Evolution of the Humble Case Study

This paper addresses the problem of providing learning experiences suitable for developing high-level organisational analysis skills in a climate of increased student numbers. It explores the potential of interactive web-based case studies for creating realistic, personalised experiences that scale for large numbers of students in a Business IT department. A discussion of how such software can support learning is provided and user requirements for the software are summarised. The development of the software is outlined and the implemented software is described. The software evaluation approach is described and the evaluation outcomes are discussed. Key findings include: • enthusiastic use of the tool by both staff and students • learning outcomes comparable with previous years while saving staff time and providing much more convenient access to the required information for students, • evidence that a virtual case provided a richer understanding of an organisation than traditional methods Finally, work to broaden use of the tool across the business discipline, and to develop the architecture so that cases can be shared and re-used across institutions, is described in outline