Parametric Case Studies Closing The Loop

Traditional case studies have proven to be effective means for t eaching engineering design. Unfortunately, traditional case studies, in which all students in a class simultaneously work on the same case study, may result in inappropriate levels of student interaction. A parametric case study is a generalization of a traditional case study in which problem parameters vary from one student to another. This ameliorates the problem of inappropriate student interactions, since each student works on a different problem. This advantage accrues at the cost of an additional burden on the instructor who evaluates the students’ work. This paper reports on research that was performed to investigate the feasibility of having the microcomputer the platform used to deliver the case study to students also serve to generate base-line solutions to the multitude of problems that result.