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Four requirements for digital case study libraries

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Abstract

In education, case studies have been employed as a major pedagogical means to engage students with realistic materials and practical problems. The usefulness and success of case studies have been documented in literature. In this paper, we move the case study and its technical affordance a step further toward more authentic or realistic learning and toward communities of practice. Drawing on current intellectual achievement in education, developmental psychology and computer-supported collaborative learning, this paper proposes four requirements for interactive case study libraries, focusing on authentic learning, social interaction, resource accumulation, and communities of practice. With a usability engineering case study library as an example, we discuss design concerns derived from these requirements as well as its use in practice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Human-Computer Interaction & College of Information Sciences and Technology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 16802-6823, USA

    Hao Jiang, Craig Ganoe & John M. Carroll

Authors
  1. Hao Jiang
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  2. Craig Ganoe
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  3. John M. Carroll
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Correspondence to Hao Jiang.

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Jiang, H., Ganoe, C. & Carroll, J.M. Four requirements for digital case study libraries. Educ Inf Technol 15, 219–236 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-009-9108-x

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