What does building Lego bricks do with project-based learning at Provo CAPS? It develops effective team-building and good problem-solving skills!

The next group of Provo CAPS students is building their base knowledge to craft better products– literally. Last week, the third batch of CAPS students gathered in the NuSkin Ballroom to learn about Scrum, the global project management framework used by professional organizations to transform complex problems into viable solutions (including the Provo District, FYI). The activity prepares students for project management before taking on real projects from clients engaged in four CAPS strands: digital design & software development, business, marketing & entrepreneurship, engineering & industrial design, and medicine & health science.

Students learned how to manage a backlog, break down complex challenges into bite-sized works on a workboard, and had a chance to put the Scrum practices into action by building a pseudo-client Lego Landscape. Students took time to sort out a backlog of work into several periods called sprints which have a fixed time before springing into action, tackling delegated tasks to complete the project. All of the features that go into the project were discussed, analyzed, inspected, and then adapted to achieve their goal.

Their lego houses turned out well, and students made impressive cars, boats, water features, and a surprising number of windmills. The activity grounds students with workplace knowledge before their client’s projects– and, more importantly, the professional world to come.