Why Case Studies?

Have your students ever asked you, why do I need to know this? Case studies bring immediate relevancy to the course material you teach in your classroom. Students will be able to connect the content from your course to problems occurring in the world today. Case studies stimulate curiosity, passion, motivation, and team-work among your students. This module guides you through the process of teaching a case study so you can design one of your own to meet your class's needs.

Here are four case studies developed for a high school classroom.

If you have a student who could benefit from independent learning, here is an open-ended student case study.

What is a case study?

A case study is a tool for teaching in STEM and other disciplines. Throughout the case study, your students will work in teams to address a societal problem using science. They will have the opportunity to ask their own questions and to conduct their own research. At the end of the case, they have the opportunity to communicate their findings to an audience outside the classroom. This approach is modeled from a program called iCons (Integrated Concentration in Science) that is offered at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. You can learn more about the program with the link below.

The case study approach has 5 steps: