Application of the Case Method in the Field of Skills Development — The relationship between a transformative teaching method and skills development in business education

Abstract

My doctoral research examines the relationship between the case method and skills development in the context of business education. The main question of the article-based doctoral dissertation is looking for an answer to “What forms of application the case method do exist in the field of skills development?”. The scientific articles in the dissertation are further investigating three sub-questions, and the individual publications are focusing on each of these questions. The historical development and evolution of the case method can be divided into six stages. By today, a case ecosystem has been developed around the method. Based on the learning environment and learning outcomes, four main application forms of the case method - case discussions (1), case assignments (2), extracurricular case discussions (3) and case competitions (4) - can be identified using the case method map. The introductory article presented the example of the Business Economics Pyramid of Corvinus University of Budapest and the Central European Case Competition and also confirmed that case-based education is driven by case instructors, talents and representatives of companies. Nowadays, case competitions are getting more complex and aim to simulate real business problems. The complexity of case competitions is also increasing and there are more and more competitions that take different formats. The majority of events are based on more live and strategic cases. The second article of the dissertation deals with case-based skill measurement. Case-solving students can acquire new knowledge and improve their problem-solving skills through case-solving. Case solvers can gain new problem-, functional area-, company-, industry-, and country-specific knowledge by solving a case study. During the case-solving, they can develop 21 skills, which can be divided into four categories: problem-solving (create), project management (conduct), collaboration (collaborate) and communication (communicate). The case study-based skills measurement identified four different university talent management strategies. The third article of the dissertation reviews the application of the methodology in public education through a seven-factor, lesson- and subject-based criteria system. History, geography and value-based subjects are best suited to the application of case method in primary and secondary public education.