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Teaching and learning styles are, by their very nature, changing and in recent years there has been a noticeable move from lecture-based activities towards more student-centred activities. Case studies are an increasingly popular form of teaching and have an important role in developing skills and knowledge in students. This guide explores the use of the case-based approach to support engineering education and, more specifically, their role in Materials Science related Higher Education courses. This will include looking at the 'traditional' Materials Science and Engineering courses as well as the more multidisciplinary courses (e.g. Biomedical Materials Science, Sports and Materials Science etc.).
This guide highlights the good practice we have identified, and also discusses our experiences (both good and bad) of the adoption and implementation of this type of learning activity. We hope that by explaining our rationale for the adoption of case studies, and by discussing their development and structure, you will be encouraged to consider your own teaching methods and whether this approach, or aspects of it, is appropriate to you. At the end of the guide are 5 examples of case studies that illustrate some of the different topics discussed below.
Perspective adopted
In this guide, we consider the topic of case studies in its entirety. We begin by outlining our reasons for incorporating case studies into the teaching syllabus and then look at different aspects of case studies, including subject choice and content development, running and structuring of case studies, and assessment methods. Good practice, and examples of ideas that have been tried and found wanting, are discussed. Gaining feedback on our case studies from both students and staff has been an important aspect of our research and this is also reviewed.
In
your report you are to assess the following
two questions.
Both
questions carry equal weight.
Undertake
a full internal and external analysis of your
chosen organisation so as to identify its current
strategic position.
Identify
a range of strategies that the organisation
might pursue in the future in the light of
your responses to question 1 and make recommendations
on your preferred strategy, clearly outlining
the reasons for your choice.
Guidelines
For
your chosen company try and get at least two
years of annual reports from the company. Use
a set of appropriate strategic frameworks around
which to base your analysis.
The Chairman's statement and Company annual review
can be analysed in order to glean the sort of
issues that are facing the company. You will
find the use of the Internet useful in your research,
as well as any CD ROM material from the Learning
Centre that is linked with various company databases.
Extel cards, Key Note Reports, Mintel Reports,
MacCarthy and the FT cuttings services are particularly
useful.
Different
companies and industries face different pressures.
Think about what is likely to happen to your
chosen firm and how will PEST and other forces
affect its market or sector. Link this to possible
strategies for the firm to take.
You
should answer both questions. The questions
are of equal weight.
You
may work on the analysis as a group if you
choose the same organisation but must name
the members of the group who produced it. Any
jointly produced material such as models; diagrams
and tables etc. must clearly show the names
of the group members who have collaborated
in its production. The commentary and evaluation
based on that analysis must be individually
produced.
Your
report should contain a well-argued analysis
of the company chosen and be handed in as your
own individual piece of work.
This
assignment should be undertaken in two stages.
Firstly you must analyse your chosen company
using appropriate tools and secondly you must
use the results of your analysis to write an
informed discussion and evaluation of where
the organisation is the strategies it might
pursue in the future. If you include
any analysis you do in your report as a table,
that information will not be included in your
word limit. However you must make reference
to your analysis and comment on its significance
within the body of your report.
The markers of your report will not consider
your analysis unless you use it to develop the
answers to the questions, e.g. a diagram of the
PEST factors will not suffice. You must
use your judgement to comment upon which factors
you believe to be most relevant to your organisation.
Where
models and frameworks are used they must be
applied to your chosen company.
Please
indicate all sources of material used in a
bibliography including any Internet sites that
you have used in your report.
