The Usefulness of Case Study in Tutorial: Some ... - SSRN papers

Using Assessment Tasks to Shift Focus to Learning Rather than Evaluating Students Shameem Ali and Henry W. L. Ho, Victoria University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

ABSTRACT This paper investigates students working on case analysis as part of the summative assessment in an undergraduate marketing subject with the aim of developing student’s analytical, strategic thinking, problem solving skills and knowledge of marketing principles. The results indicated that a large majority of students preferred working on the analysis of the cases given as their assignments and perceived getting a high grade on these assignments. Overall students found case analysis to be more rewarding than other forms of assessment. These findings have several implications for the design of assessable assignments, which take into account the general student tendency to avoid deeper learning in preference to surface learning that only reaches minimum standards. The paper suggests that a combination of varied forms of assessment is appropriate if greater and deeper learning is to be achieved. INTRODUCTION Educators have said that they never really learned a subject until they had to teach it themselves (Carlson and Schodt, 1995). This refers to the understanding of the content, which is the prime focus of many teachers, both within the secondary school and university systems. Today’s students have unlimited access to information and the modern challenge facing teachers is motivating students to engage with the subject. A frequently heard complaint about education today is that it does not teach students to think. The purpose of tertiary education should be to provide an opportunity for students to acquire and process knowledge. Unfortunately, all too often the emphasis is upon memorization of, rather than processing of, information (Bolton, 1996). According to Drea, Tripp and Stuenkel (2005), students learn best when the educators successfully create an active learning environment. To help marketing students learn to “think like marketers”, marketing educators need to consider ways of moving beyond the traditional modes of instruction. The case study analysis method is on technique for doing this. Case studies as instructional tools are widely used in tertiary education, however, they need to be carefully managed it takes time to learn how to get the most out of them for both educators and for their students. Ideally, case studies are intended to help students make relevant connections among course materials; transforming course materials from opaque language or ideas into something students can integrate into their own long-term memory and knowledge bank (Grosse, 1988; and Hancock, 1993). This paper investigates students working on cases analysis as part of the summative assessment in an undergraduate marketing subject with the aim of developing student’s analytical, strategic thinking, problem solving skills and knowledge of marketing principles. Making judgments of student competency and the evaluation of their learning are complex matters, especially in a semester timeframe. This paper examines students’ perception as to whether the analysis and problem solving of the case study contributed to their learning. It evaluates students’ perception of the value of case study analysis and problem solving as part of the assessment. The results show that students’ perceived the case study analysis and problem solving exercise as contributing to their learning and that they benefited from seeing a problem examined from different perspectives. SUMMATIVE ASSESMENT Summative assessment is comprehensive in nature, provides accountability and is used to check the level of learning at the end of the program (Angelo and Cross, 1993). It requires conflating the marks given for each task to produce the subject’s final outcome (Ritter and Wilson, 2001). Ideally,

