Making a case for HCI: comparing materials for case-based teaching

This paper investigates case-based methods for bridging the conflicting goals of providing both topic coverage and practical experience in teaching human-computer interaction (HCI). We evaluate benefits and limitations of five types of case materials - contemporary articles, professionally prepared cases, familiar interfaces, ongoing development projects, and incomplete information (jigsaw) - to probe how they should be structured and approached by an HCI instructor. Through an experience that assessed case-based activities in an undergraduate HCI course, we determined tradeoffs relating to student participation, preparation characteristics, and short- and long-term learning outcomes. Based on our results, we can make several conclusions that should influence selection and development of materials for case-based pedagogy, and we illustrate the need for structured case creation processes that can be performed conjointly with system development efforts.