Case Study Competition Rules of Engagement

Introduction

Welcome to the Case Study Competition hosted by the UMSI Engaged Learning Office. This document outlines the rules and guidelines that participants must follow throughout the competition. By participating, you agree to adhere to these rules and ensure fair play, integrity, and respect for all competing participants.

General Rules

• Eligibility

  • Participants must be enrolled as students in an accredited institution.

  • Teams will consist of 1 to 5 members.

  • At least one member of the team needs to be a UMSI degree-seeking students (BSI, MSI, MHI, MADS, PhD)

  • Each team member must be registered to participate.  Register at this link.

  • The registration form should be completed by only one team member and they should list everyone on the team.

  • Registration must be submitted by 9:00 AM ET, Monday, October 21, 2024

• Registration

  • Teams must register by the deadline specified on the competition website.

  • No additions to team members are allowed after the registration deadline without prior approval from the competition organizers.

  • Team members can be removed from a team through a formal process in order to be excluded from the final prize receipt. The team must submit an email to umsi-FOWcasestudy@umich.edu that explains the reason for a team member’s departure and copy that team member on the email.

• Case Distribution

  • The Theme Year Case Study will be distributed via the UMSI Theme Year website on Monday, October 21, 2024 at 10:00 AM ET.

  • All registered team members will receive an email with a link to the UMSI Theme Year Case Study website, which will include case details.

  • Teams are encouraged to complete their case through the following means:

    • Primary Sources:

      • Interviews with subject matter experts

      • Interviews with users

      • Survey data collected on behalf of the case study

      • Raw data sets

      • Historic speeches, personal letters, maps, and government documents

      • Journal articles  (empirical research)

    • Secondary sources

      • Journal articles (literature reviews, systematic reviews, book chapters, etc)

      • Public domain data sets from think tanks, government statistics or research centers 

      • Commercial sources like newspapers

      • Existing survey data

    • IN ALL CASES, SOURCES MUST BE CITED using an official citation style (e.g., Chicago, APA, MLA). Include a bibliography or references page at the end. If your project includes images, cite them as well.

    • Large language models (LLMs) and other artificial intelligence tool use is highly discouraged for use in this competition.

    • Student teams are encouraged to connect with the U-M Library system to explore data sources:

      • U-M Library Catalog

      • U-M Clark Library: Explore maps and atlases from the 16th century to the present, get help accessing and using geographic data, and find government information at the Stephen S. Clark Library.

      • U-M Art, Architecture, and Engineering Library: Provides materials and support for the study of art and design, engineering, architecture, urban planning, and related disciplines.

      • U-M Library Topic Specialists

      • U-M Library Research Guides

      • U-M Kresge Library

Competition Format

• Preparation Time

  • Teams will have from 10:00 AM Monday, October 21 through 11:59PM Wednesday, October 30 (ten days) to analyze the case and prepare their presentations.

  •  Final deliverables must be the product of team members only, though deliverables may be informed by primary and secondary sources.

• Submission Requirements

  • Each team must submit a written report and presentation slide deck by Wednesday, October 30, 2024, 11:59 PM ET

  • Late submissions will not be accepted.

  • All submissions will be reviewed by a selection of judges on Thursday, October 31, and Friday, November 1. 

  • A selection of top teams will be informed on the afternoon of Friday, November 1 that they have been selected to advance to the finals.  They will be provided with feedback on their presentation.

  • Teams will have until 10:00 AM ET, Monday, November 4 to revise reports and presentations.

  • See the Case Study Deliverables web page for more  information on what to submit and how.

• Presentation

  • Notified top teams will present their case analyses to a panel of judges on Monday, November 4 at 4:00 PM ET.

  • Presentations are limited to 7 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of Q&A.

  • All team members must participate in the presentation (unless it conflicts with class, in which case advanced notice will be required.)

  • See the Case Study Deliverables web page for information on what to submit.

Judging Criteria

• Evaluation Factors

  • Judges will evaluate teams based on criteria such as:

    • Problem Analysis

    • Solution Feasibility

    • Creativity and Innovation

    • Presentation Skills

    • Q&A Response Quality

• Scoring

  • Judges will submit scoring through a provided rubric that aligns with the evaluation criteria.

  • The team with the highest aggregate score will be declared the winner.

Code of Conduct

• Academic Integrity

  • Plagiarism or any form of academic dishonesty will result in immediate disqualification.

  • Teams must cite all sources and references properly.

  • Generative AI use must be disclosed. This includes providing an explanatory appendix and inclusion in a citations page/slide that describes in clear steps how it was used. Please follow the guidelines suggested by your official citation style (e.g., Chicago, APA, MLA)

• Respect and Professionalism

  • Teams must respect all participants, judges, and organizers.

  • Any form of discrimination, harassment, or inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated.

Disputes and Appeals

• Decision Finality

  • The decisions of the judges are final.

  • No appeals regarding the scoring will be entertained.

• Complaint Procedure

  • Any complaints or concerns must be submitted in writing to umsi.FOWcasestudy@umich.edu to the competition organizers within 24 hours of the incident.

  • The organizers will review and address the complaint promptly.

Prizes and Recognition

• Awards

  • Prizes will be awarded to the top two teams.

  • Certificates of participation will be awarded to all participants.

• Announcement

  • Winners will be announced on Monday, November 4, 2024 during the UMSI Case Study Finals and through the UMSI website and Engaged Learning Office newsletter.

Miscellaneous

• Confidentiality

  • Teams must treat all data collected from individuals as confidential unless permission was collected.

  • The use of proprietary data sources is highly discouraged due to the public nature of the case study presentations and competition overall.

• Amendments

  • The organizers reserve the right to amend the rules and notify participants of changes promptly.

By participating in the competition, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to abide by these rules. We wish you the best of luck and look forward to your innovative solutions!

Contact Information

For any questions or clarifications, please contact:
umsi.FOWcasestudy@umich.edu