Case Method for Teachers

Case studies describe a situation in which a decision must be made by a professional. Unlike in a lecture class, a case instructor’s role is not to offer arguments, evidence and solutions, but rather to facilitate student discussion and create an environment for students to contribute and learn from each other.

With real-world stories, students are able to grapple with the kind of complex problems they may face later in their careers. Case study instructors can guide students to see probable solutions and frame their decision making in ways they had not previously considered. A fundamental principle of the Case Method is that the most enduring lessons are those which students teach themselves. By some yardsticks, an effective case teacher speaks only 15 percent of the time, leaving the balance to students.

The foundation of any good case discussion is preparation, the students’ as well as the instructor’s. Teachers often assign study questions to guide students’ reading of the case and encourage preliminary conversation among classmates. Case teachers may also organize small student study groups that meet outside of class and help promote active engagement in discussions.

The case classroom should be a place where students can test ideas as they analyze problems presented in the narrative. Case instructors usually start class discussion with an initial question and call on individual students to contribute and support their ideas. At points during class, the instructor may summarize the debate, recap the issues, and ask the class to consider other aspects of the problem. The instructor may play devil’s advocate, or question the assumptions behind a line of argument. Many instructors use the end of class to review the key issues raised, or pose follow-up questions.

Instructors often choose to assign students other readings in conjunction with the case in order to give them better perspective, provide them with analytical tools, or to present a theory for which the case will provide a practical example.

Sometimes students leave a case discussion frustrated because there seems to be no right answer to the problem presented in the case. Students can be reminded that cases are drawn from the real world; that reality is gray, not black-and-white; that decisionmaking is rarely simple or straightforward; and that there are almost always numerous potential solutions to any given problem.

Each of our case studies includes an epilogue. Whether to distribute it to students is, however, up to each instructor. The very frustration that comes from not knowing “what happened” can contribute to powerful and effective learning about the nature of decisionmaking, leadership and management.

Our cases also include a Teaching Note for faculty. The note is a beginner’s roadmap to teaching the case. It is not, however, definitive. Each teacher will discover with repeated use of a particular case just how to employ it most effectively.

Teaching Tools:

The Case Method: Art and Skill

The Christensen Center for Teaching & Learning, Harvard Business School

The Case Initiative suggests 10 Easy Steps to teach journalism case studies using the Case Method. Download the guide.

To see the syllabus for a case-based course which one faculty member created from our case studies, please click here.