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summative assessment is designed to measure student understanding following a sustained period of instruction with the focus on identifying the level of student mastery and the effectiveness of instruction. As such, summative assessments are outcome measures that emphasise student achievement rather than aptitude or effort. Summative assessment methods are the most traditional way of evaluating student work. From classroom tests to high-stake testing, summative assessments are used in universities and colleges across Australia. From a student perspective, summative assessments are primarily utilised to determine final course grades; from an instructor perspective, they are a means of accountability (Barrows 1986). Most educators (Angelo and Cross, 1993; Ritter and Wilson, 2001; and Scott, 2001) believe that summative assessments are a vital part of the educational process due to the wealth of information they provide. In other word, it is important that educators invest the necessary time and resources to develop quality summative assessments. THE USE OF CASE STUDY ASSESSMENTS To achieve successful outcomes in subjects such as marketing strategy, where the focus is on teaching students to think strategically and analytically, a deeper learning is essential. The nature of strategy is such that actions and activities are not necessarily sequential and evaluation has to be made on a series of overlapping actions, reactions and outcomes. One of the objectives of the subject is to develop critical thinking and analysis, and previous forms of assessments using group tasks, essays and presentations generally were unable to achieve some of the outcomes expected. Students were unable to devote adequate time on assessment pieces and tended to rewrite answers from readily available sources. In order to encourage students to develop deeper learning case analysis assessments were introduced. The expectation was that students would be forced to think through a small problem for which answers were unlikely to be found through the usual search mechanisms. It was expected that students would mull through a range of sources, draw on their experiences and material learnt in this and other related areas of study, to derive possible solutions. This can be contrasted with surface learning, which depends on memory and the ability to reproduce material deemed relevant to a particular question (Boyce et al., 2001). Case study analysis removes the tendency to reproduce existing material, encourages critical thinking and requires the application of skills and knowledge and thereby motivating students to seek this knowledge. Milne and McConnell (2001) argue that when properly administered case studies approach have the capacity to motivate students to acquire new knowledge and develop their own learning. There are multiple definitions and understandings of the case study method. It was expected that case analysis would require more time from the students and smaller cases were selected that outlined one or more specific situations. These required analysis of the information in the case and reflection on the problems and issues. A meaningful application of skills and knowledge is likely to occur when the temptation to scan and lift myriad sources is removed and the focus is the utilisation of gained knowledge to address specific issues relating to practical situations. Case-based learning enables teachers to shift the focus of the learning to the application of material presented and relate it the “ambiguity and messiness of reality” (Barrows, 1986). Therefore, case selection is critical, taking into account the need to enable students to self direct their inquiries with a degree of freedom and utilise experiences and knowledge that have been gained not only by this but other subjects studied as a part of the degree program. This approach requires the integration of knowledge across disciplines, presents concepts in the context of the real world, activates prior knowledge, and fosters the application of skills and knowledge to new situations and related domains (June and Huay, 2003). Within the tutorial sessions, the case study was used to generate discussions of the important ideas or relevant issues which were central to the content of the course. Each case study may have dealt with more than one important idea. Students were encouraged to discuss the relevant issues with the help of a series of follow-up questions posed to them by the instructor. While the case study may have

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conveyed information to the students, its primary focus was not upon conveyance of information. Case studies are used to drive students to learn (Bolton, 1996). It helps to generate questions which need to be addressed. In order to do so, a follow-up activity is necessary. Such activities would involve reading assignments, or activities that require students to gather information about the important ideas. In other words, cases used in class could be said to represent reality even though the situation in some instances may be hypothetical representations in order to capture some essence of theory or concept. The use of case studies as assignments was complemented with non-assessable case studies conducted in tutorials, lead by the instructor with emphasis placed on the identification of the key issues and problems in the case and the justification provided for the suggested solutions. Many students were concerned about “the right answer” rather than providing justification of a particular point of view. The success of the case study, therefore, depends on the capabilities of the instructor to prevent students from seeking a safe solution and encouraging them to realise the existence of a number of possibilities. In summary, the literature review abounds with research which promotes the use of cases analysis as part of the summative assessment in an undergraduate marketing subject. Case study approach to learning has the focus on analysing information, evaluating alternative options, making recommendations and providing a justification for these. Students whose aim is to quickly finish set tasks to meet the requirements of assessment often fail to address the issues adequately. It is envisaged that the introduction of case study analysis will facilitate the development of students’ technical as well as communication and interpersonal skills, all of which are crucial as part of the skills repertoire needed by marketing graduates to be successful. SUBJECT ORGANISATION AND ASSESSMENT Students involved in this research were enrolled in an undergraduate marketing strategy subject. The aim of the subject was to provide an understanding of the various marketing strategies, approaches and techniques of analysis and covered the major elements of the marketing strategy formulation process from the point of view of the brand or product manager. Key concepts were drawn from a variety of areas including marketing strategy, consumer behaviour, marketing research, statistics and microeconomics. The subject was taught in two hours of lectures, followed by a tutorial of one-hour duration on a weekly basis. To attain a pass in this subject, students were required to pass the final examination and to complete all other assessment components as shown in figure below.

