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Case Studies 

Traditionally used in business, law and medicine, case studies are most frequently presented in small- to medium-size discussion-based classes.  However, you can use case studies in virtually any discipline and across a broad range of classroom formats to engage students in real-world, contextualized problem solving, analysis and decision-making. For example, case studies might be used:

  • in architecture or engineering design courses to analyze design failures and recommend solutions.
  • in psychology or sociology courses to give students an opportunity to apply understanding of key concepts, principles and theories.
  • in policy courses (e.g., public policy, arts policy, international policy) to examine processes and alternatives in decision-making practices.
  • in any course as a source of examples of relevant, real-world applications of concepts, theories and processes.

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