ABSTRACT
Case studies are often cited as the most used pedagogical approach in engineering ethics education (EEE), but what precisely are cases suitable for in teaching? This chapter provides a critical overview of case studies and aims to support the adoption of case studies by systematically evaluating their relevance or purpose, pedagogical outcomes, and overall topic fit within the course or curriculum. Case studies can provide a context-driven approach to teaching ethics that allows learners to think through ethical issues using grounded information and make decisions that potentially have real consequences. This chapter outlines arguments for and against teaching engineering ethics using case studies before examining how the use of case studies furthers specific learning goals through their integration into teaching by adopting a Neo-Kohlbergian view. The authors highlight three practical aspects of integrating case studies in EEE in-depth, discussing: (i) challenge-based learning as a way of integrating real-world, non-prepared, and non-academic case studies; (ii) role-playing as a way of improving perspectival thinking and linking micro-meso-macro contexts; and (iii) emotive content as something integral to cases and whether and how one should explicitly constructively deal with emotionality.
