Case Teaching Done Right: How
to Ensure your Case Classes Meet
the 7 Principles of Good Practice
in Undergraduate Education
College Case Conference
Chandra Hodgson
Humber College
May 22, 2015
Case Methods
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Lecture Method – teacher as storyteller
Discussion Method – classical case instruction
Small-group Methods – PBL, debates, “structured
controversy”
Individual cases – students work individually to
find a “correct” answer. Deliverables are in
written form.
Computer Simulation Cases – interactive,
multimedia
Clicker Cases – useful for large introductory
classes
Clyde Herreid’s Taxonomy
Instructor Approaches
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Controller
◦ Leader in the classroom; uses cases to illustrate
isolated concepts
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Facilitator
◦ Guide in the classroom; uses cases to focus on
course content integrated across modules
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Partner
◦ Peer in the classroom; uses cases to spur personal
and professional development of students
Margaret Healy and Maeve
McCutcheon’s Typology
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Personal stories
Aggregate “armchair cases”
Invented scenarios
News stories
Case histories
“live cases”
Cases based on field research
Diversity of Materials
The HOW is more
important than
the WHAT
“Classical case method” (Herreid)
 “Discussion method” (Herreid)
 Instructor is somewhere between
facilitator and partner (Healy and
McCutcheon)
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The Ivey Method
The Three Stage
Learning Process
Stage 1: Individual
Preparation
Involves reading, thinking,
writing about the case.
Stage 2: Small Group
Discussion
Small
Group
Discussion
Involves getting together with
other students, inside or outside
of class time, to discuss your
analysis of the case.
Stage 3: Large Group
Discussion
Involves attending class and
participating in a facilitated
discussion of the case by either
contributing or active listening.
Individual
Preparation
Large
Group
Discussion
Good practice:
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Encourages contact between students and
faculty
Develops reciprocity and cooperation among
students
Encourages active learning
Gives prompt feedback
Emphasizes time on task
Communicates high expectations
Respects diverse talents and ways of learning
The 7 Principles for Good Practice
in Undergraduate Education
Good practice encourages contact
between students and faculty.
Explanation: Frequent student-faculty contact
in and out of classes is the most important
factor in student motivation and involvement.
Faculty concern helps students get through
rough times and keep on working. Knowing
a few faculty members well enhances
students’ intellectual commitment and
encourages them to think about their own
values and future plans.
Principle #1
Good practice encourages contact
between students and faculty.
Integration into the case method:
 learn students’ names
 encourage them to take on the role of the
protagonist with "bifocal" vision, bringing their
own contexts into the analysis
 empower them by recording their responses as
accurately as possible on the board
 embrace the open-ended nature of most case
learning
Principle #1
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Class Discussions
Peer Teaching
Presentations
Different Vehicles for Observing and Providing
Feedback
Anonymous Cards – Categorize
Positive Feedback
Guiding Discussion
Circulating in Class
Online Groups that Teacher Can See/Comment on
Giving Marks
Clear Instruction
Principle #1: Answers from
Groups
Good practice develops reciprocity
and cooperation among students.
Explanation: Learning is enhanced when it is
more like a team effort than a solo race. Good
learning, like good work, is collaborative and
social, not competitive and isolated. Working
with others often increases involvement in
learning. Sharing one’s own ideas and
responding to others’ reactions sharpens
thinking and deepens understanding.
Principle #2
Good practice develops reciprocity and
cooperation among students.
Integration into the case method:
 maintain the small group stage despite time constraints
 teach them how to teach each other -- active listening
techniques, how to agree and add to the conversation,
how to disagree respectfully and substantively
 scaffold this task by assigning roles for small group
work (the researcher, the devil’s advocate, the
summarizer, the presenter)
 set up the classroom so they can easily talk to each
other instead of the whiteboard
Principle #2
Pair/Share
Rotate Pairs
One writes analysis, passes it to the left until
everyone has contributed
 Each student presents to small group
 Share on Google Docs
 BB live chat
 Use Robert’s Rules/Create Rules of Engagement
 Assign Roles in the Group (scribe, challenger,
facilitator)
 Teach “Team” Basics
 Have a conflict resolution process
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Principle #2: Answers from
Groups
Good practice encourages active
learning.
Explanation: Learning is not a spectator
sport. Students do not learn much just by
sitting in classes listening to teachers,
memorizing pre-packaged assignments, and
spitting out answers. They must talk about
what they are learning, write about it, relate it
to past experiences and apply it to their daily
lives. They must make what they learn part of
themselves.
Principle #3
Good practice encourages active
learning.
Integration into the case method:
 require participation in the small and large group
 give them incentive to participate by grading
these
 provide access to resources for them to discover
theory required to process the case
 create space for them to internalize the process
by requiring reflection pieces
Principle #3
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Use reflection questions
Use discussion, debate
Create controversy in the large group
discussion with pro and con sides
Role play
Teach What’s in it for Me?
