An Approach to Assess Knowledge and Skills in Risk Management Through Project-Based Learning

The increasing demand for Software Engineering professionals, particularly Project Managers, and popularization of the Web as a catalyst of human relations have made this platform interesting for training this type of professional. The authors have observed the widespread use of games as an attractive instrument in the process of teaching and learning. However, the project of a web-based instructional game that fulfills all pedagogical and technical requirements for training a project manager is not a trivial task. A gap exists between the theoretical concepts that are normally learned in traditional courses and practical aspects required by the real tasks. As such, this paper proposes the use of a persistent browser-based game intended for Risk Management as a component support in the qualifying process of new professionals of Project Management. The game provides to the player some experience in a real context of Project Management, in which new challenges are frequently posed to the enterprises. DOI: 10.4018/jdet.2012070102 18 International Journal of Distance Education Technologies, 10(3), 17-34, July-September 2012 Copyright © 2012, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. possible relationship between the lack of certain abilities by managers and the traditional teaching methods. This is one of the consequences of acquiring knowledge without experience in some real project or complementary educational approaches, such as games and simulations. In order to suggest a solution for this deficiency, in this paper we propose a tool to provide a new way of learning that is not only attractive, but efficient and collaborative as well. This tool meets the needs of users with distinct routines and schedules. This paper proposes the eRiskGame tool, which is a Persistent BrowserBased Game for educational purposes. The game is about the tasks that a Project Manager must perform in an organization. Its focus will be on Risk Management, more specifically in the Planning, Control and Monitoring (budget, time schedule and software quality). This serious game uses Project-Based Learning – PBL (Ayas & Zeniuk, 2001; Mitchell et al., 2008) to bring the player a way to acquire knowledge on project management, particularly in the risk control involved in this process. To that end, intelligent software agents were employed in monitoring and controlling the environment, which is in constant change and affects the professionals, the organization and its customers. This paper is divided into eight sections. In the next section, an overview of risk management is presented, followed by a description of the use of PBL in software engineering. The concept of persistent browser-based games and application of intelligent agents in computer games are then presented. Related work is also discussed, as well as the agent-based approach proposed and the role of each agent. The last section presents our final remarks.