The case method has been associated with post-graduate management education for over a century – but a growing number of teachers are discovering that it’s also an exciting and inspiring way to teach undergraduates. Make sure your undergraduates don’t miss out.
What is the case method?
Cases describe real-life situations usually involving a tricky challenge or decision being faced by the case protagonist. Class participants can 'step into the shoes' of the protagonist to discuss possible solutions and analyse the pros and cons of various approaches to the problem.
Find out more about the case method
Lessons remembered for life
The case method is guaranteed to bring your classroom alive. Your students will learn to think differently and more effectively; find out how to argue a point and present their analyses; and take on board new ideas and concepts. It’s a great way to introduce your students to the real world of work and business and is excellent preparation for postgraduate education and employment.
More help and resources
There are a couple of ways you can ‘dip your toe in the water’ and try out cases on your undergraduates if you have no experience of the case method.
If you’re concerned about costs, our Undergraduate Case Teaching Licence is an affordable way to use cases on your undergraduate programmes. Your university can apply for an annual licence that will cover cases taught to undergraduate students. Find out more
And if you’re worried that undergraduates will resist lengthy pre-session reading assignments, you can select from our compact cases, all of which are five pages and fewer. Find out more
For some user-friendly tips and tricks on case teaching, we recommend John Heath’s book, Teaching & Writing Cases: A Practical Guide, available in print and digitally. You may also be interested to read the in-depth feature on using cases with undergraduates, that was published in our newsletter, Connect.
If you'd like to take a deeper dive, you may like to consider attending one of our case teaching workshops.
Don’t take our word for it …
Not sure about using cases with undergraduates? Meet experienced undergraduate teacher, Jamie Rundle, who regularly uses cases with his undergraduate classes, and find out why undergraduate James Coney is a big fan of the case method.
