Page 7 - Case Lab Teaching Note

What makes a good case?

To some extent we have already seen what makes a good
case. At its heart it has to be ‘sexy’, it has to grab the

imagination, sink its hook in and hold your attention.

It forces difficult choices to be

made based on open-ended

situations with multiple

interpretations and possible
solutions. To this mix is added

a basis for fundamental value

conflict exploration which
reflects learning goals and

pedagogy of the course the case was designed for.

For the lecturer the case is like marriage, allowing
instruction to be embedded in it encouraging users to learn

by doing and to provide feedback and direction on their

thinking and actions.

In essence the case study is developed to create a

collaborative learning environment and the teaching guide,

is designed to provide other potential instructors insights

into the case and the learning which can be derived from it.

Most cases have common features ranging from:

• A decision-maker who is struggling with some question

or problem that needs to be resolved.

• A contextual matrix in which the problem is set.