Cases development for teaching software engineering

Software engineering offers vast variety of methods and tools for improving the quality of software development. As software products seem to be more complex to build than any other engineered artifacts, selecting suitable methods and tools appears to be crucial. Software engineers should possess broad knowledge on various technologies so that their appropriateness for a particular project could be judged sensibly. Wise judgment however requires not only knowledge but also critical minds. Case method is a discussion-based learning technique where students explore and exploit the knowledge and understanding of a subject matter themselves. The method needs the preparation of specific cases that inspire the exploration and sharing of knowledge, and also encourage critical thinking. This paper discusses the issues and shares the experience of preparing cases for teaching a software engineering course at the undergraduate level. Some guidelines are offered for future case developers of such courses to produce cases.