Case Studies

Completion of the CEBE Case Study Template

Criteria for Case Study Assessment

Style and presentation

Length:

Editing:

Copyright:

Completion of the CEBE Case Study Template

These guidelines refer to the preparation of the case study itself, once an outline proposal has been approved.

The case study should be written according to the following template headings, using the points listed as a guide:

• Title
  A short and explicit title (not metaphorical/poetic) appropriate to a case study i.e. reflecting exactly what is being reported on, in a way that would enable a reader to understand the focus and decide whether or not to read it.



• Key Points of Good Practice
  A succinct list of bullet points which highlight issues of good practice exemplified in your case study submission.



• Description of Implementation
  [please ensure that this section is written such that departments elsewhere can take the central elements from your practice]
  A brief description of what you actually did. What sort of activities and interaction occurred? Brief details of assessment methods used, support & training required and timescales for undertaking the work/implementing the technique.



• Perceived Benefits (for students & teaching support staff)
  What are the impacts? How do students and teachers benefit, how will the lessons learnt from your activity be embedded in local curricula? From your perspective, what are the strengths of the work. What were the reactions of others involved?



• Issues/Challenges (for students & teaching support staff)
  What problems/issues have arisen and how have you addressed them. How might any difficulties encountered be avoided in future?



• Enablers that helped the project to work
  Were there strategies and tactics that facilitated the work? Are there approaches that are particularly successful in promoting participation?



• Details of project evaluation (i.e. collection and analysis of student feedback)
  What methods are used for evaluating the project.
  What evidence can be provided to demonstrate the success of the technique/method, e.g. student/teacher/employer feedback, peer review, formative and summative evaluation, literature search etc.
  Were there changes to attitudes and practices as a result of the work? Has the work been published or peer reviewed elsewhere in whole or in part?



• Possible improvements/enhancements
  What was learnt from this?
  What might be done differently in future?



• Points of advice for others who may wish to replicate the techniques used
  How can the work/method be replicated or adapted to different contexts, either geographically or in respect of other fields/disciplines.
  What is flexible or core and what is optional, flexible or situation specific.
  What is the key advice you would give to someone who has decided to adapt this method/procedure/way of organising etc.
  Hot tips and things to look out for.



• Further Reading
  Relevant references to published articles/web sites either written by yourself or others that describe the method/technique highlighted.



• Details of Support Materials
  Attach as a separate file(s), any details in relation to this study that you think would help others i.e. examples, supporting data, charts and graphics etc.

Criteria for Case Study Assessment

• The case study conforms with the original, approved proposal
• Shows analysis of the problem or of the need for the technique/method given
• Is clearly and concisely written (the word limit is not excessively exceeded) and does not require editing
• Demonstrates potential impact, application and replication in other contexts. Benefits to the wider community of teachers and students should be clearly identified.
• Provides an analysis and demonstration of the benefits to participating students, particularly large numbers of students
• Appropriate and robust evaluation methods are clearly described
• The study is properly referenced and shows knowledge of previously related work in the topic area
• The author(s) clearly reflect on the process and evaluation employed and draw conclusions on this basis
• Includes student feedback

CEBE will either:

• Accept the final case study unconditionally
• Accept the case study subject to modifications. This may involve the requirement for amendments to be made or the inclusion of additional material, as specified by the peer reviewers.
• Not accept the study. Where major issues and concerns are raised in relation to the content and focus of the study or significant omissions are identified, discussions will be held with the author to assess the feasibility of a resubmission.

Style and presentation

• Text should be in Times-New Roman 10 point font
• Text should be aligned to the left (not justified)
• There should be 2 spaces after a full stop
• Hyphens should not be used to break words at the end of a line
• The write up should be written in a user-friendly manner, rather than as a piece of 'academic work'
• The language should be understandable for a British audience. Words and phrases of foreign origin should be italicised, unless they are in common use as English idioms
• Use '-ise' instead of '-ize', e.g. emphasize, but '-yse' instead of '-yze', e.g. analyse
• Supporting materials i.e. Tables and Figures should be provided as separate files.
• References should be listed in full at the end of the study using the Harvard referencing style guide HSL-DVC 1,see:
  http://www.shef.ac.uk/library/libdocs/hsl-dvc1.pdf
  Electronic references should be cited using Harvard Guide HSL-DVC 2, see: http://www.shef.ac.uk/library/libdocs/hsl-dvc2.pdf