Unit leader team of ENGM 60061 (Team Leader:Kun Wang)

Kun Wang and Ian Stewart are dedicated to delivering a comprehensive and impactful project management education through the MSc Management of Projects Group of Programmes at The University of Manchester. They have been instrumental in shaping these programmes to bridge the gap between theory and practice, ensuring students gain real-world experience alongside academic knowledge.The cornerstone of their teaching approach is the ENGM60061 Management of Projects unit, highlighted by the innovative 'Project Management Video Documentary Coursework', initially developed by Ian in 2016. Kun, who took over coordinating this core unit from Ian, has continued to enhance its effectiveness. Under Kun's leadership, the unit involves over 400 students annually, who must manage their coursework as a project, developing schedules, costings, risk management plans, and other essential project documentation. This hands-on experience not only enhances their academic learning but also significantly boosts their employability. The team's efforts have consistently garnered excellent student feedback and generated substantial strategic impacts.

In the UK, postgraduate taught degrees typically last for just one year. Their innovative course design fosters a dialogue across time and space for students. They engage in a "project about a project" by researching a real-world project and presenting a comparison of their practice and theory in a documentary. The documentary production itself becomes a project management exercise, with students autonomously managing the process and reporting regularly. Not only do students study projects undertaken by alumni, but we also compile challenges faced by past students into simulations, enabling proactive learning happening with industrial experience. Student researchers leave video messages for the next cohort and the researched project practitioners with new theoretical knowledge from campus. The design ensures that students' connection to Manchester remains strong even after they leave and extends one-year learning outcomes to lifelong learning for broader communities.