Enhancing student learning through use of case study paper in Republic Polytechnic, Singapore

Abstract

While the dominant lesson delivery style in Republic Polytechnic in Singapore is its unique One- Day-One-Problem approach using the Problem-Based Learning pedagogy, there have been other lesson delivery methods adopted by Republic Polytechnic in recent years. While the case study method has not yet been adopted by School of Engineering in the polytechnic, the school is keen to explore its effectiveness in enhancing students' learning in engineering modules. This thesis is a study of the effectiveness of a trial implementation of the case study method for E206 Microcontroller Systems module in the school. The cohort taking the Microcontroller Systems module in semester one in 2016 wrote and submitted a case study as part of lesson four in the module. A random sample of 30 students from the cohort were selected to participate in the analysis on the effectiveness of the trial implementation. Assessment using a rubric and content analysis are performed on the papers submitted. The submitted papers are crossreferenced to students' reflection journals for consistency in quality. The reflections journals are designed to help students write their Case Study Paper. While the findings show positive results, the effectiveness of the case study method in an engineering module is not conclusive due to the limitations of the study. It is recommended that the Case Study Paper be implemented for a few more runs of the Microcontroller Systems module to collect more data for future follow-up studies.