Improving Mechanical Engineering Education Through Use of Case Studies

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pramod Rajan ◽  
P. K. Raju ◽  
Chetan S. Sankar
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Engineering Education ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Real World ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Engineering Industry ◽  
Innovative Technology ◽  
Case Study Methodology

Business is increasingly conducted in a global environment, and mechanical engineering students are expected to be proficient in leadership skills as well as strong technical skills. Many authors state that instead of adding more material and more courses to the engineering curriculum, which would likely turn students away from engineering, engineering educators need to respond by opening up access to engineering with the larger world. We found that one of the effective ways of bringing real-world issues related to the areas of manufacturing and design, thermal engineering, acoustics, vibration, welding and nondestructive evaluation into classrooms is through the use of case study methodology. The Laboratory for Innovative Technology and Engineering Education (LITEE) at Auburn University has developed eighteen multimedia case studies over the past ten years. Faculty and students partnering with various industries develop these case studies. The case studies focus on real-world problems that actually occurred in the chosen industry. All the technical and business details related to the problem are provided in the case study. Through the use of information technologies we created multi-media case studies that bring real-world decision making from the engineering industry into the classrooms. The students analyze the problem in the class using role-playing, thereby simulating the decision-making scenario that occurred in the industry. The students also have an opportunity to compare their solutions to what happened in the industry. This paper describes the steps involved in developing a LITEE case study, administering this case study in engineering classrooms, and the results of evaluating the effectiveness of this method of instruction. This paper also discusses the details of different case studies related to the above-mentioned areas available through LITEE.

The Case Study

2017 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Joseph Brady
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Real World ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Traditional Lecture ◽  
Active Teaching ◽  
Simulated Environment ◽  
Real World Problem

Today's complex and global corporate environment requires business students to enter the workplace with more diverse skills and the ability to make useful decisions in their careers. The old adage of speaking “to” students in a classroom through straight lecturing is becoming less relevant in today's dynamic world. Rather, students must be engaged in the classroom and educators should provide the opportunity to enhance their decision making skills through real world problem solving. One way to do this is through the methods of active teaching and the utilization of case studies. Case studies are a story, or a narrative, that can induce higher critical thinking and engagement in the classroom and can prepare students for their careers by helping them make real world decisions in a simulated environment. This chapter focuses on the fundamental differences between traditional, lecture-based teaching and the importance of active learning in higher education.

The Case Study

2018 ◽  
pp. 329-342
Author(s):  
Joseph Brady
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Real World ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Traditional Lecture ◽  
Active Teaching ◽  
Simulated Environment ◽  
Real World Problem

Today's complex and global corporate environment requires business students to enter the workplace with more diverse skills and the ability to make useful decisions in their careers. The old adage of speaking “to” students in a classroom through straight lecturing is becoming less relevant in today's dynamic world. Rather, students must be engaged in the classroom and educators should provide the opportunity to enhance their decision making skills through real world problem solving. One way to do this is through the methods of active teaching and the utilization of case studies. Case studies are a story, or a narrative, that can induce higher critical thinking and engagement in the classroom and can prepare students for their careers by helping them make real world decisions in a simulated environment. This chapter focuses on the fundamental differences between traditional, lecture-based teaching and the importance of active learning in higher education.

THE USE OF CASE STUDY METHOD IN TEACHING THE TERMINOLOGY IN THE FIELD OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY

2019 ◽  
pp. 123-130
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
The United States ◽  
Machine Building ◽  
Soil Tillage ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Agricultural Machine ◽  
Manufacturing Machine

The scientific research works concerning the field of mechanical engineering such as, manufacturing machine slate, soil tillage, sowing and harvesting based on the requirements for the implementation of agrotechnical measures for the cultivation of plants in its transportation, through the development of mastering new types of high-performance and energy-saving machines in manufacturing machine slate, creation of multifunctional machines, allowing simultaneous soil cultivation, by means of several planting operations, integration of agricultural machine designs are taken into account in manufacturing of the local universal tractor designed basing on high ergonomic indicators. For this reason, this article explores the use of case studies in teaching agricultural terminology by means analyzing the researches in machine building. Case study method was firstly used in 1870 in Harvard University of Law School in the United States. Also in the article, we give the examples of agricultural machine-building terms, teaching terminology and case methods, case study process and case studies method itself. The research works in the field of mechanical engineering and the use of case studies in teaching terminology have also been analyzed. In addition, the requirements for the development of case study tasks are given in their practical didactic nature. We also give case study models that allow us analyzing and evaluating students' activities.

