What defines a good teaching case?

Reflecting on the way I choose cases for my courses, I arrived at some criteria that reveal what I consider a good teaching case. I hope that this reflection can help you choose a case for your goal - whether it is to promote an application in a class, a training or a selection.

First of all, a good case is focused on the problem, not the solution. An interesting case has one or more problems situated in a context and also presents one or more very clear learning objectives. It also brings possibilities for different developments, and not a single answer.

Secondly, a quality case brings a narrative that involves the reader as a decision-maker and not as a mere spectator of the situation. In other words, a good teaching case is not a mere example, nor a story that already has a determined end (or influenced by the author).

Also, a good teaching case offers sufficient and rich evidence and information for the questions that guide the debate and lead to an analysis that supports decision-making. However, it deals with ambiguities and information noise, replicating a real situation in which not all the desired elements are available at the time of recognizing the problem.

Finally, a good case brings stimulating questions for reflection at the individual level and discussion at the collective level. It must be appropriate for the level of the participants and for the theme to be worked on.

Sometimes, a case that is not so good can be transformed into a powerful learning tool depending on the strategy adopted in the classroom. Discussion questions that are interesting and thought-provoking for those students make all the difference and can be created by the teacher himself based on an already written case.