In conversation with educators worldwide, we explore ways to help students get the best start to case learning.
Learning with cases
For many business and management students, an initial case class will be their first ever encounter with participant-centred learning, and the case method in particular. They may be intrigued, or confused by the apparent lack of structure; they could become mistrustful, or disengaged.
“Unlike traditional lecture-based teaching, the case method involves active learning, and requires the participation and involvement of all the students in the class,” says Sanjib Dutta. “For those who have been exposed only to traditional teaching methods, this calls for a major change in their approach to learning. Therefore, it is important to induct participants into the case method, so they can understand the way it should work, and the role they will play in their own learning.”
Scott Andrews agrees: “First and foremost, students need to understand the purpose of the case method. Participants generally want to know what they are going to learn and are often looking for formulas to apply. Providing induction guidance, and demonstrating good practice in the discussion process from the start, allows students to envisage and develop their own impactful learning strategies within the case approach. Good induction grants students permission to roll up their sleeves and get involved.”
When to induct
At schools that focus heavily on case learning, induction often begins ahead of enrolment. “Before a participant joins one of our longer programmes, such as the MBA, we feel it is important to manage their expectations of how they will be taught,” says Eduard Calvo. “We want those who will join us on campus to be fully aware of why we use the case method, and what will be expected of them and the school throughout the process. For interested candidates, we make easily accessible online, through platforms such as LinkedIn, introductory videos highlighting the use of the case method. We also invite prospective students to come to campus for a taster case class, and to interact with alumni who can talk about their learning experiences.” Where possible, the school lays the ground for case learning on shorter courses too: “For custom and non-degree programmes we also aim to provide induction into case use, such as with online ‘kick-off’ sessions a month or so ahead of coming to campus,” reports Calvo.
Many institutions routinely provide general induction programmes for new students once they have arrived. Larger schools with a strong commitment to case learning, or those who have a critical mass of classes taught with cases, often include sessions specifically to introduce case learning. But even at schools that offer formal induction - for not all can or do - the first days on campus for new students can be intense and busy, socially as well as academically, and case educators recognise they may not absorb more than a cursory impression of what will be needed to get the most out of their case learning journey.
For Robert Carraway, the best induction strategy - open to all educators, and regardless of whether a formal induction programme is in place or not - is simply to get going: “The key is to dive into the first class. Just start; teach a case method class - and then do another one,” he advises. During these initial sessions, the instructor is called upon to be especially alert. “You will need to really listen, and this can include when students say potentially unhelpful things in the unfamiliar process. It is crucial to honour whatever they contribute at this stage - up front. When you’ve done that for a couple of classes, the time should be right to step back and talk collectively about what people feel. By experiencing the first classes, they will have gained a basis on which to understand the process, and to develop their engagement for the rest of the course.”
Richard Jolly also advocates teaching a case as the best basis for helping participants understand the process. “It is important at the outset to remain focused on what the case method is trying to achieve,” he says. “The core objective is for students to remember something from the class, so we often use the business situation in a case to practically - and more memorably than other teaching methods - connect real world experience and academic theory.” Jolly often supplements an introductory case class with an explanation of why the case approach is being used. He shows a single slide, as appropriate, setting out the main objectives and core elements of the case process, to help participants get a rapid overview.
What should induction include?
So, the challenge of induction is for students to both gain insight into the purpose of learning with cases, and to understand how best to prepare and engage with the class and discussion process.
For Philippe Haspeslagh, getting participants to grasp the pedagogical objectives and dynamics of case learning begins with the basics - on a class by class basis: “For students to reap value from a session always starts with them reading the case before class.” To encourage this, Haspeslagh generally includes questions with the pre-class case reading assignment. “I ask participants not just to read the case, but to reflect on what is important in the scenario they have before them; to come to class prepared with a point of view or a sense of what they might do in the situation. I introduce the idea of the discussion by encouraging them to trust that their initial contributions will not be judged as right or wrong. I explain that the main purpose will be to speak up, defend their thinking, and listen to the same from their peers. Contrary to their usual expectation of formal education, if they come to class prepared, they find that they might even have fun,” he adds.