A Service-Oriented After-Sales Services System in Mechanical Engineering Industry

2013 ◽  
Vol 307 ◽  
pp. 447-450
Author(s):  
Shu Ping Lu ◽  
Kuei Kai Shao ◽  
Kuo Shu Luo
Keyword(s):  
Management System ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Business Process Management ◽  
Process Management ◽  
Content Management ◽  
Engineering Industry ◽  
Enterprise Content Management ◽  
Service Oriented ◽  
Customer Services

This paper presents a service-oriented After-sales services system in Mechanical Engineering Industry. Typical After-sales services include status tracking services by customers, customer services, assignors and assignees. Therefore, the proposed After-sales service tracking management system work in the progress from the case study is conducted. Our system can connect with other service-related systems, such as enterprise content management repository system and business process management system. The After-sales services system is developed by consulting and visiting the machine tools manufacturers.

scholarly journals Feminist Judging in the 'Real World'

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1275-1306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemary Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Real World ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Feminist Perspective ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
The Real ◽  
Judicial Practice ◽  
Tools And Techniques

The various feminist judgment projects (FJPs) have explored through the imagined rewriting of judgments a range of ways in which a feminist perspective may be applied to the practice of judging. But how do these imagined judgments compare to what actual feminist judges do? This article presents the results of the author’s empirical research to date on ‘real world’ feminist judging. Drawing on case study and interview data it explores the how, when and where of feminist judging, that is, the feminist resources, tools and techniques judges have drawn upon, the stages in the hearing and decision-making process at which these resources, tools and techniques have been deployed, and the areas of law in which they have been applied. The article goes on to consider observed and potential limits on feminist judicial practice, before drawing conclusions about the comparison between ‘real world’ feminist judging and the practices of FJPs. Los proyectos de sentencias feministas, a través de la reelaboración imaginaria de sentencias judiciales, han explorado multitud de vías en las que las perspectivas feministas se podrían aplicar a la práctica judicial. Pero ¿qué resulta de la comparación entre dichas sentencias y la práctica real de las juezas feministas? Este artículo presenta los resultados de la investigación empírica de la autora. Se analiza el cómo, el cuándo y el dónde de la labor judicial feminista, es decir, los recursos, herramientas y técnicas feministas que las juezas han utilizado, las fases de audiencia y toma de decisión en las que se han utilizado y las áreas del derecho en que se han aplicado. Además, se toman en consideración los límites observados y potenciales de la práctica judicial feminista, y se extraen conclusiones sobre la comparación entre la labor judicial feminista en el “mundo real” y la práctica de los proyectos de tribunales feministas.

scholarly journals BBusiness Models of eHealth Interventions to Support Informal Caregivers of People with Dementia in the Netherlands: Case Study Analysis (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Liane Christie ◽  
Lizzy Mitzy Maria Boots ◽  
Ivo Hermans ◽  
Mark Govers ◽  
Huibert Johannes Tange ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Informal Caregivers ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Study Analysis ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
People With Dementia

