I taught MSIS 4033 IT Project Management for OSU’s Spears School of Business from 2014-2022 using a Flipped Classroom approach. Instead of a traditional lecture, students watched lecture videos prior to coming to the in-class sessions. Because students spent time learning the material outside of class, I was able to use class time to explore the material through case studies, group work, and hands-on exercises. This approach led to increased engagement, more productive in-class groups, and very high student satisfaction with the course overall.
Assessments in my course consisted of weekly low-stakes quizzes to help students recall the information they learn in a timely manner, along with regular in-class notes and team-based presentations. For the first six weeks my students, through small group collaboration, study real-life project management case studies from companies like Facebook, Nike, Boeing, and McDonald’s in order to learn more about how major corporations and government institutions solved complex problems through project management. Or, in many cases, how their ambitions were foiled through lack of good project management principles. This culminates in a presentation where students explain what they learned to me and to the class, which helps them by putting them in a situation similar to what they would experience in a real-life project setting. The final exam, as it were, is a similar presentation over a hypothetical IT project for the OSU community that students design in small groups. All the work in my class is designed to grow with students over the course of the semester, and engage them at all level’s of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning.
I show this slide to my students on the first day of class to help them understand where all the elements of my course fit into Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning. Quizzes and in-class work form the foundation for the course, and the Case Study a Analysis and OSU IT Project allow my students to demonstrate mastery of learning.
Sample Materials
This document is not your traditional syllabus. I created it to be easy to read, visually engaging, and clearly organized so students can get the information they need right where they expect it. This syllabus not only explains course policies and procedures, but includes a Wellness Statement on the first page which sends a message to my students that I care about them and their performance in class.
For the lecture portion of my class I use a series of videos such as this one in which I go over the important concepts my students need to know in the form of short, targeted mini lectures. This format is highly flexible and allows students to learn at their own pace in a way that works for them, and also pause, rewind, or speed up the lecture as needed. After watching the lectures and reading the textbook outside of class, they are prepared to apply the material in class with me guiding them along the way.
This document contains all the slides I use for the in-class portion of my Chapter 5 lesson. Students first watch videos about Project Scope Management outside of class, and then in class we apply the material they already learned. I ask my students open-ended questions, show them examples of bad scope management such as the Kindle Fire Phone as well as good scope management like the Ford F-150 redesign. Then my students use their knowledge of scope management to create a plan for a hypothetical tablet for college students from the computer company Lenovo. This approach turns our class time from lecture and note-taking to engagement and application.
When we cover the concept of time management in class, students answer these open-ended critical thinking questions much in the way they might do on their own as homework. Due to the flipped nature of class, students are able to collaborate with each other and get help from the instructor in a way that is not possible using a more traditional style of instruction.
Student Response
My approach to teaching, grounded in the same instructional design principles I use when working with faculty across campus, has been very well received by students. Those who take my class come away with a new appreciation for project management as a discipline, and many choose to pursue it as a career option. Students typically rate my teaching exceptionally high:
Spring 2021 Student Survey of Instruction results:
Fall 2019 Student Survey of Instruction results:
In addition to raw numbers, students typically have very positive things to say about my teaching as well:
Its been a while since I had a teacher begin the semester by telling us how much he cares about all of us as individuals, and I appreciated that so much. Simons class was insanely informational, but not at all a work overload. He always kept the lectures lighthearted, and I love how he explained everything using scenarios and situations; it made everything so much easier to understand. I respect Simon so much because of how much respect he gives to his students. Definitely my favorite professor that I got to have this year.
Spring 2021
Professor Ringsmuth is easily the best professor I have had in the last 4 years of being at this university. No other professor takes the time to truly get to know their students to the same level that professor Ringsmuth did. He is an excellent instructor. He made learning fun and engaging. I am the kind of person who will start a semester strong but as the semester goes on I become more more uninterested in classes. Professor Ringsmuth was able to keep active and excited to learn all the way until the last day of the class.
Spring 2021
I learned so much about project development in this class and acting as a project manager. I really enjoyed Professor Ringsmuth’s enthusiasm and his dedication to the class. Overall the coursework was useful and taught me a lot.
Fall 2020
Ringsmuth is the best professor I’ve had at OSU. He has the best class structure that forces you to participate in the class twice a week, once by watching his lecture and taking active notes, and again by doing the group project part of your class. Ringsmuth makes the best videos of any teacher I had. They all resembled actually sitting in class and getting the lecture. He gives the best feedback of any professor I’ve had.
Fall 2020
He is by far one of the best professors I have had during my college career. I love that he devotes so much into teaching and truly loves it. This love and effort is definitely shown in class. I love that he takes the time to read everything we turn in and give notes back.
Spring 2020
I’m a senior and Professor Ringsmuth is one of the top 3 best professors I’ve had. He is devoted to teaching this course and preparing students for life outside of OSU. He transitioned seamlessly to an online course and tried to make all assignments fun to do.
Spring 2020
Professor Ringsmuth has been the most intentional, hardworking and caring professors I have had in my 4 years at OSU. He memorized every students name, learned unique things about them just by talking to them and he made sure to make students feel known and valued. I wish more professors took the same approach to teaching like professor Ringsmuth. If there were more professors like him then I bet students attendance to class would skyrocket.
Fall 2019
Professor Ringsmuth is one of my favorite MIS professors I have had. He puts an incredible amount of effort to teaching, and every single class period is always something new. He always makes class very interesting.
Fall 2019
Positive energy, passionate about subject and does not over load students with busy work. The readings are meaningful and presentations are fun.
Fall 2019
Had a great experience and Ringsmuth really cared about us.
Fall 2019
A great instructor. I would recommend him to anyone because of his positive attitude toward students and dedication to answering any questions in or out of class.
Spring 2019
One of the most dedicated professors I have had the pleasure of meeting. You could genuinely tell he cared about the success of his students and their well being.
Spring 2019
COVID-19 Adaptations
During the Fall 2020 semester I had to adapt my normal teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which meant changing the nature of my in-person lectures in order to accommodate students who did not feel comfortable coming to campus. In order to give remote students the same quality of education as in-person students I recorded my teaching with my iPhone using my AirPods as the microphone, which meant that my voice was crystal-clear and easy for students to understand while watching at home. I also made my PowerPoints available to students on our Canvas LMS platform so they could follow along even if there was glare on the screen.