For Sanjib Dutta, formal induction includes focussing students’ attention on the fact that they are not only gaining knowledge of theory and business situations, but also individual skills, which are highly valued in the corporate and business world. “It may come as a surprise to students that the case method is specifically designed to help develop skills that will be invaluable to their future careers. We explain in induction that if they fully engage and participate in the process, they will develop communication, analytical, and decision making abilities, plus critical thinking. They will learn to listen, work in groups, and put forward their own views in a convincing way,” he continues. “We take them through ways to prepare well, work in groups, prepare a written case analysis and contribute meaningfully to the discussion; while learning how to manage their time, and enhance their own learning journey.”
Diverse requirements of students
To be successful, induction needs to take account of the fact that students come to case learning as unique individuals, from varying perspectives, levels of education, and professional experience. Background, personality, age, gender, social or national group, level of language ability, can all influence how willing or able a participant may initially feel to speak up confidently and freely in the case discussion. Certain cultures discourage contradicting authority, so the idea that it will be acceptable - even welcomed - to disagree with the teacher, may be quite alien - even scary. The case instructor may, at first, not appear to conform to the image of a ‘proper’ teacher. Trust must be gained.
Careful induction can be especially important with multicultural class groups, such as larger undergraduate cohorts, according to Scott Andrews, who is nearing completion of a book on learning with cases: “All kinds of cultural engagement and sensitivity on the part of the instructor may be needed. Learning with cases can require a paradigm shift in how students view learning, and they may have to be taught to ‘unlearn’ things they have taken for granted, including publicly challenging their tutor and their peers in class. They will come to realise that their instructor can be intentionally provocative and they must challenge. It is frequently a new concept for students that their own class engagement is key to both their learning and to that of everyone else.”
“One of the most difficult induction challenges is to free students from the idea that the teacher has all the answers,” observes Robert Carraway. “A prime objective of induction is the engagement and participation of everyone in the discussion, so it is also critical to get across that the case class is a ‘safe’ environment - including in which to contradict the professor. Students can be fearful of not appearing clever enough to their peers, or of saying something that could tarnish the image of the whole - perhaps minority - group they feel they represent. This challenges the instructor to recognise and support those class members who may initially be reticent, perhaps by hearing and replaying their discussion contributions as a way of confirming back what they wanted to say.”
Teaching executive or custom programmes with cases poses its own induction challenges, not least because courses are short, executives easily distracted by what might be happening back at the office, and they are out of practice of formal learning. A case class may be just one component in the programme teaching mix. Some schools use the opening dinner as an opportunity to flag up some of the key and unexpected aspects participants may encounter with case learning. Other schools insist on course coordinators sending out individual reminders to course participants the night before a class to come prepared, having read and considered the case they have been given and ready to get involved.
“With executives in particular you need a strong start to classes,” observes Richard Jolly. “The instructor has to be careful not to ‘lose’ the class in the first few minutes, especially as executives tend to be the group most likely to not have read the case ahead of time. Formal induction or explaining at length what to expect is seldom realistic, so one approach is to get the class into smaller groups within the first ten minutes or so, which allows any who have not read the case to catch up discretely, and those who have read it to get straight into their analysis and discussion. This usually focuses the class energy and engages everyone in the case process. Helpfully for the current era, it also works well with hybrid classes which can make engaging all participants in the discussion harder.”
Checking in and resources
Several faculty pointed out that induction does not just happen at the outset, but continues throughout a course or programme. It is therefore important to periodically consult with participants about how they feel their learning is progressing and to invite honest feedback, whether in the group or individually. At any point the case process can need refreshing or recalibrating and participants reengaging. Each case can throw up its own unique issues and challenges.
Checking in after a few sessions is important because it is difficult to quickly assess how effective initial induction has been. As C S Shylajan observes: “The case method helps bridge the gap between theory and practice. It promotes the development of skills including communication, active listening, collaboration, critical thinking, decision making, and leadership skills. None of these skills can be measured immediately after any induction - it is too soon. But, as the course unfolds, an instructor can assess success by observing the evolving quality of participation of each student in the case discussion, their growing listening skills and ability to collaborate with peers while building and communicating their arguments. Evaluating written case analysis is another practical way of measuring whether the most impact is being derived from the case process, or whether a refresher induction may be required.”
As part of induction, some schools provide written materials or guides authored by their faculty on how best to learn with cases. Books are available on the subject. The Case Centre has developed its own interactive online guide to learning with cases that schools can provide to their students, or they can access for themselves from The Case Centre’s website. Such resources include techniques and templates that can assist with case preparation, analysis and discussion, and which participants can use and refer back to throughout their learning journey.
