Participative approaches to training and development continue to be popular. This trend is evident in the growing demand for workshops and seminars on discussion based learning using cases. Several workshops, seminars, and presentations can be custom designed to focus on various aspects of using the case method for instructional purposes. These sessions may be of interest to educators, trainers, or researchers in educational institutions, private industry or government.

Workshops can be designed for participants who have a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines. It is not at all unusual, for example, to have participants with marketing, financial, engineering, personnel, health, education and other backgrounds. Also, participants may represent several different employers or a common employer such as a government agency, an educational department, or a private company.

Over 12,000 people have successfully completed custom case method workshops in over 40 countries.  Topics normally covered include: case writing, case teaching, case learning, introduction to the case method, and a variety of specialty areas relating to the use of the case method. Disciplines covered include the full range of management subjects as well as the social sciences, engineering, law and medicine

Case Writing Workshops are designed for those interested in learning how to write good cases quickly. Workshops are normally 5 days in length, can handle from 20 to 35 participants and cover all aspects of the case writing process. Each participant produces one short actual case as part of this workshop. Prior experience with cases is desirable, but not necessary.

The texts used are:
LEARNING WITH CASES and WRITING CASES -
4th Edition by Leenders, Mauffette-Leenders and Erskine, Ivey Publication Services, Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.

The workshop covers:

• What is a case? Why use cases? Why write cases?
• The case writing process, including case origin, establishing leads, initial company contact, data collection, the writing process, teaching note, preparation and release.
• Case Difficulty Cube.
• Case Origin Grid.
• The Case Plan including the opening paragraph, case organization, data requirements list and the time plan.
• Actual field experience.
• Rough drafting of the case.
  Preliminary teaching note preparation.
• Polishing the case.

Case Teaching Workshops are meant for those who are interested in learning how to teach with cases, or those who wish to improve their case method skills.  Various exercises, group discussions, and practice teaching sessions are used to give the participant a chance to experience the major aspects of case teaching. Length of the workshop is normally 3 days and up to 40 participants can take part.

The texts used are:
TEACHING WITH CASES, 3rd Edition and LEARNING WITH CASES
by Erskine, Leenders, and Mauffette-Leenders, Ivey Publication Services, Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.

Coverage in this workshop includes:

• What is a case and why use cases?
• Case teaching prerequisites.
• The Three Stage Learning Process.
• The Case Difficulty Cube.
• Program and course planning with Cases.
• The Short and Long Cycle Processes of individual analysis.
• The Case Preparation Chart.
• Preparation for class.
• The Case Teaching Plan.
• The in-class management process.
• Evaluation of the classroom experience.
• Case use variations.
• Using cases in a non-case environment.

Combined Case Writing and Case Teaching Workshops cover the fundamentals of both case writing and case teaching, and are normally 7.5-8 days in length. Each participant produces one short case during the workshop and will share in several teaching experiences using cases. Normal enrollment for these courses ranges from 20 to 35 participants. The coverage combines topics included in the case writing and case teaching workshops.

Workshops can be designed to fit specific needs in terms of length and coverage.  Inquiries regarding such possibilities are welcome.

Case Learning Workshops are specifically focused on students and how they can learn faster and have more fun studying cases. Students are introduced to some case learning tools and practice a repetitive process using short cases. Length of these workshops is normally 1-1.5 days and up to 50 students can take part.

The text used is LEARNING WITH CASES - 2nd Edition by Mauffette-Leenders, Erskine and Leenders, Ivey Publication Services, Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.

Course Coverage includes:

• What is a case and why use cases?
• The Case Difficulty Cube.
• The Three Stage Learning process.
• The Short and Long Cycle Processes of individual preparation.
• The Case Preparation Chart.
• Small group discussion guidelines.
• Classroom participation challenges.
• Case exams and reports.

Shorter or longer seminars or presentations on specific aspects of the case method are available upon request. These can range from one hour to two weeks in length and can be used for audiences totally unfamiliar with the case method requiring an overview, as well as more knowledgeable groups interested in advanced treatment.

Professors James A. Erskine and Michiel R. Leenders are the instructors for these custom workshops. Either one or both can be involved in designing and delivering your workshop.

The Richard Ivey School of Business
Case Method Workshops
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