundusingGalileoandEric.I dida searchfor project
managementandinstructional systemsdesigntolocate eacharticle.
Article reviewed:Pan,C.(2012). A symbiosisbetweeninstructionalsystemsdesignandproject
management. Canadian Journalof Learning and Technology,38(1),1-15. (EJ968187)
Article Summary: Projectmanagementhaslongbeenconsideredaseparate anddistinctpedagogy
apart fromInstructional Design.The twohave manysimilaritiesthatwouldcomplementeachother
were projectmanagementtobe addedaspart of the core to graduate programsininstructional design.
Thispaperargues whythat should happen.
Instructional technology,definedas“the systemicandsystematicmanipulationandapplicationof tools
and principleswithinaneducational orinstructionalsettingintendedtobe needs-drivenandoutcome-
basedinsupportof learning,teaching,andhuman performance”(Pan,2012, p.2). ProjectManagement
isdefinedas“managinga special formof processinan organization,the outputof whichissome type of
value of desire andinterest…Inprojectmanagement,eachprojectischaracterizedbyanultimate goal,
tasksthat are interrelatedandcoordinated,alimitedtimeframe,anditsownuniqueness”(Pan,2012,
p.4).
The AssociationforEducational CommunicationsandTechnology(AECT) isthe premierorganizationin
instructional technology. AECTputstheirfocusonthe “five domainsof knowledge,whichare calledthe
knowledge base of instructionaltechnology:design,development,utilization,management,and
evaluation”(Pan,2012, p.2). PMI isthe premierorganizationwithinthe fieldof projectmanagement
and one can viewinstructionaldesignasa projectwitha finite beginningandend, whichrequiresthe
designertohave additional skillsoutside of instructional design.“Effectivenessof the instructionisnot
the onlythingthat mattersinthe designanddevelopmentof instruction;othermatterssuchas
efficiencyandmanagerial skillsare alsocalledintoplay”(Pan,2012, p.2). Basedon thislogic, teaching
projectmanagementskillsinaninstructional design core makesgoodsense andpreparesstudentsto
bettermeetthe needsof the workplace whentheygraduate.
Both projectmanagementand instructional designface manyof the same challenges. Bothinvolve
bringingaprojectto life fromstartto finish,constantlyevaluatingandre-evaluatingwhatsuccess looks
like,maintainingbudgets,ensuringresourcesare available andeffective, makingtheirrespective
customershappy.Also eachnewdesignorprojectisunique butstill fitsinasetframeworkof tasks.

2. Article Evaluation of the article (includingstrengthsand weaknesses):Ithinkthe author made well-
informedandcohesive argumentstoinclude projectmanagementasa course ingraduate programs in
instructional design.AsaprojectmanagerI couldeasilyrelate tomostof whatthe authorwas saying
because itwasnot writteninoverlytechnical terms.Infact,one of the weaknessesof the paperwas
that itsometimesseemedalittle oversimplified.Forexample,“projectmanagementisefficientbecause
projectmanagersmake compromises”(Pan,2012, p.5).That is true,butgenerallythe compromises
involve reallocatingpeople,time,ormoneywhichisneverassimple asitseems.Findingthe rightmix of
reallocationtoachieve the objectiveiswhatmakesbotha projectmanagerandinstructional designer
goodat theirrespectivejobs. The article laidoutsome of the issuesof bothinstructional designand
projectmanagementinclearandaccurate ways.Overall,the article wasverypersuasive and
instructional designerswouldbenefitgreatlyfrombeingtaughtprojectmanagementskills.
Applicabilityofarticle to your current or plannedfuture job setting:CurrentlyIam a Program
Coordinatorat UGA, butspenda great deal of time managingprojects.Beingable tosee the link
betweenprojectmanagementandinstructionaldesignwasveryhelpful tome tofinda connectionto
thisclass.Projectmanagementskillsare usefultoeveryonewhowantstocomplete aprojectontime
and on budget.Instructionaldesignsharesmanyof the same qualities asprojectmanagementandthis
article helpedshowme that. Ifeel like Imaynotbe able to use all of the thingsI have learnedinthis
classsince I probablywon’tbe designingcourses,butIfeel like afterreadingthisarticle Icantake
certainaspectsof instructional designandincorporate themintomywork now andinthe future as an
AdministratorandProgramCoordinator.