Inducting the instructor
Our discussion has centred on inducting students. This presupposes that all instructors are themselves fully conversant and experienced in teaching with cases - indeed also able to induct students. This is not so, even at schools with a focus on teaching with the case method. Many research faculty, inexperienced instructors, or those who have come through a business experience route to teaching, will lack case teaching skills. A good number will never have experienced a case class during their own formal education, yet they can find themselves part of the faculty team teaching a core course module with cases, to coordinated standards, across a large programme cohort. Teachers new to the case method are potentially just as challenged by its purpose and practice as their students, and they must adjust their own participation and expectations in much the same way.
“Revisiting induction may often be needed at faculty level,” observes Eduard Calvo. “If new faculty have come from a school that does not have case based learning, they may need support, mentoring, or reinforcement during the programme. We run continuous school-wide training initiatives, sessions and workshops developed by our faculty, for our faculty. This ensures that, across the school, we are continuously refreshing our case pedagogy techniques and insights, the design and content of courses, and classroom delivery skills.” For schools that cannot offer such case skills development, external bodies such as The Case Centre offer open case teaching workshops and case teaching programmes that can be tailored to a school’s requirements.
“The case method is so different from the lectures faculty are traditionally expected to deliver,” says Philippe Haspeslagh. “Instead of giving their view of a situation to a silent audience, case instructors must present it as a potential dilemma, get each individual participant to put themselves in the shoes of decision makers, identify the problem(s), come up with viable solutions, and explore these reflections as a group. They must do all this while ensuring the class reaches the learning objectives set for the course. All this takes a complete rethink, and requires huge skill and confidence to attempt, let alone achieve.” Haspeslagh highlights the International Teachers’ Programme (ITP) as a useful forum for developing instructors and he will be running sessions on case teaching at the forthcoming event. “We need to train case instructors in how you can create class interaction and, importantly, how to let go of control of the class dynamic, which is one of the major contrasts to lecturing and can be an intimidating prospect. These skills are partly grown through experience, but it is also about building faculty confidence from the moment they set foot in the classroom,” he adds.
In conclusion, could it be that both gaining the confidence to participate, and the trust in the process of a well-prepared class, lies at the heart of what successful induction achieves for both students and their instructors? And then it’s down to letting go and enjoying the ride.
This article was published in Connect, April 2023.
Page 1
Learning with cases
For many business and management students, an initial case class will be their first ever encounter with participant-centred learning, and the case method in particular. They may be intrigued, or confused by the apparent lack of structure; they could become mistrustful, or disengaged.
“Unlike traditional lecture-based teaching, the case method involves active learning, and requires the participation and involvement of all the students in the class,” says Sanjib Dutta. “For those who have been exposed only to traditional teaching methods, this calls for a major change in their approach to learning. Therefore, it is important to induct participants into the case method, so they can understand the way it should work, and the role they will play in their own learning.”
Scott Andrews agrees: “First and foremost, students need to understand the purpose of the case method. Participants generally want to know what they are going to learn and are often looking for formulas to apply. Providing induction guidance, and demonstrating good practice in the discussion process from the start, allows students to envisage and develop their own impactful learning strategies within the case approach. Good induction grants students permission to roll up their sleeves and get involved.”
When to induct
At schools that focus heavily on case learning, induction often begins ahead of enrolment. “Before a participant joins one of our longer programmes, such as the MBA, we feel it is important to manage their expectations of how they will be taught,” says Eduard Calvo. “We want those who will join us on campus to be fully aware of why we use the case method, and what will be expected of them and the school throughout the process. For interested candidates, we make easily accessible online, through platforms such as LinkedIn, introductory videos highlighting the use of the case method. We also invite prospective students to come to campus for a taster case class, and to interact with alumni who can talk about their learning experiences.” Where possible, the school lays the ground for case learning on shorter courses too: “For custom and non-degree programmes we also aim to provide induction into case use, such as with online ‘kick-off’ sessions a month or so ahead of coming to campus,” reports Calvo.
Many institutions routinely provide general induction programmes for new students once they have arrived. Larger schools with a strong commitment to case learning, or those who have a critical mass of classes taught with cases, often include sessions specifically to introduce case learning. But even at schools that offer formal induction - for not all can or do - the first days on campus for new students can be intense and busy, socially as well as academically, and case educators recognise they may not absorb more than a cursory impression of what will be needed to get the most out of their case learning journey.
