Publish at February 03 2020 Updated February 21 2024
A classic learning situation in business, medical or social management training, the case study can take many forms. In this article, we outline some of the main stages in designing a case study, and the options available to the trainer.
Case study design starts with the end in mind. What are we aiming for? What objectives do we want to achieve, and what will participants have mastered by the end of the exercise? The case study helps to develop and assess the levels of understanding at the top of Bloom and Krathwohl's taxonomies. It's not just a matter of retaining, but of using and articulating knowledge in a context. Learners will have to put together scattered elements and, more often than not, adapt or even invent a solution.
For the record, the diagram below compares the two pyramids. Note, however, that the hierarchy implied by this form is called into question.
Cross-cutting objectives are particularly important in a case study, and even more so when group activities are involved. Among the objectives regularly formulated in connection with this learning situation :
Guilbert and Ouellet 's typology has the advantage of proposing different levels of choice, each of which can in turn be broken down into different options, and combined. For example, the teacher can communicate all the information in the case, give it as the participants progress, or only on demand, to prompt relevant questions (Pigors' technique). Lastly, the teacher can transmit only part of the information, so that learners can position themselves in an uncertain environment.
Bruno Poellhuber proposes a similar typology, illustrated below.
Context is essential, and will be all the more relevant if learners can relate to it. To make it concrete, some teachers ask companies to come and testify to launch the activities. Irvin Scott of the Harvard Graduate School of Education tells us:
"[In a case study], there are characters and settings. There are conflicts and dilemmas. And finally, there are opportunities for students to present solutions and strategies. What better way to learn and motivate yourself at the same time?"
A context that's close to life increases memory anchoring, links with experience and motivation. It can also make it easier to go off-topic, diverting the group's thinking or exchanges onto secondary themes, linked to the contexts but far removed from the objectives.
Case studies are often presented in several stages, each representing a different learning situation. Individual research, synthesis, elaboration of solutions in groups, oral presentations... Michelle Schwartz suggests a number of facilitation situations that can enrich the case, and enable other objectives to be addressed.
At the end of each work period, students summarize their work, what worked and what was less successful. They formulate what they have learned. The teacher can create a template with a few starter sentences or put a questionnaire online to make the exercise quicker.
At the end of each stage, the teams meet and interview each other about their progress and results. They compare and highlight points of agreement and different directions.
Michelle Schwartz quotes Garvin, who detailed his method for designing cases in a mini-site in 2004. The form is a little dated, but he offers a series of pertinent questions for facilitating.
Why not organize a vote on certain proposals. This can be done using stickers, or the now classic move along an imaginary line, depending on whether you agree or disagree with a position that has just been stated. On-line animation tools such as Wooclap, Socrative, Framapad or Lino are ideal for exchanging ideas and refocusing work between two stages.
Let's forget everything we've just seen. Up until now, our approach has been based on the trainer as demiurge or stage director, who organizes everything... What if the students created their own case study and evaluation grid? They submit it to their peers or to their teacher, who becomes the only student in the class, inspired by JC. Caillez... When students have already done a few internships or had different experiences, they often have the raw material. And building a case study is in itself a good way of getting to grips with the training objectives.
To exchange ideas, construct answers and organize collaborative work, learners can be invited to use digital tools like Trello and Slack. If the case study is to be solved in limited, real time, these tools can become part of the case study, providing input as it progresses.
Imagine a case study on crisis communication, or on solving a technical or medical problem. The group has just ten hours to come up with an answer. But as in real life, they receive partial and progressive information, as the day progresses on a platform.
The sequence of events can take many other paths, which would be difficult to list exhaustively. Formats can deviate widely from the frameworks seen above. For example, Kedge Business School's now-famous Crisis Night immerses students for six hours in a real-life situation and pressure, in a crisis PC atmosphere.
Illustrations: Frédéric Duriez
Resources
Ryerson University - Teaching Methods from Case Studies -Prepared by Michelle Schwartz, Instructional Design and Research Strategist, for the Learning & Teaching Office, 2014
https://silo.tips/download/teaching-methods-for-case-studies
Bruno Poellhuber Scriptwriting tool - case study - accessed February 1, 2020
http://aide.ccdmd.qc.ca/oas/fr/node/106
Lalancette, R. (2014). L'étude de cas en tant que stratégie pédagogique aux études supérieures : recension critique Québec : Livres en ligne du CRIRES. Online
https://lel.crires.ulaval.ca/sites/lel/files/etude_de_cas_strategie.pdf
Irvin Scott - Case teaching as storytelling - Harvard Éducation - November 2019, accessed February 1, 2020
https://medium.com/@harvardeducation/case-teaching-as-storytelling-4d13712ce78f
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