Case Study
A. Case Study Committee
1. A three member Case Study Committee shall be formed for each student and shall include the following:
a. The student's major advisor.
b. Another member from the Department of Education Leadership.
c. A Graduate Faculty Representative (GFR) assigned by the ISU Office of Graduate Studies. If the student and advisor request a specific GFR, the Chair of the Graduate Department of Educational Leadership and Instructional Design will submit a letter of request to the ISU Office of Graduate Studies.
B. Case Study Preparation
1. All students who enroll in EDLA 651 are required to attend a meeting on the ISU campus to receive the Case Study for that particular semester. No proxy attendance is permitted. At this meeting, the timeline(s) for completion of the Case Study, the evaluation method to be used, and other pertinent data are disseminated. A sample copy of previous evaluation methods is enclosed as Appendix B.
2. The student will prepare a formal presentation for the Case Study defense. It will include as a minimum:
a. A statement of the problem(s) presented in the Case.
b. The background of the problem(s).
c. The significance of the problem(s).
d. A review of the literature that outlines the pros and cons of the problem(s).
e. Suggested solutions to the problem(s) outlined in the Case.
3. The presentation shall be in electronic format (PowerPoint) with handouts for each member of the Case Study Committee.
C. Case Study Defense
1. A formal Case Study defense meeting with the student and members of the Case Study Committee will be held on a schedule mandated by the ISU Office of Graduate Studies. This time frame generally ends two weeks before graduation. The Case Study defense will be scheduled through the Graduate Department of Educational Leadership and Instructional Design within the "window" established each semester by the ISU Office of Graduate Studies.
a. The Case Study must follow the latest APA guidelines, and only the
following three print fonts of 12 point size are acceptable:
-Times
-Courier
-Geneva
b. A copy of the student's Case Study defense paper shall be given to the Case Study Committee at least one week prior to the oral defense. Failure to meet this deadline may force a postponement of the oral defense if it is deemed necessary by the student's advisor. An official notice by the Graduate Department of Educational Leadership and Instructional Design of the Case Study defense date, time, and place must be filed with the ISU Office of Graduate Studies.
2. The purposes of the Case Study defense include:
a. Demonstrating knowledge of the research and methodologies employed in the study.
b. Interrelating the research with course work in educational leadership and other areas of study the student pursued.
c. Being able to interpret the research and coursework into practical
solutions to solve the problems presented in the Case Study.
3. Deliberations
a. Following interrogation, informal questions, and any final summary comments by the student, all persons except the Committee members will be excused from the room.
b. The deliberations provide the Committee members with the opportunity to express any concerns about the integrity or quality of the student's defense.
c. During the deliberations, the Committee must decide if the student:
(1) Successfully presented the Case Study.
(2) Passed the defense, but some revisions of the Case Study are needed.
(3) Failed the defense.
d. If circumstances beyond the student's control are present that materially affect the student's ability to defend the Case Study, the Committee may suspend deliberations and the student will be given a second and final opportunity to complete the defense at a later date.
e. The major advisor will attempt to achieve consensus among the Committee members on one of the alternatives noted in 3.c. above. A majority must vote for the same alternative for a decision to be reached.
f. Following the deliberations and the vote, the student will be asked to return to the room where the major advisor will announce the Committee decision including any necessary revisions to the presented material.
g. If it is determined that the student has passed the defense, all members of the Case Study committee shall place their signatures on the sign-off page.
h. A student failing the Case Study defense must wait until a subsequent semester and defend a different case. No re-writes of a failed defense are possible. The re-defense is to take place no sooner than the succeeding semester, and no later than the subsequent third semester.
i. The Report of Oral Examination must be returned to the ISU Office of Graduate Studies by the Graduate Faculty Representative within 24 hours of the oral defense.
j. After a successful oral defense of the Case Study, the student will make the changes required by the Case Study Committee and prepare a draft, which has been edited for final printing.
k. Upon completion of the final draft, the student shall present the completed paper to his/her major advisor for final approval.
4. Case Study Guidelines and Scoring Rubric can downloaded in PDF file.
PDF files require 