Using Case Studies to Bring Real World Situations into the Engineering Course Learning Environment

This paper presents observations from applying the principles of the case study method of teaching to a senior level applied engineering course. Its purpose is to provide an example application in a course that was composed strictly of a series of case studies. Students studied four different situations that are typical of projects done by a consulting or plant engineer in industry. Each case was presented during an initial information class meeting and the students worked on the analysis and design necessary to complete the assignment over a period of several weeks. Students were requested to write their results in the form of a report that mimics one that would be completed for a consulting firm’s client. A follow-up survey taken at the end of the semester indicated that they enjoyed the course more and felt a greater connection between the cases studied and real situations that they will encounter in a professional job. The students also recognized other lessons learned from the course structure helped them to be more efficient with their time, to communicate their results effectively in a professional style, and to recognize the need to avoid the pitfall of procrastination.