BACKGROUND In academic research contexts, eHealth interventions for caregivers of people with dementia have shown ample evidence of effectiveness. However, they are rarely implemented into practice and much can be learned from their counterparts (from commercial, governmental, or other origins) that are already being used in practice. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to (1.) examine a sample of case studies of eHealth interventions to support informal caregivers of people with dementia, that are currently used in the Netherlands; (2.) investigate what strategies are used to ensure the desirability, feasibility, viability, and sustainability of the interventions, and (3.) apply the lessons learned from this practical, commercial implementation perspective to academically developed eHealth interventions for caregivers of people with dementia. METHODS In step one, experts (N=483) in the fields of dementia and eHealth were contacted and asked to recommend interventions that met the following criteria: (1.) delivered via the internet, (2.) suitable for informal caregivers of people with dementia, (3.) accessible in the Netherlands, either in Dutch or in English, and (4.) used in practice. The contacted experts were academics working on dementia and/or psychosocial innovations, industry professionals from eHealth software companies, clinicians, patient organisations, and people with dementia and their caregivers. In step two, contact persons from the suggested eHealth interventions participated in a semi-structured telephone interview. The results were analysed using multiple-case study methodology. RESULTS Twenty-one eHealth interventions for caregivers of people with dementia were suggested by experts. Nine of these 21 interventions met all four criteria and were included in the sample for case study analysis. Four cases were found to have developed sustainable business models. Five cases were implemented in a more exploratory manner and relied on research grants to varying extents, though some had also developed preliminary business models. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the desirability, feasibility, and viability of eHealth interventions for caregivers of people with dementia are linked to their integration into larger structures, their ownership and support of content internally, their development of information and communication technology (ICT) services externally, and offering fixed, low-level pricing. The origin of the case studies was also important, as eHealth interventions that had originated in an academic research context less reliably found their way to sustainable implementation. In addition, careful selection of digital transformation strategies, more intersectoral cooperation, and more funding for implementation and business modelling research are recommended to help future developers bring eHealth interventions for caregivers of people with dementia into practice.

scholarly journals Case study research for better evaluations of complex interventions: rationale and challenges

BMC Medicine ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Paparini ◽  
Judith Green ◽  
Chrysanthi Papoutsi ◽  
Jamie Murdoch ◽  
Mark Petticrew ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Empirical Case Studies

Abstract Background The need for better methods for evaluation in health research has been widely recognised. The ‘complexity turn’ has drawn attention to the limitations of relying on causal inference from randomised controlled trials alone for understanding whether, and under which conditions, interventions in complex systems improve health services or the public health, and what mechanisms might link interventions and outcomes. We argue that case study research—currently denigrated as poor evidence—is an under-utilised resource for not only providing evidence about context and transferability, but also for helping strengthen causal inferences when pathways between intervention and effects are likely to be non-linear. Main body Case study research, as an overall approach, is based on in-depth explorations of complex phenomena in their natural, or real-life, settings. Empirical case studies typically enable dynamic understanding of complex challenges and provide evidence about causal mechanisms and the necessary and sufficient conditions (contexts) for intervention implementation and effects. This is essential evidence not just for researchers concerned about internal and external validity, but also research users in policy and practice who need to know what the likely effects of complex programmes or interventions will be in their settings. The health sciences have much to learn from scholarship on case study methodology in the social sciences. However, there are multiple challenges in fully exploiting the potential learning from case study research. First are misconceptions that case study research can only provide exploratory or descriptive evidence. Second, there is little consensus about what a case study is, and considerable diversity in how empirical case studies are conducted and reported. Finally, as case study researchers typically (and appropriately) focus on thick description (that captures contextual detail), it can be challenging to identify the key messages related to intervention evaluation from case study reports. Conclusion Whilst the diversity of published case studies in health services and public health research is rich and productive, we recommend further clarity and specific methodological guidance for those reporting case study research for evaluation audiences.

scholarly journals Case Study as a Research Method for Analyzing MOOCs

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramón Montes-Rodríguez ◽  
Juan Bautista Martínez-Rodríguez ◽  
Almudena Ocaña-Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Scientific Databases ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
The Many