Figure 1: Product and Pricing Strategies Assessment

For many of the students involved in this research, case study was not a new learning method as 71% had encountered them in their previous study. Furthermore, within this subject, case study analysis was set as tutorial exercises, providing opportunity to do practice runs in addressing set questions on cases, with the focus on skill and knowledge application. Word limits were set on assignments to eliminate repeating theory and emphasise application. The intention here was to ensure that students were familiar with case-based learning and to expose them to analysis tools and techniques. Whilst it is acknowledged that there is no single right answer, the expectation is that students provide a thorough analysis of the case which they will be able to defend against challenge (Jennings, 1997; Maltby and Andrusyszyn, 1990; and Richardson, 1994). Carefully selected full-strength cases from the textbook form a helpful basis for discussion during the tutorial as all the cases are carefully articulated with the concepts in the accompanying chapter and have strong relevance to the Asia-Pacific region. At the same time, two cases from the textbook are selected and used as assessable assignment cases. Anderson and Vincze (2004), suggest that the case study enhances pedagogy by providing opportunities for insightful analysis of real-life marketing situations and the application of contemporary marketing theory and practice to a variety of organizations. Case study or case method teaching is best suited to, and is the most effective method, for marketing educators to promote active learning. Class discussion of the case allows students to relate better to problem identification and become more solution oriented in their learning. RESEARCH METHOD Data was collected using a one page questionnaire administered at the end of the tutorials at which the assignments were submitted. It was made clear that this was not part of the assessment and the research purpose was explained. The data was collected during the second semester of 2005. Responses were based on a five point Likert scale, from agree strongly to disagree strongly. Students were required to answer ten questions which concentrated on how these assignments were contributing to their learning, as well as the perceived benefits associated with seeing a problem

examined from different perspectives. The students were also asked to indicate their perception of whether working on analysing cases as part of the summative assessment was more difficult as compared with the mid-semester test and whether they saw these assignments as being of more relevance in the workforce. The survey required about five minutes to complete and was administered in tutorial with the maximum group size of 20 students. RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION Of the 103 full-time students enrolled in the course, a number of students were either not present at the end of the session when the questionnaire was administered or made some other arrangements to hand in the assignment. There were 78 responses collected from the first assignment and 88 from the second. Some responses were only partially completed. The findings (as shown in Table 1 and Table 2) show that marketing students greatly value the analysing cases as part of the summative assessment. The responses received are presented below: FIRST ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONNAIRE Table 1 elaborate the results of data collected right after our students hand-in their first assignment. Table 1: Students’ perception towards the first assignment (percentage) No. 1

Questions AS A N D DS Mn In preparing for the case study I 00.0 10.5 13.2 50.0 26.3 3.82 don’t need to refer to the textbook or lecture notes 2 Case study allows me to relate 18.4 57.9 15.8 7.9 0.0 2.08 better to problem identification and become more solution oriented in my learning 3 Case study gave me a better 23.7 52.6 21.1 2.6 0.0 1.97 understanding of reality 4 Case Study allowed me to relate 21.1 50.0 21.1 7.9 0.0 2.10 learning to my experiences 5 Case studies will help me more 10.5 68.4 15.8 5.3 00.0 2.00 in the workforce 6 I am learning more from case 10.5 47.4 31.6 10.5 0.0 2.36 study then doing topic questions 7 In future I intend to spend more 15.8 57.9 21.1 0.0 5.3 2.23 time in case reading & preparation 8 Case studies are more time 7.9 28.9 34.2 26.3 2.6 2.79 consuming 9 I found the case study more 0.0 21.1 34.2 39.5 5.3 3.21 difficult then other assessment 10 I found the case study more 21.1 42.1 21.1 15.8 0.0 2.26 enjoyable then other assessment (Five-point Likert scale with 1 = AS agree strongly and 5 = DS disagree strongly), N=78

SECOND ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONNAIRE Table 2 provide the findings of students’ perception after they hand-in their second assignment. Table 2: Students’ perception towards the second assignment (rounded to the nearest percentage) No. 1

Questions AS A N D DS Mn In preparing for the case study I 0.0 22.7 27.3 40.9 9.1 3.27 don’t need to refer to the textbook or lecture notes 2 Case study allows me to relate 18.2 59.1 22.7 0.0 0.0 2.05 better to problem identification and become more solution oriented in my learning 3 Case study gave me a better 22.7 52.3 22.7 2.3 0.0 2.05 understanding of reality 4 Case Study allowed me to relate 11.4 59.1 25.0 4.5 0.0 2.23 learning to my experiences 5 Case studies will help me more 20.1 47.7 20.5 11.4 0.0 2.25 in the workforce 6 I am learning more from case 22.7 54.5 18.2 4.5 0.0 2.05 study then doing topic questions 7 In future I intend to spend more 20.5 54.5 22.7 2.3 0.0 2.07 time in case reading & preparation 8 Case studies are more time 9.1 38.6 25.0 25.0 2.3 2.73 consuming 9 I found the case study more 0.0 25.0 36.4 31.8 6.8 3.18 difficult then other assessment 10 I found the case study more 22.7 59.1 18.2 0.0 0.0 1.95 enjoyable then other assessment (Five-point Likert scale with 1 = AS agree strongly and 5 = DS disagree strongly), N=88

