TEN YEARS OF ENHANCING ENGINEERING EDUCATION WITH CASE STUDIES: INSIGHTS, LESSONS AND RESULTS FROM A DESIGN CHAIR

Abstract

Improving student learning and increasing connections between theory and engineering practice captures the main goals of Waterloo Cases in Design Engineering (WCDE). WCDE is a group at the University of Waterloo (Waterloo) that was established in 2005 as a part of the NSERC Chairs in Design Engineering program. WCDE works with instructors, industry and students to bring real life complexities to the classroom by using authentic case studies. Over the last ten years, more than 175 case studies have been developed and implemented in more than 100 courses with over 125 instructors, across all engineering disciplines. WCDE has collaborated with more than 140 industry, government, non-profit, and academic case partners for the development and implementation of case material.Surveys are used to gauge students’ receptivity to case implementations and for continuous improvement. Student feedback from WCDE case implementations are presented and discussed. The benefits and challenges of case study teaching are discussed, along with reflections on the next steps towards extensive use of engineering cases in education.