Educational research is one of the many fields of knowledge that frequently use case studies as a research method, particularly when applying an interpretive approach. Based on literature reviews and a systematic analysis of current scientific literature, this paper examines the prevalence and characteristics of the case study as a methodology for research on MOOCs. Ninety-two documents were selected from the search results returned by two of the most prestigious scientific databases: Web of Science (WOS) and SCOPUS. Findings showed that (a) even when searching solely for case studies, quantitative research paradigms were more prevalent than interpretive approaches; (b) geographical distribution of these studies was partially biased; (c) case studies were less prevalent in these databases than other empirical investigations on MOOCs; (d) the data collection and data analysis methods most frequently used in the case studies were more aligned with a quantitative approach; and (e) there is still very little instructor-focused research using this methodology. In the light of these findings and their discussion, future directions for research using case study methodology are proposed, given the potential of this method to illustrate certain issues for which other approaches have proved inadequate or insufficient.

scholarly journals Researching the delivery of health and nutrition interventions for women and children in the context of armed conflict: lessons on research challenges and strategies from BRANCH Consortium case studies of Somalia, Mali, Pakistan and Afghanistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle F. Gaffey ◽  
Anushka Ataullahjan ◽  
Jai K. Das ◽  
Shafiq Mirzazada ◽  
Moctar Tounkara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Nutrition Interventions ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Research Challenges ◽  
Conflict Settings ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Women And Children

Abstract Background The BRANCH Consortium recently conducted 10 mixed-methods case studies to investigate the provision of health and nutrition interventions for women and children in conflict-affected countries, aiming to better understand the dominant influences on humanitarian health actors’ programmatic decision-making and how such actors surmount intervention delivery barriers. In this paper, the research challenges encountered and the mitigating strategies employed by the case study investigators in four of the BRANCH case study contexts are discussed: Somalia, Mali, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Discussion Many of the encountered research challenges were anticipated, with investigators adopting mitigation strategies in advance or early on, but others were unexpected, with implications for how studies were ultimately conducted and how well the original study aims were met. Insecurity was a fundamental challenge in all study contexts, with restricted geographical access and concerns for personal safety affecting sampling and data collection plans, and requiring reliance on digital communications, remote study management, and off-site team meetings wherever possible. The need to navigate complex local sociopolitical contexts required maximum reliance on local partners’ knowledge, expertise and networks, and this was facilitated by early engagement with a wide range of local study stakeholders. Severe lack of reliable quantitative data on intervention coverage affected the extent to which information from different sources could be triangulated or integrated to inform an understanding of the influences on humanitarian actors’ decision-making. Conclusion Strong local partners are essential to the success of any project, contributing not only technical and methodological capacity but also the insight needed to truly understand and interpret local dynamics for the wider study team and to navigate those dynamics to ensure study rigour and relevance. Maintaining realistic expectations of data that are typically available in conflict settings is also essential, while pushing for more resources and further methodological innovation to improve data collection in such settings. Finally, successful health research in the complex, dynamic and unpredictable contexts of conflict settings requires flexibility and adaptability of researchers, as well as sponsors and donors.

A multi-layer cellular automata approach for algorithmic generation of virtual case studies: VIBe

2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Sitzenfrei ◽  
S. Fach ◽  
H. Kinzel ◽  
W. Rauch
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Real World ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Software Tool ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Study Results

Analyses of case studies are used to evaluate new or existing technologies, measures or strategies with regard to their impact on the overall process. However, data availability is limited and hence, new technologies, measures or strategies can only be tested on a limited number of case studies. Owing to the specific boundary conditions and system properties of each single case study, results can hardly be generalized or transferred to other boundary conditions. virtual infrastructure benchmarking (VIBe) is a software tool which algorithmically generates virtual case studies (VCSs) for urban water systems. System descriptions needed for evaluation are extracted from VIBe whose parameters are based on real world case studies and literature. As a result VIBe writes Input files for water simulation software as EPANET and EPA SWMM. With such input files numerous simulations can be performed and the results can be benchmarked and analysed stochastically at a city scale. In this work the approach of VIBe is applied with parameters according to a section of the Inn valley and therewith 1,000 VCSs are generated and evaluated. A comparison of the VCSs with data of real world case studies shows that the real world case studies fit within the parameter ranges of the VCSs. Consequently, VIBe tackles the problem of limited availability of case study data.

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