Students were asked to rate the perceived value of working on the analysis of the cases given as their assignments, in terms of enhancing their learning experience (Table 1 and 2). In general, students either strongly agree or agree that case study is more enjoyable as compared with other assessment. At the same time, students also agree that case study allows them to relate better to problem identification; become more solution oriented in their learning and gave them a better understanding of reality. The overall responses were generally very positive as indicated by the mean score of the one to five scale, where less than three indicates a degree of agreement with the proposition and greater than 3 favours disagreement. STUDENTS’ OVERALL PERFORMANCE Apart from the questionnaire, by looking at students’ performance in all the assessments (as shown in Table 3), 40 percent of the students who enrolled in the subject had failed their mid-semester test. However, 94 percent of our students achieved at least a pass in their assignments. Students generally believed that set assignments were better than tests and were easier to score higher marks in. It seems that the perception is tests and examinations are more “difficult” and anything that can be taken home to complete is “easier.” However, much depends on how the assessment is managed and what the learning goals of assessment are. It is important to optimise learning opportunities through assessment and if this is to be achieved assessment must be an integral part of course design. The results of the assessment components are shown in Table 3 below:

Table 3: Students’ performance by percentage (rounded to the nearest percentage) No. 1

Questions HD D C P F 1 11 25 23 40 Mid-Semester Test (Answer 35 multiple choice questions in 1 hour) 2 4 32 54 4 6 1000 Words Individual Assignment (Analysing case study) 3 0 38 54 3 5 2000 Words Individual Assignment (Analysing case study) 4 29 32 10 10 Final Exam (Answer 4 short 19 essay questions in 3 hours) (HD = High Distinction, D = Distinction, C = Credit, P = Pass and F = Fail) CONCLUSIONS

As marketing education seeks to identify ways to improve student learning, it is important for educators to focus on the learning outcomes, despite the fact that this is often extremely difficult to measure especially in the large class situation. The techniques/instructional approaches that enhance students’ outcomes to meet instructional goals are of particular relevance. One way to identify such activities is to examine the learning needs and motivations of today’s university students. The use of the case study analysis approach appears to be such an activity because for these there are seldom ready- made answers and personal views and experiences can often play an important part. From the responses across the two assignments, between 10 – 20 % of the students claimed that in preparing case answers there was no need to refer to texts or notes. Perhaps they meant that they would be unable to scan these for answers rather than that there would be nothing they could learn from these that would assist them in answering the questions. Finally, current research focuses only on undergraduate marketing students within Australia. It is assumed, but not known whether similar results would be obtained from the post-graduate marketing students. For future research, examining post-graduate marketing students’ attitude towards cases analysis as their assignments may create different results and provide a better view for the educators and researchers. The fact that there are a large number of international students in many post-graduate programs would add an important dimension to such a study. REFERENCES Anderson, C. H. and Vinzce, J. W. (2004). Strategic Marketing Management – Meeting the Global Marketing Challenge, Second Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. Angelo, T. A. and Cross, K. P. (1993). Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers (2nd ed.), San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Becker, E. W. and Watts, M. (1995). Teaching tool: teaching methods in undergraduate economics. Economics Inquiry, 33, 692-700. Biggs, J. (1999). Teaching for quality learning at university. Buckingham: SRHE and Open University Press. Boud, D. and Feletti, G. (1997). 'Changing Problem-based Learning. Introduction to the Second Edition', in The Challenge of Problem-based Learning, 2nd Ed, Vol. eds. Boud, D., Feletti, G. Kogan-Page, London, pg 1-14. Collier, K. (1985). Teaching methods in higher education – the changing scene, with special reference to small-group work. Higher Education Research and Development, 4(1), 3-27. Creswell, J. W. (1998). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design, Thousand Oaks. London and New Delhi: Sage Publications.

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