JISC

Locating appropriate content

Whatever format a case study takes, it will need to be:

• worthy of scrutiny i.e. relevant, up to date and of sufficient standing
• engaging and different from other examples
• informative at a level appropriate to its purpose, audiences and context of use
• fit for purpose i.e. meeting criteria relevant to the individual project – for example, use of particular technologies, illustration of pedagogic approaches or evaluation techniques

Finding suitable material can mean seeking out emerging rather than well known examples of practice to ensure that the case study is able to engage the interest of both a broadly based and an expert audience. Useful networks which can assist in the search for suitable material include:

• JISC Regional Support Centres [FE &HE]
• Other JISC services e.g. JISC infoNet, JISC CETIS, JISC TechDis [HE, possibly also FE]
• Higher Education Academy Subject Centres [HE]
•  ILT Champions mailing list [FE]
• JISC Learning and Teaching Practice Experts Group [FE & HE]
•  Heads of e-Learning Forum [HE]
•  ALT [HE & FE]
•  CETLs [HE, England]

Recommendation

Locating appropriate case study material is unlikely to be achieved quickly. An appropriate allocation of resources – including time – to this stage of the project is vital to its overall success.

Approaching participants

Guidelines produced by the JISC Learner Experiences of e-Learning programme for researchers into learners’ experiences provide some important pointers for researchers of case study material in general. These are especially relevant whenever learners’ perspectives on an initiative are required, but not exclusively so.

A selection of key points from the guidelines is given here – download a complete set

Guidelines for external researchers

• Identify the most appropriate contact person at the institution to gain access to other interviewees, for example, practitioners and learners
• Consider including in your enquiry those likely to give a range of responses – for example, representatives of different subject disciplines or types of learner
• Explain the experiences and insights that are appropriate for your study
• Seek participants’ agreement to be involved and explain the rationale for the work
• Outline how their contributions might be used
• Maintain the right level of contact to establish and confirm participants’ involvement, including clear instructions about the date, time and place of interviews if conducted face-to-face.
• Personalise correspondence to build rapport
• Explore techniques for recording information that participants will find natural and unobtrusive
• Provide participants with a draft of the interview write-up to confirm its accuracy and appropriateness and request permission to use personalised quotes
• Thank those who participated
• Involve all concerned in the results of the research, alerting them when the project outcomes are published

Recommendation

Making the procedures and protocols you will follow transparent to participants is an important first step in preparing for case study capture. While overloading participants with information is undesirable, a short account of the interview procedures, including an outline of the right of participants to see and amend the outcomes will inspire confidence.

Capturing material

A template for capturing content for case studies is available in Appendix B or as a download. This has been designed to generate a comprehensive and balanced body of information from which selections can be made for different purposes and contexts of use. It may be necessary to adapt the template to focus on areas appropriate to your project. However, the breadth of material this template generates is likely to support the development of a full and detailed exemplar of practice.

Other examples of templates developed by JISC project teams working in the area of e-learning and pedagogy can be found on the JISC e-Learning and Pedagogy website. 

Once the capture proforma has been approved within your team and by the JISC programme manager, approaches can be made to potential case study institutions. It is also helpful if the template is made available to the institution in advance of a visit.

Recommendation

Ensure that details of the main contact at the institution are accurate to enable any subsequent enquiries about the material to be swiftly resolved. Background information about the institution is best obtained during the interview, since descriptions of the institution, its function and performance given on its website may be out of date and are likely to be written from a marketing perspective.