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What is the case method? How can the case method be used to engage learners? What are some strategies for getting started? This guide helps instructors answer these questions by providing an overview of the case method while highlighting learner-centered and digitally-enhanced approaches to teaching with the case method.
Using a case-based approach engages students in discussion of specific scenarios that resemble or typically are real-world examples. This method is learner-centered with intense interaction between participants as they build their knowledge and work together as a group to examine the case.
You can use case studies to bridge the gap between teacher-centred lectures and pure problem-based learning. They leave room for you to guide students directly, while the scenarios themselves suggest how students should operate, and provide parameters for their work.
Most case assignments require students to answer an open-ended question or develop a solution to an open-ended problem with multiple potential solutions. Requirements can range from a one-paragraph answer to a fully developed group action plan, proposal or decision.
This article from the Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning describes the rationale for using case studies, the process for choosing appropriate cases, and tips for how to implement them in college courses.
Through an incremental process of preparation, practice, self-reflection, and peer and student feedback, instructors find that the case method allows their knowledge of, and passion for, their field of expertise to inspire and transform their students and themselves.
Assessing learning and providing feedback can be challenging in any pedagogical environment. In the context of the case method, these challenges are compounded by the importance of participation and the shared responsibility of instructors and students in the co-creation of content and process.
