Replacing a hospital information system: an example of a real-world case study

Real-world case studies are important to complement the academic skills and knowledge acquired by computer science students. In this paper we relate our experiences with a course specifically designed to address this issue. The objectives of the course are threefold: to train management and communication skills, to integrate and apply knowledge gained at different previous courses, and to learn by experience the difference between a real-world problem and a textbook problem. Students' evaluations show that the objectives of the course are met and that it is regarded as very useful. We found that the three objectives mutually reinforce each other, which is a decisive factor for the success of the course.