Designing and teaching (digitised) case studies
The workplace and education are changing rapidly. Digital technologies are increasingly shaping our everyday lives and presenting new challenges for vocational education and training (VET). As a vocational teacher, you are called upon to design learning environments that are practical, promote professional skills and, at the same time, embrace technological developments.
One approach to this is the use of case studies in business education. These allow you to bring real-life business problems into the classroom, create action- and problem-oriented learning processes, and promote key competencies such as analytical skills, problem solving, teamwork, and independence. Case studies can motivate your students to work independently, develop solutions together, and experience a direct connection to the professional world. This need is particularly pronounced in full-time vocational schools. However, in order to exploit this potential, teachers need more than just subject knowledge. They need advanced digital and pedagogical competencies to design learning arrangements that reflect the complexity of professional practice.
The international project ‘Teaching case studies online: How to design and teach case studies in vocational schools’ (TeC@ses) recognises the potential of case studies as a problem-oriented and action-oriented teaching method and aims to promote the use of case studies in vocational schools.
The project ‘Teaching case studies online: How to design and teach case studies in vocational schools’ (TeC@ses) recognises the potential of case studies as a problem-oriented and action-oriented teaching method and aims to bridge the gap between digital teaching methods and complex, work-related learning scenarios. The project responds to criticism of traditional case studies that they are often text-heavy and unengaging. With TeC@ses, you can develop your digital skills to use multimedia and digital tools to present and work with case studies in an engaging and authentic way.
The project, which involves the universities of Antwerp, Cologne, Tampere and the University of Economics in Prague, focuses on the development of an innovative e-learning tool, the TeC@ses tool, which is specifically designed for case study teaching. This supports you on two levels:
- It provides didactic know-how so that you can develop high-quality case studies and use them in a targeted manner.
- It strengthens your digital skills so that you can use multimedia and interactive elements, design appealing case studies and teach flexibly – regardless of time and location.
The TeC@ses tool enables you to continue your education at your own pace, regardless of time and location.
To ensure the effectiveness of the TeC@ses tool, educational experts in vocational education and e-learning are involved in the evaluation. Associated partners, represented by vocational schools, play an advisory role to ensure the project is aligned with the needs of the target group. The TeC@ses tool is not only a means for teachers to improve their skills through new media channels, but also serves as a platform to develop the digital competences needed for media-enhanced and innovative teaching. This tool will be available in Czech, Dutch, English, Finnish and German and marks a significant step towards a digitally empowered and vocationally prepared educational landscape.