Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effectiveness of Scrum for project and team management in PBL teams in higher education. To attain this goal, a study was carried out to analyze students’ perceptions about Scrum as an effective method for PBL teams. Based on two different editions of PBL that used the Scrum method with different characteristics in each approach, this paper aims to identify the best practices for effective team and project management and draw recommendations for successful use of scrum in PBL approaches. The authors used an exploratory case study carried out within an engineering program at the University of Minho, Portugal. The research design was based on an explorative quantitative and qualitative approach. Implementing Scrum in PBL teams helps students to keep the project running smoothly and draws greater awareness on how to manage the project and teams in a more effective way. Findings show that task assignment, performance monitoring, visual management and regular feedback were considered the main advantages of using Scrum in PBL teams, which had a positive impact on student performance. However, for the success of Scrum, students recognize the role of the Scrum Master and Project Owner as vital to guide the teams in a sustainable way. Research on the application of Scrum in Education is scarce and mostly exploratory. This paper is among the very few empirical studies consolidating knowledge on the implementation of Scrum approaches to improve learning in higher education. More specifically, it brings a valuable contribution on how to improve specifically team performance in PBL teams with the use of agile approaches such as Scrum.
Highlights
With the increased importance of teamwork and project management skills for the professional profile of graduates, Scrum appears as one of the most known agile project management approaches
The results of the study provide an overall view of the impact of the use of the Scrum method to improve Project-Based Learning (PBL) team performance
These findings, which emerge from the data collected from participants and the analysis of Scrum artefacts, can be organized and discussed based on a set of categories, mainly related to the features of Scrum applied to the PBL context
Summary
With the increased importance of teamwork and project management skills for the professional profile of graduates, Scrum appears as one of the most known agile project management approaches. Considering that Scrum is, nowadays, highly used and effective in project management practices, it is important to understand what application has been given to Scrum in the educational context. Higher education institutions focus more and more on student centered teaching and learning approaches, where students are involved in the development of technical skills of their field of expertise but interpersonal and social skills, such as teamwork, leadership and lifelong learning skills. Project-Based Learning (PBL) is one of these approaches. It is considered a powerful strategy for learning, but to promote the empowerment of citizens for the transformation of society. With PBL, students become more aware of social circumstances and reveal deeper engagement in learning when they feel that their work could impact other people positively [1]
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