GWU's Graduate Program in Project Management Turns Lectures
into 24/7 Learning with Echo Technology

The George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, DC has expanded its use of EchoSystem technology for campus-wide lecture capture to include the Master of Science in Project Management (MSPM) program within the School of Business. GWU's MSPM program enrolls 350 students, with about half on campus and half in distance learning mode. At an average age of 35, these students face work-life challenges while completing their degrees.

"Today's business graduate student wants to have it all: a family, successful career and the first-rate education that GWU provides regardless of where they may study," said Phyllis Tutora, director of GWU’s School of Business Project Management program. "Lecture capture from Echo360 allows us to reach all of our distance students on their schedules, in their time zones."

As one of only a few project management graduate-level programs in the United States, a MSPM degree from GWU carries an excellent reputation. Despite increasing demand, GWU has chosen to keep the program at current enrollment levels to attract the best and brightest students from around the world. Lecture capture was one way the university updated their course delivery method to cater to the distance population.

"The EchoSystem provides unmatched functionality to our Project Management program with its automated lecture capture system, podcasting capabilities and virtual lectures, all while keeping it effortless for our faculty," Tutora continued. "Using the EchoSystem, our online and remote students have an educational experience equivalent to their on-campus counterparts."

Developed in partnership with the University of Western Australia, Echo360 offers scalable and affordable lecture capture solutions that empower institutions of any size to provide universal availability of lecture content to their students. From New York to Newcastle, Melbourne to Mexico City, Echo360 touches the lives of more students in over 1,000 higher education classrooms around the globe.

For more information about the Echo360 system, visit www.echo360.com. For more information about GWU’s MSPM program, visit http://business.gwu.edu/grad/mspm/index.html.

Return to Mars! One of World's Most Advanced Online Project Management Courses Now Available at Discounted Price Through PMForum

PMForum has announced the availability and discount pricing for readers and subscribers to enroll in Return to Mars, an online simulation-based project leadership course developed for NASA by Palatine Group. The negotiated discount, some 9% off the previous pricing, is available only through the new Return to Mars program. The discount climbs to 12% for teams of five or more.

The Return to Mars course was created with a foundation project management skills curriculum merged with an advanced project (case study) -- the Mars Pathfinder. The result is a highly flexible learning solution that develops competencies for project management professionals at multiple levels of experience. Return to Mars blends over 40 movies, 350 screens, state-of-the-art sound, animation, interface facility - and even the legendary actor Leonard Nimoy - into 14 powerful, 45-minute modules. NEAR and IMAGE are modeled on the Harvard Business Case Study Method.

The groundbreaking, interactive, media-rich learning experience recreates many of NASA's innovative projects, including the Pathfinder Mission to Mars (PMI's Project of Year). The course uses an advanced project to create a dramatic context for a learner to build skills and practice project management techniques within a subsystem of the Pathfinder mission/project. It puts you in the hot-seat of a bold attempt to land a spacecraft on Mars. The budget is tight: $150 million. The schedule is rigid: do it in 3.5 years, or you'll miss the launch window. Participants simulate a real project, gaining information and skills they can immediately apply to their own projects.

The course gives participants an understanding of the dynamics and challenges of project management, and provides tools and techniques for managing the entire project life cycle. Return to Mars helps develop soft skills by immersing participants in a simulation of Pathfinder's unique project environment, stressing performance and creativity, as well as innovation under tight budget and schedule restraints. Alongside insights into the value of such skills as leadership, teamwork, and communication, Return to Mars provides practical tools such as work breakdown structures, lessons learned, and a 60-day scheduling software.

According to David Pells, Managing Editor for PMForum, "The Return to Mars course is being offered as a service to project managers and organizations worldwide who want access to an advanced web-based project management course at reasonable pricing. Developed for and with NASA program and project managers, this is one of the most sophisticated courses in the world. It is not for beginners. It is for experienced, senior-level, project managers and teams who are prepared to accept the challenge of leading a project team into space. It requires participants to actually learn and apply project management principles."

The Return to Mars course is being offered by PMForum in partnership with Palatine Group as a service to project managers and organizations worldwide. Return to Mars is one of the most sophisticated and advanced courses in the world. Benefits of passing the course will include competency improvement, increased knowledge, career advancement, and 14 PDUs for PMP recertification. For more information, visit http://www.returntomarslearningsite.com/info.html.

Founded in 1976, Palatine Group is a professional services firm offering business and project management simulations, performance support and technology-based learning. Key service areas include Leadership and Project Management, Performance Management, e-Learning and Mobile Learning, Coaching, Mentoring and Business Communications. Based in New York City, Palatine is pioneering new ways to think about knowledge delivery, client performance, and innovation. Visit http://www.thepalatinegroup.com/index.php.

Established in the early 1990s in Canada,
www.pmforum.org, was the world’s first website devoted to professional project management; it continues to be one of the world’s most popular sources of project management news and information. PMForum also produces the popular monthly PM World Today eJournal; free subscriptions available at www.pmworldtoday.net.

