Introduction

Case Based Learning is a well established educational process during which learning and reflection happens within a small team of learners, or between the individual learner and the supporting multimedia resource material, the tutor, or team, often on a distance learning -basis.

The purpose of CBL/ PBL (for our purposes meaning exactly the same) is to be able to work with, and learn from real-life problems, including best practices, with the intention of getting things done using sound methods, technologies and peer group experience as support mechanisms.

In other words, case -based, or problem-based learning, at its most fundamental level, is an instructional method characterized by the use of 'real world' problems as a context for students to learn critical thinking and problem solving skills, and acquire knowledge of the essential concepts of the course.

In the most advanced environment, CBL or PBL is performed using web-enabled, 3DVR interactive multimedia (as in this program) with optional on-line tutor support in an asynchronous fashion. (In other words, decoupled from a fixed schedule and set speed live classroom, enabling enjoyable interactive and feedback controlled learning and problem solving literally anywhere, anytime).

Case -based, or problem/ project - based learning can be very interdisciplinary, ranging from various hardware and software aspects to integrated systems of networked computers, design and management/ production control and even environmental issues; justifying the fact that the real-world is an integrated whole... meaning that everything relates to everything.

This interdisciplinary, open ended nature makes CBL/ PBL interesting, as well as challenging for all of us, i.e. learners as well as program authors/ creators.

The driving force behind case-based learning is the acceptance of the fact that hard working, diligent and honest students should be viewed as the most important asset of a society, rather than cost, as many governments in many parts of the world. unfortunately, still get it wrong...

Our methodology does NOT follow the typical textbook case in which all possible methods to be considered are presented, the sample values/ data are well tuned and balanced and there is definitely one solution only... Our cases are exciting as well as challenging, because there are often many solutions.

We follow an approach that mimics real-world professional engineering problem solving methods as close as possible in an open source, networked virtual team environment, meaning that you can work with the expert(s) on your screen, using various techniques, most importantly the

• Virtual Product Demo with 3DVR objects and panoramic virtual tours of facilities,
• High quality, accurate web-streamable, or CD-ROM-based smaller size, but still very good quality videos, with interviews with product/ process, quality, IT, management and other experts, and
• Time and motion accurate machine/ process/ system demonstrations in digital, interactive videos, and
• Optional, full DVD video quality, large videos with factory tours, expert interviews, to be projected full screen to a class of 30 or more, or to a larger audience, using a DVD player and TV, a projector, or computer, and the
• Opportunity to interact by e-mail, phone and/or Video-conference directly with the expert(s) and tutor(s).

Architecture

In our CBL/ PBL library we follow an object oriented design, therefore our open systems architecture includes the following key principles:

• Case-based library programs are self contained objects built of objects and components. Often, these objects and components are text, high quality images, interactive digital video, animation, 3DVR and animated 360 degree panoramas.
• They are open source, web-enabled, delivered on CD-ROM or DVD (to overcome transfer rate and in some countries expensive web-access bottlenecks) or fast company intranets, the new emerging opportunity for continuous professional development.
• The way we present challenges are similar to the way professional engineers solve problems. This is because we
  • first look at the real-world customer requirement, then
  • we offer one or more solutions by explaining real-world machines, or processes, or systems, or management tasks and then
  • we discuss further development, service, maintenance, integration, connectivity and many other issues with several feedback loops and
  • offer discussion opportunities for real or virtual teams.
• Notice that we do NOT follow the traditional linear, or sequential, but rather the modern, customer driven, concurrent, object oriented approach to integrated product/ process design.
• In terms of delivering our cases we follow the Virtual Product Demo concept, in that we virtually take you with us to factories, R&D studios, exhibitions and laboratories and give you interesting demos explained by real-world experts who have actually done it !
• In all cases we show you high quality, interactive videos and often 3D objects and 360 degree interactive panoramas so that you can interrogate objects, enjoy virtual factory or facility tours and even participate actively by e-mail.
• In many cases we have additional professional quality, large screen DVD videos, that can be used as an integral part of the 3D eBook / DVD combo, or just on their own as excellent demonstrations of virtual factory tours, project interviews with experts, new product / process inventions, discussions, and others.
• In terms of challenging you to learn and investigate the illustrated case(s) further we give you several direct URL (web) contacts, e-mail addresses so that you can get in touch with anybody over the web, including any of us who have created/ presented the cases.
• Furthermore for case-based marketing we have included e-mailable short video clips that you can distribute to potential customers as part of your 21st century hi-tech tool-set.
• We focus our questions and address exciting engineering, management, and computing science/ IT (Information Technology) issues, and in many cases document best practices. This approach helps distance learners as well as educators to work with the material in real-world classroom and/or virtually web-networked teams.
• Our cases are object-oriented and self contained, nevertheless can be integrated/ grouped into different classes of objects in a lean and flexible way (just as a modern software program, or a modern manufacturing/ assembly system can be integrated into different environments). This enables learners as well as tutors and managers to 'plug-and-play' our cases in the way they choose to, rather than the way the author meant it... This means that our 'typical' readers are problem solvers, as well as readers and authors in the same time... an interesting challenge for all of us.
• The methodology we follow enables basic knowledge transfer enabled with 3DVR interactive multimedia. It is highly interactive, collaborative and enables large groups as well as individuals to gain the same knowledge effectively anywhere, anytime.

Some More Challenges...

It is important to realize that case-based learning and case -based marketing go hand in hand, although this technique is not for everybody because the problems as well as the solutions are interdisciplinary, often open-ended and can get complex.

On the other hand in all cases this method will enhance, support and enable a wide range of interactions with real-world challenges, and therefore represents integrated multi-disciplinary problem solving opportunities for our engineering, computer science and management students, for professionals in industry, as well as for potential customers eager to educate themselves and then take informed decisions.

Our Outcome-oriented Challenges...

Case-based learning is an effective method for outcome-oriented problem solving and assessment because it forces both the student as well as the tutor to focus and then create new wealth.

Within the framework of our open source, object-oriented, multimedia case-based learning library we encourage outcome-oriented educational practices and follow ABET principles (ABET is the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology, USA).