Case studies present students with a complex real-life situation to which they are asked to find a solution. The case study method of assessment often involves placing students in the role of decision-makers and asking them to address a challenge that may confront a company, non-profit organisation or government department.
“The benefits of utilizing case studies in instruction include the way that cases model how to think professionally about real problems and situations, helping candidates to think productively about concrete experiences” (Kleinfeld, 1990 in Ulanoff, Fingon and Beltran, 2009).
In the absence of a single straightforward answer students are expected to analyse information and data, consider theoretical explanations, make decisions, and propose solutions to the particular challenge.
Case studies can work particularly well with interdisciplinary learning, allowing students to use different disciplinary lenses. If you wish to assess collaborative skills or time-sensitive problem-solving, a simulation might be a useful format.
- Requires the application of knowledge and skills to real-life situations, which can improve student motivation.
- Their complexity and ambiguity allow the assessment of the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives (application, analysis and evaluation). They require sophisticated employability skills including the selection of information, analysis, problem-solving and decision-making.
- This assessment works well as a group activity, requiring students to exchange interpretations and co-design solutions. The output could be either group or individual; for instance, students might complete the analysis and present as a group, but submit an individual write-up, or reflection.
- Case studies can be used in teaching, familiarising students with the format before they are assessed.
- Planning and preparing for case study work can be time-consuming for teachers. Although case studies can be sourced externally, this often requires payment.
It is important to ensure that the chosen case studies are accessible to all students taking the course. In the case of first-year undergraduate students the teacher may want to provide all the relevant materials to the students. For more advanced students, they may be expected to do research and to identify relevant supporting materials for the case study inquiry.
Depending on the nature of the inquiry students may be given a degree of choice over their case study and thus be in a position to bring their different backgrounds and experience to bear.
If case studies are assessed as coursework (rather than in an exam setting) then the assessment can include presentation points, reflective components or descriptions of process, to demonstrate authorship.
Case studies used in assessment should be changed annually.