Case Studies | Is the case study method worth the effort?
5 benefits of the case method
In 2000, the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy published a guide for professors looking to bring the case study method to their classroom, called “The ABCs of Case Teaching.” Prepared by Vicki L. Golich, Mark Boyer, Patrice Franko, and Steve Lamy — all pioneers in the case study field — the guide presented a comprehensive assessment of how professors can systematically deploy the case study method in their classroom.
In the third part of our series spotlighting the book’s key insights, we look at what makes case teaching worth the effort.
Teaching with case studies requires instructors to adopt a different style of teaching, which takes careful preparation, particularly for professors in international affairs who may be less accustomed to the case method. But the effort spent on preparing a case pays off, and case studies offer benefits in the following areas: [1]
- Framing and resolving ill-defined problems. The case method makes plain that real problems taken from the real world do not easily fit predetermined categories nor are they easily resolved with the handy algorithms we have at our disposal. The method gives students the vital practice they need to get their arms around “messy” problems and to formulate possible tools for analysis and resolution. For students in international affairs, understanding how policy-makers and diplomats solved real-world problems in real-world cases is just as vital as understanding the theoretical concepts underpinning international system.
- Thinking and communicating on your feet. The case method also develops the communications skills students will need in informal, spontaneous discussions such as those occurring at an international peace conference or at meeting with a foreign delegation. By working on cases, students must penetrate the substance of the case quickly, and analyze and then articulate their conclusions in ways persuasive to others in the group.
Explore more ISD resources on how to use case studies successfully
3. Writing skills. Interestingly enough, thinking on one’s feet easily becomes thinking at the tip of the pen. To write an analysis or argument well, one must anticipate the questions and objections of others. Such anticipations are developed and honed in the heat of the case discussion. Moreover, instructors can assign pre-case day written assignments that allow students to carefully prepare for the case discussion while practicing their writing skills.
4. Community building. While not always an explicit primary goal of higher education, case discussion can effectively build community — a safe environment with a very strong extrinsic value: it is indispensable to the long-term development of skills like those listed above. Community building in a virtual classroom can be challenging, but with a few simple steps, case days run smoothly online, too.
5. Subject-matter knowledge. The facts, principles, and concepts students learn during case discussions have far greater “sticking” power than those ingested from the professor. Wether you are teaching a course on international trade, conflict resolution, or diplomatic history, through case studies your students can delve deeper into a subject of your choice while learning in an interactive, engaging format.
Sources:
[1] Holsti, “Case Teaching;” P. Hunt, “The Case Method of Instruction,” Harvard Educational Review 21 (1951), pp. 2–19.
