Programme: NEOTeAch – NEOLAiA Alliance of Universities

Project Coordinator:  Prof.  Manuel Holder Beautiful Orzáez

Teacher, Holder University/ Department of Graphic Engineering Design and Project/Project Area )

Teaching Staff participating in teaching:

• UJA Professors:
  • Manuel Jesús Hermoso Orzáez (Full Professor, University/Area of Projects)/
  • Julio Terrados Cepeda (Full Professor, University/Projects Area)
  • Francisco Javier Montiel Santiago (Associate Professor/Projects Area)
  • Juan Cámara Aceituno (PSI /Projects Area)
  • Juan de Dios Unión Sánchez (PSI /Projects Area)

• Teachers Collaborators NEOLAIA Universities
  
  • Dr. Arch. Carla Ferreyra (Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano (SA) Italy

Project Period

• Academic Year 2025–2026
  Implementation during the second semeste (Course 25-26)

Project Objectives and Associated Competencies

Background

The PM2 Project Management Methodology was developed by the European Commission in 2007 and officially published in 2008. Since 2018, it has been openly available to all organizations. PM2 aims to enable project managers to deliver effective solutions and benefits through the efficient management of the entire project lifecycle.

The project addresses the need to implement advanced tools for project planning, monitoring, and control, including scheduling techniques, network diagrams, Gantt charts, Critical Path Method (CPM), and Earned Value Management (EVM). These tools facilitate real-time detection of deviations in project time and cost performance.

This initiative is developed within the NEOTeAch programme of the NEOLAiA European University Alliance.

General Objectives

• Strengthen academic collaboration between the University of Jaén (UJA) and the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Salerno (Italy), a member of the NEOLAiA Alliance.
• Foster the exchange of innovative teaching practices in international contexts.
• Introduce and apply PM2, the project management methodology recommended by the European Union.
• Promote collaborative teaching and learning experiences through EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction).
• Encourage virtual interaction between students from UJA and the University of Salerno.
• Implement digital project management tools, particularly Microsoft Project, within PM2 and ISO 21500 frameworks, focusing on renewable energy, civil engineering, energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability projects.
• Develop multilingual learning materials (mini-videos) on Microsoft Project and project management for students and academic staff across NEOLAiA institutions.
• Disseminate all educational resources through the official NEOLAiA repository, supporting open science and knowledge sharing.

Specific Objectives

1. Introduce students to advanced project management methodologies, particularly PM2.
2. Train students in the use of Microsoft Project for project planning, resource allocation, scheduling, monitoring, and control.
3. Produce bilingual (English/Spanish) instructional mini-videos as practical guides for using Microsoft Project.
4. Collaborate with the University of Salerno to enable students to create project-based videos in English or Italian, applying PM2 and Microsoft Project to real civil engineering and sustainability case studies.
5. Upload all educational materials and student-generated content to the NEOLAiA repository.
6. Ensure that the digital resources remain openly accessible to the broader academic community through NEOLAiA, NEOTeAch, and the University of Jaén’s CREA repository.

Expected Competencies

Participants will develop competencies in:

• Project planning and scheduling.
• Application of PM2 and ISO 21500 project management standards.
• Critical Path Method (CPM) analysis.
• Earned Value Management (EVM).
• Resource allocation and project monitoring using Microsoft Project.
• International and interdisciplinary teamwork.
• English-medium academic communication (EMI).
• Digital content creation and dissemination.
• Open science and knowledge-sharing practices.
• Sustainable project management in engineering and renewable energy contexts.

Project overview (NEOLAiA NEOTeAch program)

This project, developed within the NEOLAiA European Universities Alliance framework, promotes digital, multilingual, and collaborative learning between the University of Jaén and the University of Salerno.

Main activities:

• Production of bilingual educational mini-videos (Spanish/English) at UJA (Feb–Mar 2026)
• Mobility week of the project coordinator at the University of Salerno to present the project and explain access to the shared repository (13–17 April 2026)
• Student collaboration using a case study based on the audiovisual materials (May 2026)

Contribution to NEOLAiA pillars:

• Digital Transformation: use of digital tools, video production, and online repository
• Enhanced Mobility: staff mobility between partner universities
• Diversity and Inclusion: multilingual content and intercultural collaboration

Target audience