[Year 12 IT Apps] information needed for gantt charts

[geoffmoss37 at bigpond.com]

While I agree with your comments Mark, I find that students learn more about putting the Gannt chart together with Excel as they do not enjoy the pleasure of the software doing the processing task for them.

I find my students have to, an do, think more clearly of the required tasks and their order.  The challenge of putting in milestones and predecessors requires more work but I feel they develop a better understanding by having to install their own predecessors from a pre-drawn drawing tool image.

I do not decry the use of Project and would use it if I did not have to teach my students Access as well.

Now, if we digress to PERT charts then MS Project is the way to go.

A useful illustration is provided at:
http://gates.comm.virginia.edu/rrn2n/teaching/gantt.htm

Geoff Moss
RMIT



---- Mark Kelly <kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au> wrote: 
> The problem with Excel is that it's not intended to do the job of 
> project management (just as it's not intended to be a database).
> 
> Creating a chart is one thing, modifying it it another.  In a real PM 
> tool, making a change automatically rearranges the other tasks to suit.
> 
> Antonia Caridi wrote:
> > I use Excel as well for reasons given by Geoff but also the aim is for
> > students to understand Project Management and have awareness of common
> > symbols used to denote milestones, predecessors, etc - all of which can
> > be easily done with Excel. There was some controversy prior to this SD
> > regarding an exam question where the Gantt diagram given had been
> > created with MS Project and it was felt by many teachers that a  lot of
> > students did poorly on the question as they did not recognise the MS
> > Project interface.
> > Students need to use a spreadsheet program in Unit 4 so it can also
> > serve as a good intro to that.
> > 
> > Antonia
> > 
> > Antonia Caridi
> > Sacre Coeur
> > 172 Burke Road
> > Glen Iris 3146
> > Telephone 9885 4501
> > Fax 9885 5936
> > 
> > 
> >>>> "Geoff Moss" <geoffmoss37 at bigpond.com> 18/02/2009 6:21 pm >>>
> > Brendyn
> > 
> > I believe in keeping it simple for the students and use Excel.  With
> > many needing to learn Access or a database it is a bit hard to have them
> > learn another software type.
> > 
> > I find students easily learn the principles of project management and
> > enjoy putting it all together in Excel.
> > 
> > Obviously, if students have had the opportunity to learn Access in 2008
> > then teaching a new software is OK.  Unfortunately, I do not have that
> > luxury at RMIT where most of our students are new to us and have not
> > necessarily had Year 11, let alone Years 9 and 10, IT experience.
> > 
> > Geoff Moss
> > RMIT
> 
> 
> -- 
> Mark Kelly
> Manager - Information Systems
> McKinnon Secondary College
> McKinnon Rd McKinnon 3204, Victoria, Australia
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> kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au
> 
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