Case Studies

Case Studies

What are case studies?

Case studies are an innovative pedagogical tool involving stories or scenarios, often in narrative form, created and used for in-depth analysis and discussion of real-world situations to consolidate learning of concepts and principles. Case studies help students apply theoretical knowledge to practical scenarios, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills by encouraging the evaluation of complex issues. They have long been used in higher education, particularly in business and law.

Typically implemented through classroom discussions, written analyses, and presentations, case studies enhance student engagement by connecting learning to real-world application. Additionally, case studies promote the development of essential skills like teamwork, communication, and strategic thinking.

The Harvard Business School has been using the case study method for over 100 years with a range of noted benefits.

Why use case studies?

Case studies actively engage students in the learning process by placing them in a scenario that requires higher order thinking and application of new knowledge and concepts.

Rather than just passively consuming learning material, like a traditional teacher-centred lecture, case studies allow for the educator to guide students through scenarios and set parameters to ensure students gain graduate ready skills and crucial critical thinking skills.

Case studies benefit students in the following ways:

  • Encourages critical reflection and research
  • Develops students' critical thinking skills
  • Promotes higher-order thinking (such as in the top levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy)
  • Creates a safe space for students to apply previously acquired skills and learn from each other
  • Enables students to develop solutions to real-life, complex situations through problem solving

Types of case studies

There are a range of types of case studies you could use in your teaching and in research, however the two most common in higher education are:

  1. Descriptive case studies – explores a specific event or issue to identify key facts, what happened and who was involved. Typically this type of case study does not include a solution but rather prompts students to gain a greater understanding of multiple perspectives.
  2. Problem-solving case studies – prompts students to critically examine an issue, research and recommend solutions by integrating theory and practice.

Teaching with case studies

Case studies that are used in your teaching should be clearly linked to course learning outcomes, other teaching strategies and assessments. To ensure that the case study is effective it is important to set up clear expectations for student behaviour and engagement with the learning activity. This is especially important if this is the first time you are integrating a case study into your student learning activities.

How to create case studies

Once you have decided on what type of case study you would like to implement in your classroom, it’s now time to create your case study. Depending on your context, your case study could include general knowledge or adopt the perspective of a protagonist (client, patient, student, organisation, business etc.) or information from government, company or other public documents.

A case study should:

  • Begin with an introduction that clearly establishes the scene and the problem/protagonist;
  • Escalate the narrative with further complications to the problem;
  • Finally the situation should come to a head.

When writing a case study, ensure that all information provided is clear, concise and connected to the case study. You could use AI to help draft the first version of your case study before you edit and ensure that it is fit for purpose in your area, or use it to design an interactive, ongoing scenario.