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CASE STUDY ANALYSIS

This study allows students to gain to familiarity with how interdisciplinary research is performed in practice, by analyzing published cases. As such, rather than receiving general or abstract rules for interdisciplinary interaction, students learn from concrete cases what is possible and effective.

This task is most suitable for:

Interactions
Single (monodisciplinary) or mixed (interdisciplinary) groups

Degree of Integration
Multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary

Problem structure
Open-ended problems

Skill targets
Interdisciplinary problem-solving

Ability to generate
analogies/metaphors

Enhanched
critical thinking

Ability to communicate disciplinary content

Ability to interpret
other disciplines

Interactional
expertise

Humility, sensitivity
to bias and empowerment

Systems-thinking

Knowledge
integration

Methodological
integration

Assessing value/pay-off
of identification

Problem-framing

Identification
task allocation

Methodological 
choice

Evaluation

Identifying and
sharing competencies

Defining/assigning
roles

Defining shared
group values

Defining rules of operation
and group engagement

Facilitating
communication

Coordinating
roles/tasks

Facilitating
feedback

Consensus and
trust building

Facilitating personal
development

What is a Case Study Analysis?

Students in a case study analysis of the type conceived here are given the task of investigating the structure of interdisciplinary interactions which can be found in published work or other sources (through interviews with interdisciplinary researchers for example). The goals are that students become familiar with the types and variety of interdisciplinary engagement in order to better understand the landscape of how research engage in it in practice. As such students are directed to start their thinking about interdisciplinary by looking at real world cases, and analyzing the strategies used in practices to combine different methodological and theoretical frameworks. Allowing students to compare different cases can help them further.

Ready-made Resources

Example Task

This document contains an example of the Case Study Analysis task. Including some link to case studies.

Potential Uses

  • Finding Models for Their Own Practice:

    Students can use this task as a means of finding previous cases or models relevant to their own situations. e.g. students can look for published papers which involve interactions between the groups they belong to.

  • Evaluating or Reflecting on Interdisciplinary Engagements

    By doing comparison between different cases students can develop a wider knowledge of common multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary strategies, their strengths and weaknesses. Overall they can develop a better idea of what is possible with respect to interdisciplinarity generally. Conditions can be set to focus only on integrated or interdisciplinary strategies as opposed to multidisciplinary ones..