As the case may be: the potential of electronic cases for interdisciplinary communication instruction

The article examines the use of electronic cases which is characterized by the use of the Web to improve teaching and learning in professional communication techniques. The approach presented provides a learning environment (the case) in which students draw from and contribute to an interactive resource of artifacts, so as to become actively involved in the day-to-day practices of a group. Furthermore, students must (based on their understanding of the artifacts) identify, communicate, and justify a course of action for the continued development of the organization. In this sense, students move beyond analyzing and responding to a traditionally narrated, historical case and instead become immersed in the process of "making sense" and communicating in an effort to render the organization for a number of audiences. Because it is computer mediated, the case affords the opportunity for students to more readily interact with a greater volume and wider range of information than can be transmitted through traditional hard-copy case studies.