Overview for Partnership for African Social and Governace Research, Master's in Research and Public Policy training in Kenya, August 4-8, 2015

1. Case Teaching

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3. What is a teaching “case”?
A written or multi-media description of a
particular situation and/or decision.
Requires student to analyze information
about context and make a decision, draw
a conclusion, or plan strategic actions

4. Learning Objectives
Overview of case teaching & learning benefits in
profession education
Understand Resources to Support Your Use:
• Describe range of case learning materials
Develop new Practices:
• Consider how cases might enrich whole course
• Explore how to use cases in class session
• Get comfortable with improvisation as competence
needed in case-based professional learning

5. What is case teaching pedagogy?
• Faculty-led but student discussion driven
• Engaged, active learning
• Can use the Socratic method to compel
students to collectively think through
analytical problems
• Facilitates group analysis of key elements
• Connect to assignments or other
assessment mechanisms

6. “Signature Pedagogy”
in Public Affairs
Professional education is not
education for understanding
alone; it is preparation for
accomplished and responsible
practice in the service of others.
Professionals must…come to
understand in order to act, and
they must act in order to serve.”
(Shulman 2005: 53)
Range of Formats
• Written Case
• E-Case
Learning Object

7. Learning Styles
Active
Experimentation
Concrete
Experience
Reflective
observation
Abstract
Conceptualization
Teaching Case Studies
Adapted from Kolb, 1984. Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning & Development
Action Learning
Projects
Project-Based
“Capstone”
Workshops
Simulations
Personal Learning
Networks

8. BREADTH OF TEACHING CASE
RESOURCES

12. MRPP Teaching Cases
1. Mini-cases – illustrations of theory
2. Major cases– illustrates bundled issues
relevant to professional education
3. Leadership cases – illustrates complex
situations that requires problem solving &
decision making

13. Teaching Notes
• Direction on how faculty can facilitate discussion of
the case in class
• Advice on key analytical points that can be garnered
from the case
• Suggesting timing of various parts
• Questions for students
• Board diagrams
• For major cases, direction about unique application in
different topical courses
• Faculty should encourage students to go and apply
the ideas of another country’s situation to their own
context

14. • Scaffolding content
• Balancing Cognitive load
• Visualizing learning objectives
• Social learning
• Practice-based problem solving
• Meta-cognition – Learning about Learning Style ”
Implemented in Interactive Classroom
Built in Multimedia Environment
Science of Teaching
& Learning

15. Trade-offs
Strengths
• Appealing to students
• Contextual analysis
• Focus on problem solving
through creative and critical
thinking
• Low-cost failure
• “Reusable” learning materials
• Interactive classroom
discussion about common
data
• Instructors learn new content
outside of expertise area
Limitations
• Few empirical studies about
impact on learning
outcomes
• Causal mechanisms are
unclear

16. DEVELOP NEW TEACHING
PRACTICES

17. Planning Courses using Cases
• Select case materials
– Consistent with learning
objectives
– High quality in terms of
expression and demands
– Fits time available
– Of interest to students
(they can project
themselves into the
situation)
• “Scaffolding” complexity
• Consider integrating with
assignments

18. • How might cases be
used in your course this
fall?
• How might topics of
student
assessment/grading
relate to case content?

19. Planning Class Sessions Using Cases
• Master facts, issues and
other material;
• Anticipate questions
that might be raised,
types of arguments that
might take place;
• Visualize how you want
the discussion to take
place
• Consider pre-session
preparation questions
for students.

20. Planning Class Sessions Using Cases
• Design & use questions
(or use those suggested
in teaching note):
– Obtain descriptive
information;
– Clarify a point
– Draw attention to
related issues
– Foster or resolve debate
– Change direction of
discussion
– Create a plan

21. Planning Class Sessions Using Cases
• Techniques for Promoting
Student Engagement:
– Use visual images
– Role plays
– Poll of the class
– Ask for different perspectives
on a point of view
– Small group discussions with
large group feedback
– Use virtual discussion boards
– Include participation as factor
in assessing for course grade

22. Planning Class Sessions Using Cases
• Techniques for Closing
Discussion:
– You summarize points in
writing or verbally
– Ask one or two students at
beginning of class to
summarize at end
– Ask for volunteers
– Relate analysis to something
in current events
Don’t always do the same way

23. • What might you do to
prepare yourself?
• How might you start the
course meeting?
• What are alternatives to
large group discussion?
• What is your reaction to
the situation described
in Professor Graham
case?

24. Practice!
Source: Harvard University, Business School, Resources on Case Teaching

25. Running Class Sessions Using Cases:
Improvisation
• Speech Tag
5 volunteers to the
front of the room
• Active Listening

26. Indicators of Success
• Students do most of the
talking
• High # of students
voluntarily participating
in discussion
• Low # of questions
asked by instructor; #
number of challenging
questions asked
between students of
each other
• High ‘energy’ in the room
• Number of high points
where everyone engaged
and focused on issues
• Coherence to discussion;
in the end, it ‘made sense’

27. Learning Objectives
Overview of case teaching & learning benefits in
profession education
Understand Resources:
• Describe range of case learning materials
Develop new Practices:
• Consider how cases might enrich whole course
• Explore how to use cases in class session
• Get comfortable with improvisation as competence
needed in case-based professional learning