Students often struggle to understand complex or abstract concepts, especially when they cannot see how those ideas connect to their lives. I’ve learned that if students cannot see themselves in a concept, they usually cannot fully grasp it. Case studies can help by placing course materials in real-world situations, making examples feel more concrete. This is true particularly for students in introductory courses who come with diverse majors, backgrounds, and interests. But generic case studies create the problem of having to engage everyone, and making personalized ones for each student would be prohibitively time consuming.
