It's the night before an exam and you're cramming every last detail of notes into your brain. Come morning you're powering through a 70-question multiple-choice exam, but within a mere 24 hours after writing, you can’t recall a single piece of information. As a student myself, I understand this hectic lifestyle. The pressure of achieving high grades is a constant stressor and once midterm season kicks in, there’s no slowing down; it's full throttle from there. But a question remains; at what point does education decouple from knowledge?
“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” - Albert Einstein
The true purpose of education at post-secondary institutions is to translate our knowledge into actions applicable to the real world. University is supposedly designed to equip us for the complexities of the world outside the classroom—a world where there isn't always a single correct answer selected from multiple choice bubbles A through E. For this exact reason, the case-based method of learning is so valuable.
The case-based method of teaching simulates real-world situations, allowing students to actively grapple with complicated problems. In the Ivey program, this method is utilized as students are given real business cases to solve, ensuring that every class is relevant to life in the workforce.
With traditional forms of testing, emphasis is placed on the “What?” aspect, whereas with the case-based method, there is a heightened focus on answering the “How?” or “Why?”. It is pointless to know what a certain topic is if we are unable to answer how or why it came to be, making it important for students to immerse themselves in the classroom to improve their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
As a current Business 1220 student I can attest to the effectiveness of this method of learning. I will admit that it is probably my most challenging course since everything about the class is new to me; content, method of learning and as a result, new study habits must be developed. Yet to me, it was not the novelty that I found most difficult, but rather the excessive amount of time and effort needed to solve each and every case. This can be seen as a nuisance since it increases your workload, but it actually feels gratifying by the end of each fully solved case. The truth is the Business 1220 course is the only class that I can still recall the concepts I learned back in September.
In theory, the case-based method seems like the best choice to learn – but why is not used in more classes? The reality is that there is no methodology without fault. Implementing and designing cases is extremely time-consuming, while the method involves more subjectivity when assessing since there is no objective, clear-cut answer. Bias can play a role in determining marks, making it more problematic than the traditional standard methods of testing. It provides frustrated students leeway to engage in intense negotiations for a higher grade. Despite the method's limitations, its proven increase in retention rates and enhanced transfer of learning makes it worthwhile.
Somewhere along the universal student experience, the primary focus of studying to learn has been overshadowed by the pressure of studying to get a high grade. The case-based method tackles this accepted norm and dissipates the divide between education and knowledge. By mirroring the real-life decision making and problem-solving process in the classroom, it intertwines knowledge and education – which we can all agree, is a far greater outcome than chasing temporary academic validation.