Re: Case Method
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28 Apr 2008, 11:43
For the so-called soft skills, the case method has obvious benefits. Where I think people tend to overlook its usefulness is for the hard skills (quant, finance, etc). My experience with the case method is from what I've gathered speaking to current students at HBS as well as having attended a couple of classes, one with soft skills (Government/Politics & Int'l Business) and one with hard skills (Finance). The overwhelming sentiment is that the case method, if taught properly, can be a viable alternative - and for many people a preferable route - to teach the hard skills. By associating the quantitative concepts with real-world examples, it not only provides applicability, but also creates a more interesting, and by extension, a more memorable way to learn. Personally, I can learn just as easily from a textbook as I can from lecture, so the idea of spending a large chunk of my class time in a lecture format did not appeal to me. While I can't speak for other schools, at HBS the hard skill cases are supplemented by optional textbook readings as well as other learning vehicles, such as the analytics program, in order to ensure that the foundation is established. Once everyone has that foundation, it's really quite amazing to see the breadth and depth of memorable conversation that can arise, even with seemingly dry issues like bankruptcy. Many of the students with non-traditional backgrounds indicated that they had concern initially about learning the hard skills from the case method, but that it was quickly put to rest once they discovered how much easier it was to remember concepts when they are presented in an interactive format.
Then again, maybe I've just drunk too much of the HBS kool-aid!