The proposal is to evaluate a Project Management course through the experiences of a group of user experience professionals. This is a case study with a small sample size of 6 – 10 professionals.

The proposal is to evaluate a Project Management course through the experiences of a group of user experience professionals. This is a case study with a small sample size of 6 – 10 professionals.
The problem is that the organization is delivering a workforce reskilling course but have not evaluated the effectiveness of the course. Executive leadership knows this is a problem due to customer complaints and survey data. Note: I have personal communication data that I can add later.
There is a skills gap in project management fundamentals with this population.
Theoretical Framework: I am using Kirkpatrick 4 Levels of Evaluation and Four Levels of Training Evaluation.
Problem Statement:
The research problem is that User Experience professionals have challenges meeting project deadlines, but survey data indicate that they have limited training and background in project management principles. Due to lack of training in the fundamentals of managing projects, a Fortune 100 organization located in Columbus, OH is dealing with late projects and low satisfaction among its clients. The executive leadership teams received negative feedback about employees’ deliverables failing to meet deadlines. This feedback also included failures in following budgetary requirements. To gain more insight a needs assessment survey was designed to results indicated that employees lacked a basic understanding of project management principles. Additionally, an in-depth interview was conducted with the Director of Project Management to understand the historical and current challenges of project management within the organization. The details of the interview aligned with the survey results and feedback with stakeholders receiving late information. Poor project management is causing many complaints from dissatisfied clients and costing the organization money from not achieving its objectives. As a result, a training course was designed around project management foundations. It is recommended for all professionals working inside the organization to complete the course.
Research Questions
RQ1: What is the perceived value among its participants?
RQ2: What is the perceived applicability to the participants’ jobs?
RQ3: How do the participants describe the value?
RQ4: How do the participants describe their behavior or performance post-training?
RQ5: What are the experiences of the participants following the training course?
The Research Prospectus is divided into sections like this:
Problem Statement
Purpose Statement
Significance
Background Literature
Framework
Research Questions
Research Methodology and Design: (Qualitative Case Study)
References
I attached a Rubric to follow for the Prospectus and we can chat about what I have written if you need more ideas.
I need about 15-20 sources within the past FIVE years. Some references will be older (like references to Kirkpatrick’s methodology)
Here are some great sources directly tied to this type of evaluation:
Kirkpatrick, D.L. (1994). Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
Kirkpatrick, DL, Kirkpatrick, JD (2006) Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Kirkpatrick, D. L. (2006). Seven keys to unlock the four levels of evaluation. Performance Improvement, 45 (7), 5–9.
Kirkpatrick D. Seven keys to unlock the four levels of evaluation. Performance Improvement. 2006; 2006: 45.
Knowles, M. (1973). The adult learner: A neglected species. (4th ed.) Houston: Gulf.
Farjad, S (2012) The evaluation effectiveness of training courses in University by Kirkpatrick Model (case study: Islamshahr university). Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences 46: 2837–2841.
Ho, A.D., Arendt, S.W., Zheng, T., & Hanisch, K.A. (2016). Exploration of hotel managers’ training evaluation practices and perceptions utilizing Kirkpatrick’s and Phillips’s models. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 15, 184 – 208.
Mosley, A. L. (2007). An evaluation study of a training program to prepare
community college faculty for online teaching.
Phillips, S., Villalobos, A., & Pratt-Chapman, M. (2019). Evaluating an Online Training Course to Develop and Sustain Cancer Navigation and Survivorship Programs. Oncology nursing forum, 46(5), E171–E179. https://doi.org/10.1188/19.ONF.E171-E179.
Serena Phillips, Aubrey Villalobos, Mandi Pratt-Chapman (2019). Evaluating an online training course to develop and sustain cancer navigation and survivorship programs. Oncology Nursing Forum 46, 5, p171-179).
NOTE: Sample Prospectus Guide.
NOTE: Literature Review is a list