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Case Study-Based Learning

Enhancing learning through immediate application.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

If you've ever tried to learn a new concept, you probably appreciate that "knowing" is different from "doing." When you have an opportunity to apply your knowledge, the lesson typically becomes much more real.

Adults often learn differently from children, and we have different motivations for learning. Typically, we learn new skills because we want to. We recognize the need to learn and grow, and we usually need – or want – to apply our newfound knowledge soon after we've learned it.

A popular theory of adult learning is andragogy (the art and science of leading man, or adults), as opposed to the better-known pedagogy (the art and science of leading children). Malcolm Knowles , a professor of adult education, was considered the father of andragogy, which is based on four key observations of adult learners:

• Adults learn best if they know why they're learning something.
• Adults often learn best through experience.
• Adults tend to view learning as an opportunity to solve problems.
• Adults learn best when the topic is relevant to them and immediately applicable.

This means that you'll get the best results with adults when they're fully involved in the learning experience. Give an adult an opportunity to practice and work with a new skill, and you have a solid foundation for high-quality learning that the person will likely retain over time.

So, how can you best use these adult learning principles in your training and development efforts? Case studies provide an excellent way of practicing and applying new concepts. As such, they're very useful tools in adult learning, and it's important to understand how to get the maximum value from them.

What Is a Case Study?

Case studies are a form of problem-based learning, where you present a situation that needs a resolution. A typical business case study is a detailed account, or story, of what happened in a particular company, industry, or project over a set period of time.

The learner is given details about the situation, often in a historical context. The key players are introduced. Objectives and challenges are outlined. This is followed by specific examples and data, which the learner then uses to analyze the situation, determine what happened, and make recommendations.

The depth of a case depends on the lesson being taught. A case study can be two pages, 20 pages, or more. A good case study makes the reader think critically about the information presented, and then develop a thorough assessment of the situation, leading to a well-thought-out solution or recommendation.

Why Use a Case Study?

Case studies are a great way to improve a learning experience, because they get the learner involved, and encourage immediate use of newly acquired skills.

They differ from lectures or assigned readings because they require participation and deliberate application of a broad range of skills. For example, if you study financial analysis through straightforward learning methods, you may have to calculate and understand a long list of financial ratios (don't worry if you don't know what these are). Likewise, you may be given a set of financial statements to complete a ratio analysis. But until you put the exercise into context, you may not really know why you're doing the analysis.

With a case study, however, you might explore whether a bank should provide financing to a borrower, or whether a company is about to make a good acquisition. Suddenly, the act of calculating ratios becomes secondary – it's more important to understand what the ratios tell you. This is how case studies can make the difference between knowing what to do, and knowing how, when, and why to do it.

Then, what really separates case studies from other practical forms of learning – like scenarios and simulations – is the ability to compare the learner's recommendations with what actually happened. When you know what really happened, it's much easier to evaluate the "correctness" of the answers given.

When to Use a Case Study

As you can see, case studies are powerful and effective training tools. They also work best with practical, applied training, so make sure you use them appropriately.

Remember these tips:

• Case studies tend to focus on why and how to apply a skill or concept, not on remembering facts and details. Use case studies when understanding the concept is more important than memorizing correct responses.
• Case studies are great team-building opportunities. When a team gets together to solve a case, they'll have to work through different opinions, methods, and perspectives.
• Use case studies to build problem-solving skills, particularly those that are valuable when applied, but are likely to be used infrequently. This helps people get practice with these skills that they might not otherwise get.
• Case studies can be used to evaluate past problem solving. People can be asked what they'd do in that situation, and think about what could have been done differently.

Ensuring Maximum Value From Case Studies

The first thing to remember is that you already need to have enough theoretical knowledge to handle the questions and challenges in the case study. Otherwise, it can be like trying to solve a puzzle with some of the pieces missing.

Here are some additional tips for how to approach a case study. Depending on the exact nature of the case, some tips will be more relevant than others.

