online case study assignment help

online case study assignment help

The Impact of Online Case Study Assignments on Student Learning

1. Introduction to Case Study Assignments in Education

Case study assignments are one method to engage both graduate and undergraduate students in the learning process in college of agriculture courses. They engage students in critical thinking, decision making, and application of their knowledge in a real-world setting. Education research has shown that pedagogical use of case studies assist with retention and life-long application of learned knowledge. This methodology also develops teamwork and cooperation, leadership, communication, and a global perspective.

The case study method is not a new pedagogy in education. A historical review of business schools effectively showcases the importance of case studies in learning as early as the 1890s. In the discipline of agriculture, use of case studies in teaching and learning started in the 1980s. Today, active learning opportunities are seen as best practices in pedagogy. In addition, Saxon stated that active learning within the classroom is critical for incorporating new information into long-term memory through processing information in an environment that is engaging, memorable and applies directly to the course content. Seemingly, the historical context of case study application in pedagogy or its most appropriate implementation has potential to impact the learning environment and students’ overall well-being.

2. Advantages of Online Case Study Assignments

The most obvious advantage of moving a case study process online is the increased access it provides for students. With a transcript of a scenario in a traditional setting, the only way to provide the case directly to the student may be through a hard copy or through access to a limited number of electronic copies available only in library reserve facilities. However, with access to the web, the case may be distributed online and there is no extra travel taken over to access it. Further, the use of an online mechanism for the scenarios will allow the students and faculty to review the case outside of normal library and course times, anywhere that Internet access is available. We have had a number of our students who bring their laptop to class daily, already utilizing mobile technology and free time to keep up with email, locate information on subjects they are discussing, do research for papers and a multitude of other uses. As a result, the case study is not just relegated to the classroom or a particular hour of the student’s week.

One benefit of the case study mechanism is that students are able to work in groups to brainstorm ideas as well as give and receive feedback that is useful to them. Modern technology allows for group conversations in a variety of different applications. These include chat rooms on the web, threaded discussions, podcast technology, and small, private discussion spaces. These types of instruction must be incorporated to take advantage of technology and make the coursework special and directed. Another advantage is that by incorporating the online experiences with written communication, students will develop writing skills in various ways. It is anticipated that with a structured, direct method of participation that their ability to articulate ideas in writing will be improved. The use of the case study in an online environment allows a great deal of flexibility for the student. The student has more flexibility in terms of when the connected communication takes place, and often a time limit by which the paper needs to be delivered. The student is also able to work through the case as it is convenient, rather than picking up on and developing the free-flowing conversations that happen in a traditional classroom. Furthermore, by utilizing the message threaded discussions, students are able to refer back to each other’s comments as they work on their own case. Technologically, the online case study can provide many apparent benefits. A primary benefit of creating an online case study mechanism is the reduced time requirements to attend class. Additionally, the online case study mechanism requires limited use of classroom materials and provides a wider audience, as business students and participants with the business school may interact on a case. Another practical advantage is the class design is directed through technology and negates the need for the instructor to read anything the student writes in class. This keeps the integrity and confidentiality of each group concept intact. While there are the above-mentioned advantages, the primary goal of the online case study is the same as the traditional one: promoting student learning. Research has attempted to identify different aspects of an online case system to determine how students react and if they are efficient. In the following studies, several different learning outcomes are addressed. Other studies show an increase in cooperative and active student learning. In another study, an increase in critical skills was also found.

3. Challenges and Solutions in Implementing Online Case Study Assignments

In implementing case study assignments, whether through the traditional face-to-face or the online format, instructors may face four general challenges. First, and most significantly, there can be various technological challenges. Many students may have limited access to a computer (as against a cellular phone) and minimal reliable internet access. Additionally, most students will have only limited or no experience with online learning platforms, and using such platforms can be almost as new to instructors as it is to the students. Instructors may need to either develop very straightforward and basic proficiency in their use or acquire a bit of expert assistance. They will also need to calm student fears that they will just waste time and learn little from online work. Second, learning experiences with case study analyses are new for many students, if not most, and many (if not most) students will struggle to find a workable balance between directly quoting the case material endlessly and oversimplifying or distorting cases in their attempts to summarize them in their papers. Third, students, especially in Africa and South Africa, may adapt slowly to any new mode of learning. Online case study assignments can also be very time-consuming to grade well. While this fourth challenge is not presented in F2F implementations of it, many different approaches that are presented as online adaptations can be used with great effect in person.

This paper aims to discuss an answer to the second question, to wit, the range of challenges and potential solutions that inhere in adapting a case study research project into an online, undergraduate learning activity. It will first look at the barriers to adapting a case study for online use and propose possible courses of action. It will then return to consider the value of case study exercises in educational contexts and suggest the ways in which these already largely mirror the core skills of successful students in any learning context. It will then discuss strategies for adapting case studies towards an online platform and potential student benefits. In conclusion, it suggests a general modus operandi from which instructors might draw in proposing an online case study.

4. Best Practices for Designing Effective Online Case Study Assignments

There are several practices to consider when designing and operationalizing effective online case study assignments. While specific assignments should be selected and implemented based on learning objectives and opportunities specific to your course, we encourage pairing your chosen strategy with guidance. Faculty can find examples and suggestions via a web search or in scholarly teaching resources and educational psychology literature. Case-based assignments should be structured to increase active engagement and intrinsic interest. Effective online case studies typically utilize multimedia resources for fit and roundness, provide choice to address individual interest and relevancy, foster critical thinking, and include assessment for learning and of learning that is well aligned with intended learning objectives. The work involved in an effective online case study assignment provides real and varied opportunities for students to practice a variety of employability skills, including the ability to independently manage time, resources, and meet deadlines.

There are as many ways to design a case-based assignment as there are courses and instructors. A particularly rich opportunity for faculty to develop case studies specific to their field can be found grounded in one’s own research agenda. To provide a general example with the following tenets of case study design in mind, in a general biology course, students might solve problems in nutrition while exploring the use of Google Scholar as a scientific resource. An upper-level physiology course might engage students in an e-toxins case while exploring the resources and mission of the Food and Drug Administration. An undergraduate design team might consider opportunities in sustainability, while exploring FlexpicTech’s company website, blogs, and investor relations pages as potential company sources of data.

5. Conclusion and Future Research Directions

Conclusion The results of this study contribute to an understanding of the impact of case study assignments and their assessment. Our research has revealed that qualitatively, the cases provide a plausible digital representation of complex real-world situations that form the basis of authentic assessment tasks. They require students to perform observations, analysis, and problem-solving, as well as communication skills. We have shown that students appreciate the experience, but senior students are generally less impressed. We have found that the perceived merit of using the cases is reduced by the size and diversity of the student enrollment. Perhaps quite importantly, we have shown that a significant feature of the students’ attitudes and behavior vis-à-vis the case studies is influenced by the pattern of assessment.

6.0 Future Research A little-navigated stream of research appears to have looked at the learning outcomes of using case discussions, including critical thinking and argument formation. It is clearly important to consider the value added to using cases if students’ learning is simply the application of theoretical frameworks. There is a wealth of research in generic technology-facilitated case studies available to be tapped. Competitive Intelligence, International Business, and Sustainable Enterprise are a few teaching areas in which academics have used online cases and written about their peers’ interest in the work. There has been minimal research on the online version of the case study assignment, with a particular focus on how to improve online case study resources on a regular basis, and this, in turn, informs the need for the cases to be updated regularly. Given this frequent need for updating, time would need to be spent to keep cases updated so that they could be used across multiple years of teaching.