VETENTRE_IO1_Toolkit_FV

From this, two critical factors of a case study become clear: 1. a concrete problem is needed, which is told 2. (storytelling) including the framework conditions and decisions up to the 3rd solution. In the classroom, case studies can be used to impart knowledge. The whole study is read together with the students and then discussed. However, the lessons become much livelier when the case study leaves the solution open and ends with questions. Often the connection between case and context is unclear, or not all information is accessible from the beginning. This form of knowledge transfer goes back to Harvard Business School. Therefore, it is also referred to as the "Harvard Method", mainly used in business administration. Most “full-blown” cases have these common elements:  A decision-maker who is grappling with some question or problem that needs to be solved.  A description of the problem’s context (a law, an industry, a family).  Supporting data can range from data tables to links to URLs, quoted statements or testimony, supporting documents, images, video, or audio. The solution can then be worked out by the learner alone (e.g. in an exam) or – and this will be the case more often – in group work. In the last case, the procedure looks like this: 1. Knowledge content has already been imparted in the classroom, which is necessary for the following case study. 2. The teacher presents / tells the case, which deals with a concrete problem and its framework conditions. It is recommended to present the case using visualisations, a PowerPoint presentation or a prepared flipchart/blackboard or the visualisation developed on the flipchart/blackboard during storytelling. Especially in management cases, handouts with numbers and graphical representations are also issued to the learners. 3. The teacher asks the question(s) about the case. 4. The learners work out a solution in groups. 5. Back in the plenary, the groups present their solutions. 6. Discussion on the different solutions. Example : In the classroom, the knowledge of various marketing strategies was imparted. In the next lesson, the teacher then uses a case study in which a company and its product, which is to be newly introduced, are presented. The person responsible is faced with whether advertising should be placed in print media or only advertised via digital media. Depending on the level of the learners, information about the product, numbers, and data are given to the learners. Complexity can be increased by including unnecessary information. This strengthens the competence to distinguish the essential from the insignificant.