Project management professors wear many hats. Beyond teaching, they’re expected to design end-to-end coursework, build realistic case studies, stay current with project management tools, and even manage departmental responsibilities.
But one of the most exhausting parts of the job is grading complex, multi-format assignments. Reviewing Word-based project charters, Excel-driven Gantt charts, and PowerPoint presentations for dozens of students isn’t just time-consuming—it’s mentally draining.
Dr. Megan Lawson, an Assistant Professor at a university in upstate New York, was living this reality. Every semester, Megan spent countless hours creating project management assignments and grading submissions from her 60+ students. What once felt like a meaningful academic exercise had turned into a never-ending checklist.
Dr. Megan Lawson, an Assistant Professor at a university in upstate New York, was living this reality. Every semester, Megan spent countless hours creating project management assignments and grading submissions from her 60+ students. What once felt like a meaningful academic exercise had turned into a never-ending checklist.
Let’s read how she used an immersive, real-world simulation based learning to turn the situation in her favor.
When course creation consumes personal space
Megan was known among her peers as a dedicated and hardworking professor. She took pride in designing her course content from scratch, tailored specifically to help students grasp the fundamentals of project management.
She believed in creating meaningful academic experiences, and she spent countless hours developing assignments, refining grading rubrics, and ensuring her students had access to up-to-date learning material.
But course design was only one part of her job. Each assignment demanded time, not just to assess but to provide thoughtful feedback. The work she once loved was slowly turning into a burden, and the boundaries between her professional and personal life had blurred entirely.
When dedication surpasses family time
During finals week last spring, Megan had an important family event, her father’s senior baseball game. It was a special occation that she had looked forward to for months. But just two days before the event, her department reminded faculty that grades for all graduating seniors had to be submitted early due to degree audit deadlines.
Faced with grading over 70 final project submissions across three formats, Megan made a difficult decision. She stayed home to finish the grading and missed the game. While her family sent her photos and messages, Megan sat at her kitchen table, surrounded by student reports, feeling both exhausted and deeply disappointed.
Faced with grading over 70 final project submissions across three formats, Megan made a difficult decision. She stayed home to finish the grading and missed the game. While her family sent her photos and messages, Megan sat at her kitchen table, surrounded by student reports, feeling both exhausted and deeply disappointed.
Missing the celebration wasn’t just disappointing, it was a wake-up call. Her dedication to delivering a high-quality learning experience had come at a personal cost. She was constantly sacrificing time with family and friends, and even when she managed to keep up with her workload, it came at the expense of her own convenience and well-being.
On the Professional front, grading had become rushed and inconsistent. Without a scalable process, she couldn’t offer the thoughtful, individualized feedback her students deserved. The pressure to meet university deadlines while maintaining academic rigor was becoming increasingly difficult to manage.
Without a scalable process, she couldn’t offer the thoughtful, individualized feedback her students deserved. The pressure to meet university deadlines while maintaining academic rigor was becoming increasingly difficult to manage.
She also began questioning the effectiveness of her efforts. Despite the long hours she invested, students weren’t demonstrating the kind of real-world project readiness she aimed to show. The static nature of case studies left little room for adaptability or decision-making under pressure, core skills in any project management role.
It became clear that continuing down this path wasn’t working anymore. Megan needed a smarter, more effective way to teach and evaluate her students: one that saved time and prepared learners for the real demands of project work.
A teaching breakthrough with SimProject’s Simulation Based Learning
During a casual faculty conversation, Megan’s peers mentioned a project management simulation tool called SimProject from Simulation Powered Learning (SPL). They hadn’t used it themselves, but had heard it was gaining traction in academic circles for easing the grading load and improving course delivery.
Intrigued by the potential of simulation based learning, Megan reached out to the SPL team. After a brief discussion, they offered to help her implement one simulation module for her current class.
Intrigued by the potential of simulation based learning, Megan reached out to the SPL team. After a brief discussion, they offered to help her implement one simulation module for her current class.
- The simulation based learning platform came preloaded with a real-world case study which meant Megan didn’t have to spend hours creating new assignments.
- The grading process was fully automated, and student decisions throughout the simulation were tracked and scored, giving her a single, objective performance score per student.
- There was no need to review separate files or apply subjective rubrics.
- The web-based platform required no installation or IT involvement, allowing Megan to onboard students easily and manage everything from a centralized dashboard. The administrative tasks that used to take up her evenings were now reduced to minutes.
With simulation based learning, Megan had a solution that aligned with her teaching goals while dramatically reducing her workload. She no longer had to choose between grading and family events. She had time to join weekend gatherings, catch up with friends.
Empower your students with real-world experience of Simulation Based Learning
Megan’s experience with time-consuming grading, repetitive content creation, and mounting stress was clear evidence that she needed a better way to manage her course. Simulation Powered Learning (SPL) and its simulation based learning platform provided exactly that.
Are you facing similar challenges in your teaching? Are grading overload, content fatigue, and administrative tasks keeping you from doing what you love?
SPL offers a modern, web-based simulation based learning platform designed to help professors teach project management in a way that’s hands-on, immersive, and efficient.
Unlike traditional tools, SimProject requires no installation, comes with ready-to-use coursework, and includes automated performance scoring, making grading consistent and effortless.
SPL is also the only simulation based learning provider that supports both waterfall and agile methodologies through end-to-end simulation experiences, empowering students to prepare for real-life experiences.
Ready to simplify your teaching and enhance student learning with simulation based learning? Contact SPL today!
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