• Read the case at least three times before you start any analysis. Case studies usually have lots of details, and it's easy to miss something in your first, or even second, reading.
• Once you're thoroughly familiar with the case, note the facts. Identify which are relevant to the tasks you've been assigned. In a good case study, there are often many more facts than you need for your analysis.
• If the case contains large amounts of data, analyze this data for relevant trends. For example, have sales dropped steadily, or was there an unexpected high or low point?
• If the case involves a description of a company's history, find the key events, and consider how they may have impacted the current situation.
• Consider using techniques like SWOT analysis and Porter's Five Forces Analysis to understand the organization's strategic position.
• Stay with the facts when you draw conclusions. These include facts given in the case as well as established facts about the environmental context. Don't rely on personal opinions when you put together your answers.

Writing a Case Study

You may have to write a case study yourself. These are complex documents that take a while to research and compile. The quality of the case study influences the quality of the analysis. Here are some tips if you want to write your own:

• Write your case study as a structured story. The goal is to capture an interesting situation or challenge and then bring it to life with words and information. You want the reader to feel a part of what's happening.
• Present information so that a "right" answer isn't obvious. The goal is to develop the learner's ability to analyze and assess, not necessarily to make the same decision as the people in the actual case.
• Do background research to fully understand what happened and why. You may need to talk to key stakeholders to get their perspectives as well.
• Determine the key challenge. What needs to be resolved? The case study should focus on one main question or issue.
• Define the context. Talk about significant events leading up to the situation. What organizational factors are important for understanding the problem and assessing what should be done? Include cultural factors where possible.
• Identify key decision makers and stakeholders. Describe their roles and perspectives, as well as their motivations and interests.
• Make sure that you provide the right data to allow people to reach appropriate conclusions.
• Make sure that you have permission to use any information you include.

A typical case study structure includes these elements:

• Executive summary. Define the objective, and state the key challenge.
• Opening paragraph. Capture the reader's interest.
• Scope. Describe the background, context, approach, and issues involved.
• Presentation of facts. Develop an objective picture of what's happening.
• Description of key issues. Present viewpoints, decisions, and interests of key parties.

Because case studies have proved to be such effective teaching tools, many are already written. Some excellent sources of free cases are The Times 100 , CasePlace.org , and Schroeder & Schroeder Inc . You can often search for cases by topic or industry. These cases are expertly prepared, based mostly on real situations, and used extensively in business schools to teach management concepts.

Case studies are a great way to improve learning and training. They provide learners with an opportunity to solve a problem by applying what they know.

There are no unpleasant consequences for getting it "wrong," and cases give learners a much better understanding of what they really know and what they need to practice.

Case studies can be used in many ways, as team-building tools, and for skill development. You can write your own case study, but a large number are already prepared. Given the enormous benefits of practical learning applications like this, case studies are definitely something to consider adding to your next training session.

Knowles, M. (1973). 'The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species [online].' Available here .

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An Introduction to Human Resource Management

Student resources, case study: learning and development at choc co..

Online Case Study: Learning and Development at Choc Co.

Choc Co. is one of the world's largest confectionery businesses with significant market share in many of the world's biggest confectionery markets, including many emerging markets. It has a long and proud tradition, stretching back more than 150 years, including a long history of developing its employees, which has remained part of its ethos during its progress to becoming a global company.

Despite very positive sales figures over the last 12months, Choc Co. has prioritised streamlining the business to make it more competitive and has placed a strong emphasis on reducing cost over the next 18 months. Despite being keen to preserve its longstanding reputation as a firm that is committed to developing all its employees, in respect of learning and development, this ‘streamlining’ activity has focused on:

• ensuring a clear return on investment in training activities
• changing the way that learning programmes are delivered and being more creative in developing approaches to learning
• connecting training activities to the strategic needs of the firm.

The most important driver of the assessment of its training provision at Choc Co. is change. Whilst performing well in the marketplace, senior management continue to express discontent with levels of productivity and employee performance. Moreover, senior management has determined that the company needs to become more flexible and adaptable to respond to change in its market context, for example by an ability to adapt organisational structures to meet new business needs or through the introduction of technological innovation. However, as a traditionally minded employer, and with low levels of employee turnover at shopfloor level, Choc co. appears to have instilled in its workers a mindset of stability and steady progress, which is at odds with competition in a rapidly changing global economy. Therefore, Choc Co. wants to move towards a system of continuous improvement by creating a culture whereby workers are empowered to implement small incremental changes, rather than have substantial change imposed on them from time to time.

