Reported is a study in which teaching objectives for the use of a case method in engineering instruction were formulated from the literature, and rated by 30 engineering professors acquainted with the method. There was agreement that the case method aims at (1) coveying knowledge of what engineers do and how they work, (2) developing skill in identifying and defining practical problems, (3) developing skill in identifying facts, and (4) increasing the tendency to generate alternative solutions. When student opinions were collected it was shown that students (1) considered cases at least as educationally valuable as other methods, (2) attributed different objectives to case courses than they did to other courses, and (3) agreed with professors on the objectives of case courses. Student opinions of how engineers work did not change as a result of this method. When professors and students took part in a case-method summer institute, achievement was similar for students and professors except that the students were slower. Implications of the study are stated. (Author/AL)