ABSTRACT
Case studies are an increasingly popular form of teaching and have an important role in developing skills and knowledge. It is well documented that students can learn more effectively when actively involved in the learning process (Bonwell and Eison, 1991; Sivan et al., 2000) and case studies are one way in which this can be promoted (Grant, 1997; Kuntz and Hesslar, 1998; Richards et al., 1995). There are a number of ways of describing what a case study is, for example, Fry et al. (1999) describe case studies as complex examples which give an insight into the context of a problem as well as illustrating the main point. A case study can also be considered as a student-centred activity that presents an account of a situation or involves the study of a topic that raises issues or problems for analysis. One of the major advantages of using case studies is that they present material to students in a contextual manner, thus bridging the gap between theory and practice.
