Gray, D. (2024, July), Trial by Fire:  GIFTS for Stress-Testing Student Project Management Tools  Paper presented at 15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE), Boston, Massachusetts. 10.18260/1-2--48634

\bibitem{asee_peer_48634}
  Gray, D. (2024, July), \emph{Trial by Fire:  GIFTS for Stress-Testing Student Project Management Tools}
  Paper presented at 15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE), Boston, Massachusetts.
  10.18260/1-2--48634

David Gray.  "Trial by Fire:  GIFTS for Stress-Testing Student Project Management Tools".  15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE), Boston, Massachusetts, 2024, July.  ASEE Conferences, 2024.  https://peer.asee.org/48634 Internet.  19 Dec, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_48634}
  David Gray.
  "Trial by Fire:  GIFTS for Stress-Testing Student Project Management Tools".
  \emph{15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE), Boston, Massachusetts, 2024, July}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2024.
  https://peer.asee.org/48634 Internet.  19 Dec, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_48634
author = "David Gray"
title = "Trial by Fire:  GIFTS for Stress-Testing Student Project Management Tools"
booktitle = "15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)"
year = "2024"
month = "July"
address = "Boston, Massachusetts"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/48634}
number = {10.18260/1-2--48634}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - First year general engineering programs often include team-based project or design work to develop essential teamwork and fundamental engineering skills.  However, students entering these programs bring varying levels of experience in working with teams and with managing projects.  Principles of asynchronous/synchronous team communication, task management, and documents/assignment collaborative development are present in a wide range of levels.
This GIFTS work introduces an assignment aimed at stress testing and formatively assessing student-selected project management tools.  This assignment is administered after students have been placed into teams and subsequent to a team charter assignment where teams indicate group communication methods, file sharing and coworking systems, and task management systems.  
The assignment is designed to push students to actively engage with their chosen project management tools in a real-time, high-pressure situation.  With a constrained timeframe, students are tasked with coordinating tasks, sharing information, and synthesizing individual contributions into a cohesive team presentation. Through this experiential approach, students are tasked with assessing the strengths and limitations of their communication and project management tools and are prepared for the practical demands of project work throughout the semester.  By grappling with a challenge in a controlled environment, students develop adaptability, sharpen their problem-solving skills, and work to refine their ability to collaborate in a team setting.
Survey results indicate that students perceived the assignment as effective in evaluating their teamwork and communication skills under pressure. Though many acknowledged the highly stressful nature of the activity, the experience was overwhelmingly deemed valuable and insightful. The heightened significance of effective communication, adaptability, and resourcefulness were particularly noted by students.
Our presentation will detail the implementation and outcomes of this assignment.  We will provide tips and strategies for successful implementation and potential pitfalls.

AU  - David Gray
CY  - Boston, Massachusetts
DA  - 2024/07/28
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Trial by Fire:  GIFTS for Stress-Testing Student Project Management Tools
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/48634
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--48634
ER  -