Teaching With Cases

Included here are resources to learn more about case method and teaching with cases.

Why teach with cases?

Seven HKS faculty on why case teaching is a uniquely effective way to engage students and facilitate active learning.

Documents

  • Learning by the Case Method
    This free six-page document can be shared with students to help them prepare to analyze a case and participate in a case discussion.View PDF
  • Questions for Class Discussion
    This four-page tip sheet provides sample questions for use in class discussions. (Provided by the Christensen Center for Teaching and Learning)View PDF
  • Common Case Teaching Challenges and Possible Solutions
    This four-page tip sheet details common case teaching challenges and possible solutions.View PDF
  • Teaching with Cases Tip Sheet
    This resource outlines some of the ways that cases can augment or diversify teaching and learning.View PDF
  • Teaching Ethics by the Case Method
    Much has been written about the use of cases in teaching public management, including advice to faculty on how to prepare for class sessions. This resource is designed to supplement available materials by focusing specifically on the teaching of ethics.View PDF

Videos

The case method is an effective way to increase student engagement and challenge students to integrate and apply skills to real-world problems. In these videos, Using the Case Method to Teach Public Policy, you'll find invaluable insights into the art of case teaching from one of HKS’s most respected professors, Jose A. Gomez-Ibanez.

  • Chapter 1: Preparing for Class (2:29)

  • Chapter 2: How to begin the class and structure the discussion blocks (1:37)

  • Chapter 3: How to launch the discussion (1:36)

  • Chapter 4: Tools to manage the class discussion (2:23)

  • Chapter 5: Encouraging participation and acknowledging students' comments (1:52)

  • Chapter 6: Transitioning from one block to the next / Importance of body (2:05)

  • Chapter 7: Using the board plan to feed the discussion (3:33)

  • Chapter 8: Exploring the richness of the case (1:42)

  • Chapter 9: The wrap-up. Why teach cases? (2:49)