Assessment Methods with Case Studies

Online discussions enable meaningful and reflective student participation, whether teaching takes place online or in person. They allow students who might not engage in live discussions to express their opinions.

Examples of discussion topics:

• analysis of case studies
  
• peer feedback
  
• sharing resources
  
• critique of articles, websites, or news
  
• "Ask me anything" sessions with guest speakers

Why use online discussions?
They encourage active and collaborative participation, provide time for reflection, and allow repeated access to discussion threads.

Strategies:

• Embed them in the course design: Clearly state the objectives and plan time for discussions.
  
• Divide students into smaller groups: The recommended size is 15–20 students.
  
• Select discussion questions carefully: Each discussion should have a clear purpose.
  
• Communicate expectations and moderate the discussion: Set rules for behaviour; do not respond to every post—encourage dialogue with prompting questions.
  
• Explain how participation will be assessed: Will each post be graded, or the overall contribution?

Example of use in higher education:

In the course Project Management, students participate in an online discussion on the topic “What are the main causes of project failure and how can they be prevented?” Each student analyses one real-world example (from personal experience, literature, or media) and publishes a short post describing the situation and proposing a solution. They then comment on at least two posts by their peers, comparing approaches and highlighting alternative risk management strategies. The discussion takes place in a Moodle forum over the course of one week, and the instructor provides a summary of key conclusions at the end of the activity.

Assessment is based on the quality of contributions, their connection to theoretical concepts of project management, and the constructiveness of communication.