For Robert Carraway, the best induction strategy - open to all educators, and regardless of whether a formal induction programme is in place or not - is simply to get going: “The key is to dive into the first class. Just start; teach a case method class - and then do another one,” he advises. During these initial sessions, the instructor is called upon to be especially alert. “You will need to really listen, and this can include when students say potentially unhelpful things in the unfamiliar process. It is crucial to honour whatever they contribute at this stage - up front. When you’ve done that for a couple of classes, the time should be right to step back and talk collectively about what people feel. By experiencing the first classes, they will have gained a basis on which to understand the process, and to develop their engagement for the rest of the course.”
Richard Jolly also advocates teaching a case as the best basis for helping participants understand the process. “It is important at the outset to remain focused on what the case method is trying to achieve,” he says. “The core objective is for students to remember something from the class, so we often use the business situation in a case to practically - and more memorably than other teaching methods - connect real world experience and academic theory.” Jolly often supplements an introductory case class with an explanation of why the case approach is being used. He shows a single slide, as appropriate, setting out the main objectives and core elements of the case process, to help participants get a rapid overview.
What should induction include?
So, the challenge of induction is for students to both gain insight into the purpose of learning with cases, and to understand how best to prepare and engage with the class and discussion process.
For Philippe Haspeslagh, getting participants to grasp the pedagogical objectives and dynamics of case learning begins with the basics - on a class by class basis: “For students to reap value from a session always starts with them reading the case before class.” To encourage this, Haspeslagh generally includes questions with the pre-class case reading assignment. “I ask participants not just to read the case, but to reflect on what is important in the scenario they have before them; to come to class prepared with a point of view or a sense of what they might do in the situation. I introduce the idea of the discussion by encouraging them to trust that their initial contributions will not be judged as right or wrong. I explain that the main purpose will be to speak up, defend their thinking, and listen to the same from their peers. Contrary to their usual expectation of formal education, if they come to class prepared, they find that they might even have fun,” he adds.
For Sanjib Dutta, formal induction includes focussing students’ attention on the fact that they are not only gaining knowledge of theory and business situations, but also individual skills, which are highly valued in the corporate and business world. “It may come as a surprise to students that the case method is specifically designed to help develop skills that will be invaluable to their future careers. We explain in induction that if they fully engage and participate in the process, they will develop communication, analytical, and decision making abilities, plus critical thinking. They will learn to listen, work in groups, and put forward their own views in a convincing way,” he continues. “We take them through ways to prepare well, work in groups, prepare a written case analysis and contribute meaningfully to the discussion; while learning how to manage their time, and enhance their own learning journey.”
Page 2
Diverse requirements of students
To be successful, induction needs to take account of the fact that students come to case learning as unique individuals, from varying perspectives, levels of education, and professional experience. Background, personality, age, gender, social or national group, level of language ability, can all influence how willing or able a participant may initially feel to speak up confidently and freely in the case discussion. Certain cultures discourage contradicting authority, so the idea that it will be acceptable - even welcomed - to disagree with the teacher, may be quite alien - even scary. The case instructor may, at first, not appear to conform to the image of a ‘proper’ teacher. Trust must be gained.
Careful induction can be especially important with multicultural class groups, such as larger undergraduate cohorts, according to Scott Andrews, who is nearing completion of a book on learning with cases: “All kinds of cultural engagement and sensitivity on the part of the instructor may be needed. Learning with cases can require a paradigm shift in how students view learning, and they may have to be taught to ‘unlearn’ things they have taken for granted, including publicly challenging their tutor and their peers in class. They will come to realise that their instructor can be intentionally provocative and they must challenge. It is frequently a new concept for students that their own class engagement is key to both their learning and to that of everyone else.”
“One of the most difficult induction challenges is to free students from the idea that the teacher has all the answers,” observes Robert Carraway. “A prime objective of induction is the engagement and participation of everyone in the discussion, so it is also critical to get across that the case class is a ‘safe’ environment - including in which to contradict the professor. Students can be fearful of not appearing clever enough to their peers, or of saying something that could tarnish the image of the whole - perhaps minority - group they feel they represent. This challenges the instructor to recognise and support those class members who may initially be reticent, perhaps by hearing and replaying their discussion contributions as a way of confirming back what they wanted to say.”
Teaching executive or custom programmes with cases poses its own induction challenges, not least because courses are short, executives easily distracted by what might be happening back at the office, and they are out of practice of formal learning. A case class may be just one component in the programme teaching mix. Some schools use the opening dinner as an opportunity to flag up some of the key and unexpected aspects participants may encounter with case learning. Other schools insist on course coordinators sending out individual reminders to course participants the night before a class to come prepared, having read and considered the case they have been given and ready to get involved.
