by Jeff Verbeem & Linda Matsuba

With the buzz around the introduction of the Learning Glass at BCIT Library’s MediaWorks, I have to confess to a reaction mainly of excitement but also of some trepidation at learning yet another piece of Ed Tech. Most days in an educator’s life are full enough with prepping, planning and marking. By processing the everyday through reflection and professional development, we develop principles and go-to strategies that make our instruction effective and our own. So, cultivating a healthy curiosity of other ways of doing things can seem somewhat aspirational at times. On the other hand, I cling to the hope that setting aside some time to explore alternative approaches may save me from feeling burned out and jaded. And so with this new feature in the Library blog I hope to foster that curiosity in myself, to share it with others, and also to highlight some of the amazing resources we have in MediaWorks and the Library. My emphasis here will be on the ‘Ed’ in Ed Tech, and the topics—as with this week’s—might not be particularly ‘cutting-edge’ or have much to do with technology at all. And I welcome topic suggestions!

Intro

Case Studies: we all know what they are and have probably been involved in them at some level, whether or not the term ‘case study’ was actually used. When we think a typical case study, we think of students informed and guided by learned concepts, grappling with a real-world problem. Essentially, cases are narratives. Often, we ask students to create the conclusion or moral to a story. While most often associated with business, law and medicine, there are few subject areas where case studies would not have a place. And I was surprised realize how many different permutations of the general activity category are possible.

When you consider Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, case studies lend themselves to learning objectives that involve application, analysis and evaluation, and more elaborate approaches would involve elements of creation as well. They also usually have a collaborative component. When I was an EAL teacher, I used case studies for that communicative element, focusing on students’ listening, explanation and persuasion skills.

It is easy to see why case studies would be well-suited in particular for BCIT: they can bridge the gap between academic concepts and real workplace problems like few other activities. They also support our students’ development as critical thinkers, creative problem solvers and effective communicators as laid out in BCIT’s Learning and Teaching Framework. BCIT actually has a number of courses built around the approach, including BUSA 3475 – Case Studies in E-commerce, currently taught by John Foster.

Why do you use case studies? When would you not use them?

Getting Started

For those considering using case studies, there are a number of websites to get you started. Carnegie Melon’s Eberly Centre offers a concise explanation of the skills that can be developed through case studies, and offers a handy six-step process for introducing a case-based discussion.

https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/casestudies.html

My colleague Linda Matsuba found a resource that suggests ways to construct and analyze case studies in the field of business and finance:

Cengage   https://college.cengage.com/business/resources/casestudies/students/overview.htm

What advice would you give a teaching colleague for organizing a case study in your subject area for the first time?

Sources of Case Studies

The Library offers a range of material on case studies. There are over 70 ejournals on the subject of case studies (in health sciences = case reports). Many of these publications contain cases you could use in your instruction. Be in touch with your Librarian if you have questions about use or have a particular topic in mind.

A keyword search of the term “case studies” brings back an extensive list of ebook titles in the Library catalogue in almost every subject you can think of. Add in your topic area as a keyword to help focus results.

If you are looking specifically for Business case studies, the Library is now trialing the Harvard Business Publishing Student Success database. It includes a selection of Harvard business school case studies AND some core curriculum readings covering entrepreneurship, finance, accounting, marketing, operations management, organizational behaviour and strategy. (TRIAL until December31, 2021)

While there is no shortage of free sources for case studies on the web, it is also true that often you will have to pay for the teaching material created around the cases. An example is the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science at the University at Buffalo, which has a database of case studies ranging across various topics and levels: from anatomy to economics and middle school to faculty development.

https://sciencecases.lib.buffalo.edu/

Ivey Cases from the University of Western Ontario is another good bet for business and management although there are prices around these as well. https://www.iveypublishing.ca/s/case-study-resources

What is your favourite source of case studies?

Further Reading

For those interested in taking a deeper dive into how case studies can be used in your area, there is plenty of literature out there. Here’s a sample:

Furse, C. M., & Ziegenfuss, D. H. (2020). A busy professor’s guide to sanely flipping your classroom: Bringing active learning to your teaching practice. IEEE Antennas & Propagation Magazine, 62(2), 31-42. https://doi.org/10.1109/MAP.2020.2969241

Kaye, R., Hawkridge, D. G., & MyiLibrary. (2003). Learning and teaching for business: Case studies of successful innovation. Kogen Page. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/bcit/detail.action?docID=198431

Ojala, M. (2016). Studying case studies. Online Searcher, 40(4), 57-59. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/docview/1821758291?accountid=26389&sourcetype=Trade%20Journals

Sharma, J. B. (2020;2019;). Applications of small unmanned aircraft systems: Best practices and case studies (1st ed.). CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429244117

Vacek, J., & Liesveld, J. (2020). Teaching concepts to nursing students using model case studies, the venn diagram, and questioning strategies. Nursing Education Perspectives, 41(6), 373-375. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000514