Students select materials
Connect to life experience, program,
professional goals
Principle #3: Answers from
Groups
Good practice gives prompt
feedback.
Explanation: Knowing what you know and don’t know
focuses learning. Students need appropriate feedback
on performance to benefit from courses. When getting
started, students need help in assessing existing
knowledge and competence. In classes, students need
frequent opportunities to perform and receive
suggestions for improvement. At various points during
college, and at the end, students need chances to
reflect on what they have learned, what they still need
to know, and how to assess themselves.
Principle #4
Good practice gives prompt feedback.
Integration into the case method:
 allow students to provide feedback to each other during
the large group discussion by agreeing and disagreeing
with each others' contributions
 hold off on voicing your opinion until the end of the case
class or the following week or a posting online, but use one
of these methods in order to allow them to assess their
own performance
 in a case based class, provide regular feedback individually
in coaching sessions
 grade individual preparation
Principle #4
Use online discussion forum
 Give feedback on individual preparation
 Role play in front of class and debrief
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Principle #4: Answers from
Groups
Good practice emphasizes time on task.
Explanation: Time plus energy equals learning.
There is no substitute for time on task. Learning to
use one’s time well is critical for students and
professionals alike. Students need help in learning
effective time management. Allocating realistic
amounts of time means effective learning for
students and effective teaching for faculty. How an
institution defines time expectations for students,
faculty, administrators, and other professional staff
can establish the basis of high performance for all.
Principle #5
Good practice emphasizes time on
task.
Integration into the case method:
 tell them how much research time might be required, how
much total time you expect them to spend on it
 share your lesson plan with the students in terms of timing
(“I think we'll spend about 10 minutes identifying the
problem before moving on to . . .” )
 if they miss class, give them alternative ways of
completing the material (in written form, for example), but
emphasize that if they miss it, or aren't prepared, there are
consequences (help them prioritize)
Principle #5
Use grades to encourage effective time on
task
 Instructors plan large group time
effectively (time management)
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Principle #5: Answers from
Groups
Good practice communicates high
expectations.
Explanation: Expect more and you will get
more. High expectations are important for
everyone – for the poorly prepared, for those
unwilling to exert themselves, and for the
bright and well motivated. Expecting students
to perform well becomes a self-fulfilling
prophecy when teachers and institutions hold
high expectations for themselves and make
extra efforts.
Principle #6
Good practice communicates high
expectations.
Integration into the case method:
 be explicit about what you expect of them at each stage of
individual prep, small group and large group
 provide exemplars of good student responses wherever possible
 provide rubrics wherever possible
 encourage them; motivate them to work hard by being explicit
about the advantages of learning in this way
 use more than one case per semester so they can rock it the
second time
 hold them accountable for lapses in preparation
 invite industry experts in to hear case presentations or have them
write a class wiki that goes public
Principle #6
Provide specific instructions at stage 1 to
encourage analysis
 Communicate clear expectations to
groups for small group work
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Principle #6: Answers from
Groups
Good practice respects diverse talents
and ways of learning.
Explanation: There are many roads to learning.
People bring different talents and styles of learning
to college. Brilliant students in the seminar room
may be all thumbs in the lab or art studio.
Students rich in hands-on experience may not do
so well with theory. Students need the
opportunity to show their talents and learn in ways
that work for them. Then they can be pushed to
learn in new ways that do not come so easily.
Principle #7
Good practice respects diverse talents
and ways of learning.
Integration into the case method:
 assess all aspects of the case process so all students have
a chance to shine
 use different ways of selecting who speaks in a large group
discussion (debates, cold calling, warm calling, volunteers)
 conduct cases in different formats -- online discussion
groups work well for diverse learning styles (more
processing time, etc.)
 seek out different types of exhibits and supplemental
resources such as videos, websites, etc.
Principle #7
Allow students to respond to case from
individual perspective (video, writing,
mindmap, notes)
 Peer instruction in small groups, each
brings own technique
 Large group allows introverts to “sponge”
and learn, and extroverts to share.
 Present cases creatively, video, websites,
text
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Principle #7: Answers from
Groups
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Chickering, A.W., & Gamson, Z.F. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in
undergraduate education. AAHE Bulletin, 39(7): 3-7.
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Healy, M., & McCutcheon, M. (2010, December). Teaching with case studies:
An empirical investigation of accounting lecturers’ experiences. Accounting
Education: An International Journal, 19(6), 555–567.
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Herreid, C. F. (2011, Winter). Case study teaching. New Directions for
Teaching and Learning Special Issue: Evidence-Based Teaching 2011(128), 3140.
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Mauffette - Leenders, L., Leenders, M. & Erskine, J. (2007). Learning with
cases 4th ed. London, Ontario: Senton Printing.
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---. (2003). Teaching with cases 3rd ed. London, Ontario: Senton Printing.
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The Seven Principles Resource Center Winona State University. (2014).
Enhancing student learning: Seven principles for good practice. Retrieved
from: http://www.crlt.umich.edu/gsis/p4_6
References