Case Studies

• Students to bridge the gap between theory and practice and between the classroom and the workplace,
• To have students engage in critical reflection by considering multiple alternatives for problem-solving, or
• To help students develop skills in analysis, synthesis, communication, and decision-making.

• There are no special requirements for this approach.

The following workflow is meant as guidance for how you can facilitate a Case Studies learning activity within a classroom.

Pre-Class

• Identify a case study or develop a new one. The case can be real or hypothetical.
• Develop a case study handout with a series of questions to guide students’ analysis using Google Docs.
• Determine how groups will be formed.

In-Class

• Form student groups and distribute cases (identical or different) to each team. 
• Allow time for students to ask questions about the problem presented in the case.
• Have students work in groups to study the case from the protagonist’s point of view.
• Direct students to sort out factual data, apply analytical tools, articulate issues, and reflect on their relevant experiences. Have them recommend actions that resolve the problem in the case.
• Have students prepare a statement describing their assessment of the case, the decision options as they see them, and recommendations for a decision.
• Guide discussion of the cases with the entire class. If the case is a real-world example, students will want to know what happened. Share this with them after they have reported on it.
• If students prepared a written statement, have students hand it in at the end of class.

Post-Class

• Review the students’ statements on the case study.
• Provide feedback/grades to group participants.
• Discuss the results of the activity at the next class meeting.

• None

• Creating a Document Template in Google Docs

Example 1

An International Business Professor prepares a case study in which conflict between two countries has escalated to the point that war was imminent. In a period of heightened world tensions, the pressure was strong to find a diplomatic resolution. Students broke into groups to provide support to an ambassador charged with resolving the conflict. Students get three class sessions to analyze the historical, political, and economic roots of the conflict and to propose a solution. The professor informs the groups that they need to develop a learning plan (identifying knowledge gaps and determining how to fill them) and a work plan (identifying how they would formulate their diplomatic resolutions). To facilitate the process, he distributes a template of both plans that groups cause or modify to suit their own needs. After all of the teams have met and have completed this proposal, he asks them to evaluate the proposals of two other groups and to select the most appealing one. An ambassador from each of the teams that had created the top three proposals presents their group's proposal to the class and the whole class votes on the most persuasive one. Upon completion of the activity, the professor finds that it enhanced the students' understanding of the complexity of factors underlying international relations (Barkley 241-242).

Example 2

In the course Issues in Contemporary Art, the professor wants to help students prepare for the issues they will face as they try to make professional careers as artists. To do so, he creates a Case Study by drawing on the experience of one of the school's recent graduates. The Chamber of Commerce offered this graduate a commission to create a monument to honor the contributions of the eighteenth-century missionary Father Serra to the city's heritage. The commission promised the young artist significant local and statewide exposure and a substantial payment. The artist accepted and spent considerable time thinking about and then creating a model to present to the committee for approval. At the presentation, several community members voiced opinions that Father Serra and the California missions had enslaved and brutalized the Indians. Others believed that the missionaries' work had been essential in the effort to assimilate Indians into mainstream society. Both sides felt that the monument should reflect their views. Because the subject of the sculpture generated increased debate and controversy, the commission was in danger of being canceled. The professor broke the class into small groups to discuss the case. Groups were asked, "Identify the steps this young artist might take to move the project forward while staying true to his own artistic vision." Students were given 20 minutes to discuss and make recommendations. The class came together to discuss the challenges and possible solutions. The professor felt that the case opened the eyes of students to the real-life problems they might be asked to resolve (Barkley 240).

Barkley, Elizabeth F. et al. Collaborative Learning Techniques A Handbook For College Faculty. Wiley, 2014. pp. 238-243.