The case study from Southern Austria, a regional example of the internationalization of the business curriculum at Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (CUAS) was presented at the Chatlearn conference "AI in Project Management and Beyond" held at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) in May 2024. This event brought together leading project management experts to explore innovation in project management curriculum, covering topics such as management trends, assessments, ethics, philosophy, technology, real avatar presentations, and AI PM tool testing. The CUAS case study was featured alongside global experts which included distinguished speakers like Hany Wells from Coventry University London, Mauro Mancini from Politecnico di Milano, Veniamin Kizeev from IPMA (International Project Management Association), Martina Huemann and Michael König from WU Vienna.
At the School of Management, Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (CUAS), an innovative case study was conducted to integrate Micro-Credentials (MC) Google Certificates into the Project Management (PM) module of the Bachelor's level Business Program curriculum. This initiative, undertaken during the 2023/2024 academic year over a span of 12 months, aimed to document the implementation process and identify the barriers and drivers involved in incorporating new PM teaching content and formats.
The case specifically focused on the integration of Coursera-based, asynchronous, self-paced Google Career Project Management Certificates, offered in the form of Digital Badges (DB). It employed a combined implementation model (MICROBOL and Coursera Academy) to showcase integrative pedagogical approaches that blend advanced technologies into the traditional BA business curriculum's Project Management module.
Building upon empirical evidence from student surveys and Coursera Dashboard analytics, the study provided insights into the impact of the newly adopted pedagogical approaches with self-paced asynchronous MCs and their implications for organizational learning. The CUAS case study findings demonstrate that the integration of Google Micro-Credentials can provide students with specific skills needed for in-demand jobs in the digital field, resulting in over 100 successful project management certification completions. Consequently, by incorporating Google Certificates into the Project Management module within the Business Program curriculum, students can gain access to specialized knowledge and practical skills directly applicable to their future careers, ensuring employability and career readiness.
Overall, this partnership with Google is positioned as a catalyst for positive social change and innovation within the regional university context in Southern Austria, serving as a driver for organizational learning and development with a focus on internationalization.
Coordinator: FH-prof. Dr. Svetlana Buko, School of Management Vice Dean for Internationalization.
Partnership framework: In spring 2023 Carinthia University of Applied Sciences has set a strategic partnership with Google to offer micro-credentials in Project Management, Digital Marketing, and Data Analytics. This collaboration opened doors for alumni, junior, and senior BA and MA-level students, providing them with a unique opportunity for international certification through the Google Career Certificate Scholarship Program EMEA (“Grow With Google” Initiative) implemented with Coursera.
#MoreThanGrades #GrowWithGoogle
https://grow.google/intl/at-de/
