The Effect of Case Characteristics on Student Performance in Business Education

Faculty using cases in the classroom want to find the best ways to engage students in critical thinking and problem-solving. Selecting cases to use is an important part of the process. This article helps faculty develop a better strategy as they select case studies to use in the classroom by examining data about student engagement. This represents a unique and creative method that might help faculty find better cases for their classes. The article investigates the relationship between case characteristics (i.e., the attributes of a written business case) and student team performance in an introductory, case-intensive business course with a high enrollment of first-year undergraduates. The study examined the relationship between average student team grade for individual business cases and the case's specific characteristics, including the focal company's financial performance and industry type. The findings suggest case characteristics influence student team performance. Case instructors and writers should carefully consider the individual case characteristics, including the focal company's performance and industry, when teaching and writing business cases, respectively.