Going Beyond Student Exercises: Writing Engaging Case Studies

This paper is intended to help faculty develop cases that are more than classroom exercises. The authors of this article advance the notion that excellent case studies, including those in accounting and finance, are indeed possible. The strengths of case teaching, including dealing with ambiguity and critical thinking, can move traditional calculation problems with one answer to engaging student experiences. Based on prior research and exemplars from actual case studies, readers are introduced to characteristics of excellent case studies that are more than exercises.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

In reading this article, faculty should be able to:

1. Understand the differences between cases and exercises

2. Apply the strengths of case writing to quantitative exercises.

APPLICATION

This paper is appropriate for professors who write long form and short form cases that are used in the classroom.