Public Program Management Course in Oregon Offers Unique Opportunity for Both Personal and Professional Development

Personal development through continuing education is a key element in career growth, especially in the fast paced and complex world of program management. Growing personally and gaining knowledge from others in the discipline increases the ability for even greater contributions to improve business results in our organizations. The authors of one of the best books on program management, Russ Martinelli and Jim Waddell, will be teaching a course offered by the Program Management Academy in September.

With the need for enhancing program management skills and knowledge, the newly published book, Program Management for Improved Business Results, is gaining recognition worldwide. Building on the book, the authors will be teaching a public 2-day course on September 17-18 in Oregon. The book is included in the course fee; lunch, snacks, and refreshments are provided on both days. Attendees come from around the globe providing the benefit of shared experiences from a variety of organizations and experiences. Upon completion, students can receive sixteen PDU credits.

Russ Martinelli and Jim Waddell designed the course for program and project managers seeking to grow their skills in the program management discipline and provide greater value to their companies. The new skills, tools and techniques are even more efficiently implemented when multiple people attend from the same company, so a discounted price is offered for 3 or more people attend from the same organization.

Russ and Jim have many years of experience in high risk, high profile programs and offer their own as well as contemporary examples of program management challenges and effective solutions. Their approach is ideal for small group discussions and activities, which is the design of the workshop. While participants in the workshop bring their own situations and experiences, participants will benefit from the direct contact with these leading edge experts.

The 2-day workshop is held in Beaverton Oregon where there is easy car and light rail access less than an hour away from the Portland (PDX) airport. The facility is within easy walking distance from hotels and restaurants. Click here to register for Sept 17-18 or for assistance contact the registrar: rose.marshall@innovationframeworks.com .

This course is offered in collaboration between the Program Management Academy and Innovation Frameworks. For more information, visit www.innovationframeworks.com or http://www.programmanagement-academy.com/. Open enrollment has also begun for a follow-on course scheduled for November 12-13, 2008.

ASU Professor Dean Kashiwagi Receives Fulbright Award to Help Establish Project Management Program at University of Botswana

Dean T. Kashiwagi, Professor at the Del E. Webb School of Construction at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, Arizona, USA, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture and conduct research at University of Botswana in Africa during the 2008-2009 academic year. The award was announced earlier this year by the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Professor Kashiwagi is now in Botswana helping the University of Botswana develop an interdisciplinary project management graduate program, exposing them to a futuristic project management model and a leading-edge graduate education/research model. He is also helping create an ASU-Africa link in engineering and management.

Dean T. Kashiwagi (pictured) is a professor at Arizona State University's Del E Webb School of Construction and also the Director of the Performance Based Studies Research Group (PBSRG). PBSRG is the worldwide leader in improving facility/project performance and efficiency. Kashiwagi has developed a "hands off" approach to managing contractors or vendors in any industry.

His concept is contrary to traditional price-driven procurement. The technology has been tested over 500 times totaling $1.135 Billion ($683M in construction projects and $451 in non-construction projects) with a 98% success rate since 1994. He work is now being tested in the Netherlands. Kashiwagi has integrated these concepts into a Facility-Project Asset Graduate Program at ASU. His presentations are highly sought out by highly recognized international organizations such as the Project Management Institute (PMI) Global Congress and the recent 4^th SCPM IPMA/MedNet Conference in Chios, Greece where he was a keynote speaker.

Kashiwagi is one of approximately 800 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad through the Fulbright Scholar Program. Established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Program's purpose is to build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the rest of the world.

The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Since its inception, the Fulbright Program has exchanged approximately 273,500 people - 102,900 Americans who have studied, taught or researched abroad and 170,600 students, scholars and teachers from other countries who have engaged in similar activities in the United States. The Program operates in over 150 countries worldwide.

Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. Fulbright recipients are among over 30,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. For more than forty years, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has supported programs that seek to promote mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Scholar Program is administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars. For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, visit http://exchanges.state.gov.

3rd Brazilian Project Management Congress comes along with many options of workshops and mini-courses

Reported by Peter Mello in Brazil

Organized by the PMI Chapter RS with the help of the PMI "Integração Nacional", the 3rd edition of the Brazilian Project Management Congress will happen in Porto Alegre, in the south of Brazil, at the campus of PUC – one of the most traditional private held universities in Brazil. The conferences plus workshop is scheduled for 22-24 October 2008.

The first day is dedicated to a couple of mini-courses and workshops, such as:

• PMBOK^® Guide

• Communication, expression and creativity

• OPM3

• Development of schedules based in scenarios and the use of Critical Chain concepts

• THE PMDOME WORKSHOP

• Portfolio Management

While the seminars during the three days of the event will take around one hour, the events in the first day will take from four to eight hours, giving the participants a great opportunity to get into more detailed information about the chosen topics.

The workshops and mini-courses start on October 22^nd and the fees are very competitive when compared to the full featured courses. The presentation of articles during the congress will happen on October 23^rd and 24^th.

More information can be found at: http://www.pmirs.org.br/congresso/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=43