“With executives in particular you need a strong start to classes,” observes Richard Jolly. “The instructor has to be careful not to ‘lose’ the class in the first few minutes, especially as executives tend to be the group most likely to not have read the case ahead of time. Formal induction or explaining at length what to expect is seldom realistic, so one approach is to get the class into smaller groups within the first ten minutes or so, which allows any who have not read the case to catch up discretely, and those who have read it to get straight into their analysis and discussion. This usually focuses the class energy and engages everyone in the case process. Helpfully for the current era, it also works well with hybrid classes which can make engaging all participants in the discussion harder.”
Checking in and resources
Several faculty pointed out that induction does not just happen at the outset, but continues throughout a course or programme. It is therefore important to periodically consult with participants about how they feel their learning is progressing and to invite honest feedback, whether in the group or individually. At any point the case process can need refreshing or recalibrating and participants reengaging. Each case can throw up its own unique issues and challenges.
Checking in after a few sessions is important because it is difficult to quickly assess how effective initial induction has been. As C S Shylajan observes: “The case method helps bridge the gap between theory and practice. It promotes the development of skills including communication, active listening, collaboration, critical thinking, decision making, and leadership skills. None of these skills can be measured immediately after any induction - it is too soon. But, as the course unfolds, an instructor can assess success by observing the evolving quality of participation of each student in the case discussion, their growing listening skills and ability to collaborate with peers while building and communicating their arguments. Evaluating written case analysis is another practical way of measuring whether the most impact is being derived from the case process, or whether a refresher induction may be required.”
As part of induction, some schools provide written materials or guides authored by their faculty on how best to learn with cases. Books are available on the subject. The Case Centre has developed its own interactive online guide to learning with cases that schools can provide to their students, or they can access for themselves from The Case Centre’s website. Such resources include techniques and templates that can assist with case preparation, analysis and discussion, and which participants can use and refer back to throughout their learning journey.
Inducting the instructor
Our discussion has centred on inducting students. This presupposes that all instructors are themselves fully conversant and experienced in teaching with cases - indeed also able to induct students. This is not so, even at schools with a focus on teaching with the case method. Many research faculty, inexperienced instructors, or those who have come through a business experience route to teaching, will lack case teaching skills. A good number will never have experienced a case class during their own formal education, yet they can find themselves part of the faculty team teaching a core course module with cases, to coordinated standards, across a large programme cohort. Teachers new to the case method are potentially just as challenged by its purpose and practice as their students, and they must adjust their own participation and expectations in much the same way.
“Revisiting induction may often be needed at faculty level,” observes Eduard Calvo. “If new faculty have come from a school that does not have case based learning, they may need support, mentoring, or reinforcement during the programme. We run continuous school-wide training initiatives, sessions and workshops developed by our faculty, for our faculty. This ensures that, across the school, we are continuously refreshing our case pedagogy techniques and insights, the design and content of courses, and classroom delivery skills.” For schools that cannot offer such case skills development, external bodies such as The Case Centre offer open case teaching workshops and case teaching programmes that can be tailored to a school’s requirements.
“The case method is so different from the lectures faculty are traditionally expected to deliver,” says Philippe Haspeslagh. “Instead of giving their view of a situation to a silent audience, case instructors must present it as a potential dilemma, get each individual participant to put themselves in the shoes of decision makers, identify the problem(s), come up with viable solutions, and explore these reflections as a group. They must do all this while ensuring the class reaches the learning objectives set for the course. All this takes a complete rethink, and requires huge skill and confidence to attempt, let alone achieve.” Haspeslagh highlights the International Teachers’ Programme (ITP) as a useful forum for developing instructors and he will be running sessions on case teaching at the forthcoming event. “We need to train case instructors in how you can create class interaction and, importantly, how to let go of control of the class dynamic, which is one of the major contrasts to lecturing and can be an intimidating prospect. These skills are partly grown through experience, but it is also about building faculty confidence from the moment they set foot in the classroom,” he adds.
In conclusion, could it be that both gaining the confidence to participate, and the trust in the process of a well-prepared class, lies at the heart of what successful induction achieves for both students and their instructors? And then it’s down to letting go and enjoying the ride.
This article was published in Connect, April 2023.
