the online case study maker

the online case study maker

The Impact of Online Case Study Makers on Education

1. Introduction to Online Case Study Makers

Online case study makers are a very important tool used in modern education. A case study gives a detailed look at a specific subject, such as a person, group, event, strategy, place, period, and so on. A case study is a research approach that provides an in-depth understanding of a complex issue to better manage things. As an educational tool, the case study has its place in almost all disciplines, such as business, psychology, management, medicine, and sociology. However, traditional case study makers were often too complex to use, requiring good writing skills. As such, a new type of tool, an online case study maker, was born.

An online case study maker is a webpage or app where teachers can create their own case studies, serving as a good writing tool. Online case study makers allow you to generate case studies using a large set of components. You can also add background information to each of the components, which makes the case study more detailed. Any case study generated can be downloaded in a printable PDF or Excel format. These can then be distributed to students using hard copies or digital copies. Students, on the other hand, can make a digital copy of the case study and continue to work with it online. This presents an overview of online case study makers and sets the stage for the rest of the paper.

2. Benefits of Using Online Case Study Makers

Case study makers that allow educators to create case studies in a matter of minutes can significantly contribute towards how both educators and students can share and gain knowledge using case study-based learning. Case studies are suitable for all learners as they help people passively engage in the study process while focusing on the actual study materials, resulting in a more active form of learning. However, they can be extremely time-consuming to create, let alone access. Nevertheless, with a suite of case studies at an educator’s fingertips, the benefits can be significant. Educators can personalize these based on their own syllabus, while the templates generated by the software allow for quick and easy editing. Although the benefits of using actual case studies are widespread, using online case study makers in the educational context is still an emerging area of interest with largely untapped research.

The online case study makers available at present provide additional benefits that also contribute towards the educational environment. They enhance student experiences and engagement. They allow for the learning experience to be fun, which is greatly appealing to visual learners or those that prefer kinesthetic learning through a hands-on approach. The game-making component, with the reward-based system of earning artificial intelligence, also makes learning seem less like work. Making case studies interactive and engaging allows deeper understanding and insight into the content. Furthermore, the story-making aspect can help the educator learn more about the student’s thought process and how they may apply terror management theory in their own life. Viewing a long list of case studies may seem less daunting when they do not have to read many words to gain theoretical insights. Choosing one in which to make can be appealing in the sense that one can be more creative in their own approach, making the entire learning process more autonomous.

3. Best Practices for Creating Effective Case Studies with Online Tools

Case studies are an excellent way to explore practical experiences within educational contexts. Yet, developing a strong case study can be challenging. Online case study makers are of great help in this regard. The following section provides guidance on best practices for developing effective online case studies.

Educators and designers using an online case study maker should: i) Structure the case, possibly including a synopsized approach or a short statement of the desired learning outcomes. ii) Use the step-by-step method to ensure a robust and engaging content. iii) Include text that is both readable and understandable by the target audience, preferably including authentic, real language. iv) Add instructional elements – consider including background and opening case information, objects and lenses of analysis, reflective or applied questions, and theory-to-practice bridges. v) Integrate audio, video, or other photos, graphics, and multimedia options to help bring the case story to life. vi) Ensure that visual presentation, production, transitions, sensory impact, and overall instructional appeal is intact.

Many case studies are often developed using specific best practices. Business cases, for example, are proven to be more authentic, up-to-date, conversationally written, and interesting to students when six best practices are followed: use actual events and real people familiar to the learners, use current economic or business condition to show the relevance of the case, build a theme and develop the discussion around that one focus, make the case characters empathetic, keep the case short, and integrate best teaching practices moving from the known to the unknown, the real to the reverse, from concrete to abstract and an understanding of students’ prior experience. A case study example of the successful use of graphic organizers can be found in Omanda et al.

4. Challenges and Limitations of Online Case Study Makers

As online case study makers were developed to be applied in educational settings, some constraints pose question marks on them.

Technical Issues: The first challenge that can be placed here is on the grounds of system and tool which have been examined by Özban et al. (2016). In addition to limitations on the word count, some tools still have certain restrictions on file format types, which may obstruct the courses with specific software demands. If the system does not enable compatibility with the students’ used software, the case reports may be interrupted. Therefore, on the platforms that require direct data entry or tool-supported data transfer, students need orientation on how to compose, execute, and finalize their case reports regardless of their hardware and software limitations.

The second option for cases is the ones designed for software that is commonly or frequently used in daily academic and professional life. But, whether students or universities have required licenses or credentials to use such software can also be potential limitations.

Pedagogical and Institutional Issues: Therefore, on the front of e-learning and case study integration and creation in English language classrooms, some software and technological aids for flipping the classroom may become challenging due to technological limitations and extensions into the pedagogical arena. Students and IT departments might oppose unfair requirements in case the university demands investment in the software, which is not part of the students’ study and career goals. It may not be a negative sign for confronting such opposition in early stages, but it is highly crucial to adopt a long-term view when dealing with these types of objections in educational change projects and innovation processes. Nevertheless, most outside class case study developmental systems have already overcome the barriers of processor speed and hardware storages; these problems on pedagogical and institution-based perspectives are expected to be marginal.

5. Future Trends and Innovations in Online Case Study Creation

Past trends have shed light on advancements in online case study (OCS) making utilities. However, in the future, newer technologies and innovative methodologies are anticipated. As interest is inclining among educators from OCS to MOCS, and present classroom pedagogy is being replaced by blended learning and flipped classroom paradigms, we expect some of the anticipated trends in the coming time as envisioned by various faculties worldwide. More sophisticated and advanced technologies are anticipated to drive these trends.

AI-driven Customization: OCS makers of tomorrow are anticipated to provide AI-based customization options that would not only generate student-friendly case studies by simplifying the language but would also limit the size of the case so that topics given to different groups can be precisely driven.

Advanced Customization: The future of OCS makers is generating a facility to select instructor/s and student versions. It would also provide the option for multiple coordinators to facilitate coordination in the project.

Introduction of Collaborative Platforms: The future might have OCS made over cloud-based libraries, becoming collaborations of multiple faculties (or students, or both).

Immersive Experience: The OCS makers of tomorrow are envisioned to be able to provide students with an opportunity to experience the “mud in the shoes” of managers or at least provide the touch-and-feel of the experience to bolster their case study analysis.

More Stereoscopic (3D)/2D Videos and Animations: The case study makers of tomorrow are anticipated to make case content (with information in text) interesting by providing more stereoscopic videos in classrooms or make “narrative” based movies and videos to drive in a point that they would like to make for teaching. Understand perspectives instead of MWV and find a way to transcribe/draw out key elements (want to be able to show them multiple perspectives at the same time). The OCS makers of the future may use VR to immerse and create virtual field trips and other possibilities to display perspectives.