“Broken and Repair” case studies: Developing GenAI-age critical evaluation and creative problem-solving skills in communication education

Abstract

Communication education increasingly requires students to work across two linked capabilities: critically evaluating professional communication materials and using generative AI (GenAI) with judgment, transparency, and ethical care. This article presents a “Broken and Repair” case-study assessment, developed in a postgraduate marketing communication subject and adaptable to upper-level undergraduate strategic communication, public relations, and advertising courses. Rather than building a campaign from scratch, students engage with a deliberately flawed but professionally presented pitch. They diagnose three strategic, ethical, or communicative issues of their choice; redesign the affected elements using theory-informed solutions; and reflect on their learning. Depth of analysis is rewarded over breadth of coverage. Deliberately “broken” cases make student reasoning visible, requiring students to identify what is not working, to explain why it matters, and to justify how it should be repaired. GenAI is permitted only as bounded support for ideation and visualization during the redesign phase, with a structured usage declaration evaluated as part of the rubric. Students remain responsible for analysis, strategic coherence, ethical reasoning, and reflection.