Use of Case Studies in Engineering Education: Assessment of Changes in Cognitive Skills
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 134, Issue 3
Abstract
Industry, educational institutions, government bodies, and academic accreditation entities have all stressed the need to incorporate sound assessment techniques into educational programs. However, many of the items listed in the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology 3(a–k) criteria are not commonly addressed in engineering programs. Literature has shown that case study methodology is an effective way to bridge this gap, particularly with regard to improving higher-cognitive skills. In this paper we discuss the various approaches to assessing cognitive improvements when case study methods are implemented in classrooms, along with a literature review, and the various methods are illustrated with examples. The limitations of these methods are examined and the paper concludes by stressing the need to conduct further research to identify the optimum way to assess the effectiveness of the case study methodology in engineering classrooms.
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Acknowledgments
The writers thank Dr. Nels Madsen, Dr. Jeff Katz, and Dr. Howard Clayton in helping us with formulating this paper. This paper is developed partially upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. NSF9752353, NSF9950514, NSF0001454, NSF0089036, NSF0442531, and NSF0439706. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 134 • Issue 3 • July 2008
Pages: 287 - 296
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: May 21, 2007
Accepted: Sep 10, 2007
Published online: Jul 1, 2008
Published in print: Jul 2008
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