German-Czech cooperation: e-learning for international project management

The teaching of practical and theoretical project management skills and the creation of a new type of German-Czech educational program are at the heart of a joint project between Hof University of Applied Sciences and the Institute of Technology and Economics in České Budějovice (Budweis). A web platform, an e-learning course and a business game are to be developed by spring 2027. This will then be available to anyone who wants to expand their knowledge in the growth area of project management or qualify for activities in this field.

Project management is a permanent task in companies, but also in many other institutions. The extent to which this area of responsibility is now growing across all industries can be seen in the constantly increasing demand for project management specialists. One thing is clear:

In order to be successful, companies and organizations are dependent on people who can master the increasing complexity of projects and the accompanying, highly technology-driven processes. Increasingly multicultural and multilingual project teams also present new challenges.”

Prof. Dr. Christine Falkenreck

Cooperation in the region

Together with her research assistant Luisa Habbel, she coordinates the transnational project “SiPMO” (“Simulated Project Management Office”), which aims to teach the relevant skills in an interactive and exciting way and thus prepare students for the world of work. “We want to introduce our students – and not just them – to working in the border region and in region-specific projects in a very targeted way using many practical examples and strengthen cooperation in the region,” adds the project manager.

Empowerment for the global job market

The overarching goal:

We want to provide the right answers to the high demand in Bavaria and Bohemia by qualifying competent specialist personnel and train them for the cross-border labor market.”

Luisa Habbel, research assistant

And further: “As the planned training program will not only be available in German and Czech, but also in English, we can also speak of a global approach,” explains Luisa Habbel. Together, they want to make it clear how the respective risk management works, how projects should be managed according to current standards or what needs to be considered when calculating costs, for example.

Project management via e-learning

The learning elements created during the course of the project are extremely diverse. For example, 13 e-learning modules alone will provide information on agile and classic project management. “They include case studies and videos as well as all kinds of additional material,” explains Prof. Falkenreck. The plan is to make the web platform and e-learning courses available to interested members of the public through collaborations once the project has been completed. It is also planned that graduates will receive a certificate after successfully completing the online course.

Successful kick-off

The digital and innovative project was successfully launched at the end of April: Many interested parties from the Bohemian-Bavarian border region came to the kick-off event at the Institute of Technology and Economy in České Budějovice. “The cooperation with the Czech partners in České Budějovice leads to a high level of understanding of the mutual differences in the implementation of projects. We can ideally use this understanding to adapt the content of our media in the best possible way,” says Luisa Habbel.

In addition, several workshops to exchange and evaluate the materials between students from both countries are planned for the future.

Funding

The “SiPMO” project is supported by the European Fund for European Territorial Cooperation (INTERREG) and the Interreg Bavaria-Czech Republic 2021-2027 program. The funding amounts to almost 350,000 euros.

Further information on “SiPMO”:
Project page…
INTERREG program…

Contact: interregprojekt.sipmo@hof-university.de