Dr. David Wangombe MBA, PhD, CPA(K)
Dean, Strathmore School of Management
and Commerce
David Wangombe
Strathmore University
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Teaching notes are a useful tool for
instructors adopting cases in their classes
since they present one or more ideal
scenarios as to how class sessions may be
structured.
Helps you check the completeness and logic
of the case study; and
Provides a guide to other instructors on how
to teach the case in the classroom.
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A teaching note should include a brief
summary of the case. Make it appealing
to sell the case. Be sure to orient
instructors to the main issues or
problems to be resolved in the case.
A few sentences will suffice to provide
the context of the case, including
elements such as the sector and main
players involved and an overview of the
issues raised by the case
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Teaching objectives should be clearly defined
and the target audience specified.
Describe the learning outcome that the case
seeks to achieve
Examples:
Develop skills related to decision making or the
analysis of factors specific to a given sector
Provide an opportunity to induce or illustrate
theoretical concepts that can be applied to actual
situations
“This case can be used to illustrate and discuss
a number of important issues on xxxxxx. In
addition, the case provides a set-up to a
meeting where a choice from among clearlydefined alternatives must be made.”
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A teaching note should include suggestions
for instructors as to how exactly the case can
be used in the classroom or for homework
assignment, exam or case competition
alternatives. It may include questions for
discussion, suggestions for individual/group
work and timings for the session.
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In order to better describe the case's teaching
context, it may be useful to point out what
aspects of the general objectives of a training
course or program can be covered by a
discussion of the case.
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This section can describe the suitability of the
case for a particular type of training
(university programs, executive education
etc.) or level of study (college degree,
undergraduate, master's, PhD) as well as its
intended perspective (general or specific).
In this section of the teaching notes, the case writer
can share his approach to developing and preparing
a case. He can explain the steps undertaken with
company officials (interviews, conference papers,
industry visits, observations in the field, etc.),
methods of data collection (annual reports,
financial statements, print or electronic media
reports, press coverage, reference
works, etc.).
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At the end of cases, one often finds a list of
questions that serve to guide students'
preparation for the in-class discussion.
Teaching note should have comprehensive
answers. Quantitative and Qualitative
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Questions the professor can use to open the
discussion e.g. take a detour to take
advantageous to take an indirect route to get
there.
Reserve questions: it can be reassuring to
have a few questions in reserve that he can
use to reorient a debate that has strayed from
the teaching objectives or to re-launch a
discussion that has stalled.
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A teaching note should provide comprehensive
answers to all suggested questions and the
analysis should be as thorough as one would
expect from advanced students in the class.
It is also important that a teaching note
includes suggestions for readings prior to class
to ensure that all students are well prepared to
discuss the questions raised in the case. It may
also be useful to include in the teaching note
additional information which can be accessed
online, e.g. company websites or YouTube
videos.
A teaching note may also include some
suggestions as to the variations in teaching
methods and questions, depending on the
course where the case is used and the level of
students.
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While some professors prefer to structure their
courses temporally, others prefer a sequential
approach, and still others are content to cover all
the material, regardless of the order or the time
allocated to each point.
By way of suggestion, the author could establish
an order of presentation for the points to be
covered, assigning each a percentage or optimal
timeframe based on the duration of the course.
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The teaching plan is an outline on how to allocate time
within class. For most business school courses, this is 7580 minutes. Typical components of a teaching plan are the
following:
• Class introduction: Key points to make in the class
introduction.
• Major topics: a listing of topics, a suggested order in
which to introduce them, key questions within each topic
area, and identification of items that are important to get
on the board.
• Wrap-up points
• Supplemental teaching components: Some cases come
with supplemental material such as video clips, audio, or
in-class exercises.
• A board plan
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Some professors make copious use of the
blackboard. Here again, the author can
suggest ways in which the blackboard can be
used effectively in relation to a case and its
primary and secondary objectives
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Report on your experience in teaching the
case , indicating what worked well and what
didn't work, and suggesting aspects that
remain to be exploited.
In a word, this is a good place to point out
both traps to be avoided and elements that
are rich in pedagogical potential.
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Base the teaching note on the actual teaching
of the case in the classroom.
Only then is a teaching note able to present
guidance for others in a meaningful way.
It is best to observe someone else teaching
your case so you can see where the gaps in
information lie, and rewrite the case to fill
them, or reorient the questions.
Finished files are the result of years of scientific
study combined with the
experience of many years.
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Answer Six
Clue:
2 in the first line
3 in the second line
none in the third line
1 in the last line...
FREEDOMISNOWHERE
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FREEDOM
IS
NO
WHERE
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FREEDOM
IS
NOW HERE
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Take a positive view!
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James E. Austin: "Teaching Notes:
Communicating the Teacher's
Wisdom." Harvard Business School Note 793105.
Thank you