Effectiveness of Case-based Learning: Views of Construction and Real Estate Students

ABSTRACT Case-based learning (CBL) is a teaching method used in many disciplines of tertiary education. Based on a questionnaire survey and focus group discussions, the perception of the real estate and construction students on CBL in enhancing professional competencies was evaluated. A total of 278 undergraduate students at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University participated in the study. A series of 8 cases related to construction economics and finance were mounted on an electronic platform, which forms the basis of continuous assessment for two undergraduate subjects taken by year-2 and year-3 full-time and part-time students. Results revealed that students perceive CBL as effective in enhancing problem-solving skills, leading to improvement of motivation and promotion of effective group collaboration and fostering self-directed learning. A comparison was then made on the effectiveness of CBL in terms of examination and course work performance between 2013/14 (control group) and the 2014/15 (treatment group) academic years. The results clearly revealed that the introduction of CBL has improved students’ performance significantly. However, as this was their first exposure to CBL, students did experience stress and some lack of confidence, increased workload, and uncertainty. Overall, the findings encourage an active CBL pedagogical approach in construction and real estate curricula.