Use of Case Studies in Engineering Education: Assessment of Changes in Cognitive Skills

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.