A Housing Finance Case Study: Buying and Selling a Home

Abstract

The purpose of this academic note was to present a case study that was a problem-based team activity about buying and selling a home. The case study is a realistic approach for applying research techniques, decision-making skills, and critical thinking analyses. Case studies are successful because students take the roles of characters in the “story” and actually conduct “first-person “ investigations of the problem. The case study presented in this note was in three parts and completed over a nine week period. The students discussed reading material, used financial calculators on the Internet, and made decisions that influenced future decisions as they proceeded through the case study. Teaching with the case study method entails that the instructor gives up some control of the class and instills a responsibility for learning within the student teams. To be effective, the instructor will model, coach, and structure the assignments. The case study underlies the critical thinking process because the students interact with each other by asking questions, finding and calculating possible solutions, evaluating alternatives, and making judgments. Assessment involved informal exchange between teams as well as formal rubrics used by the instructor for grading the reports. The ultimate assessment is the opinion of an internship sponsor or a potential employer who views the case study in a student’s portfolio and learns of the student’s knowledge and practice in the field of housing finance.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sue R. Crull

Sue R. Crull is Associate Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Iowa State University, Ames, IA.