Abstract:

In this work we describe how we can use existing Experiential Learning Activity (ELA) to enrich the student outcomes. In this experience we take the activity “Sky is the limit” to illustrate students about some concepts related to New Product Development beyond the principles of project management. “Sky is the limit” aims to introduce students in the planning, design and construction of structures to achieve within a limited time and a previously established goal. The original activity has two objectives. First, to introduce students in the knowledge of the dimensions of a project: time, resources and results. Second, to stimulate class activity avoiding the use of traditional learning methods. Developing a new product is commonly treated as a project, therefore the ELA “Sky is the limit” might be suitable for explaining the dimensions and trade-offs to be found in the process. However, New Product Development (NPD) has a strong strategic focus and some interesting concepts can be delivered while explaining other important concepts related to managing projects. This paper focuses on adapting the experience to tackle issues originated in the original activity and deliver additional concepts related to the management of the development of new products. We explain the experience modifications following the methodology established when developing ELAs. Initial results indicate that the modified experience was able to achieve the NPD objectives while maintaining a rich and interesting discussion to work on the original activity objectives. Finally, we discuss about the implications and limitations of these results.

Keywords:

Experiential Learning Activity, project management, new product development