Identifying training needs

Traditionally, training needs analysis at Choc Co. has been ‘gap-led’. In other words, training tends to be focused where Choc Co. identifies a gap in capability – for example, where the introduction of new technology requires worker skill to be updated, company policy is changed or a key worker leaves the firm, requiring training to be provided to their replacement. Typically this gap-led identification of need is conducted at a local level, with little reference made to the wider national or international workforce.

Whilst workers can put themselves forward for training courses, including those provided by local education providers, there is no formal channel for doing this and access to such training often comes down to personal relationships and the constraints imposed by departmental budgets. The culture at Choc Co. is very much one in which training needs are typically identified  for  workers rather than  by  workers.

Delivery of training

Currently, the company runs a number of large training events each year designed to update manufacturing staff on everything from health and safety changes, business strategy and company performance to the adoption of new production technology. This is sometimes coupled with skills training for these workers as and when appropriate. This has traditionally been done at the specialist training centre at their largest production facility, which doubles as the company’s headquarters. This practice partly stems from a time when the company only operated two production facilities in the country. It now operates across six geographically dispersed locations. Workers tend to view these training events as a bit of a waste of time, particularly when they are delivered by consultants with little real understanding of working processes at Choc Co. It is not unknown for workers to claim that the training they receive is outdated and tells them nothing that they don’t already know.

The head of training and development, responding to a call to cut costs from the HR director, is now of the opinion, however, that such long training programmes, often of up to three or four days, are no longer the most cost-effective and efficient means by which to develop the staff. Such training has the dual problem of requiring regular investment and repeat sessions to cover workers on different shifts or at different plants, as well as leading to undesirable downtime of certain aspects of production. In particular, the head of L&D is keen to reduce a reliance on external training providers to design and deliver interventions to different workforce groups, from senior management to shopfloor workers.

Moreover, the company has historically not evaluated the impact of these events. In the new era of cost-cutting and added value, however, the company is keen to ensure that the impact of all training interventions, however big or small, is measured.

Employee development programmes

A major investment in L&D at Choc Co. is in its manufacturing apprenticeship scheme and graduate development programme, both of which are widely viewed as models of good practice in the industry and beyond. These programmes are, however, under significant scrutiny by senior management to better understand the extent to which this investment provides value to the firm. One particular area under review is the turnover of employees who complete these programmes and then leave to work at other firms.

Ray Barbie, the head of learning and development at Choc Co. recently attended a seminar at a local university on ‘the changing nature of workplace HRD’. He was slightly alarmed to find out that much of the company’s practice was seen as outdated. In particular, he was interested in examining how some more contemporary approaches and techniques in HRD could help the company both reduce costs and better performance through continuous improvement.

• What changes would you recommend that Choc Co. make to their current learning and development provision in order to reduce costs and improve performance?
• Discuss how e-learning, competency frameworks and improved knowledge-sharing at Choc Co. might help to cut costs and make the HRD activity at Choc Co. more strategic.
• How might the firm seek to ensure a return on investment for its learning and development activity?

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Making Learning Relevant With Case Studies

The open-ended problems presented in case studies give students work that feels connected to their lives.

To prepare students for jobs that haven’t been created yet, we need to teach them how to be great problem solvers so that they’ll be ready for anything. One way to do this is by teaching content and skills using real-world case studies, a learning model that’s focused on reflection during the problem-solving process. It’s similar to project-based learning, but PBL is more focused on students creating a product.

Case studies have been used for years by businesses, law and medical schools, physicians on rounds, and artists critiquing work. Like other forms of problem-based learning, case studies can be accessible for every age group, both in one subject and in interdisciplinary work.

You can get started with case studies by tackling relatable questions like these with your students:

• How can we limit food waste in the cafeteria?
• How can we get our school to recycle and compost waste? (Or, if you want to be more complex, how can our school reduce its carbon footprint?)
• How can we improve school attendance?
• How can we reduce the number of people who get sick at school during cold and flu season?

Addressing questions like these leads students to identify topics they need to learn more about. In researching the first question, for example, students may see that they need to research food chains and nutrition. Students often ask, reasonably, why they need to learn something, or when they’ll use their knowledge in the future. Learning is most successful for students when the content and skills they’re studying are relevant, and case studies offer one way to create that sense of relevance.

Teaching With Case Studies

Ultimately, a case study is simply an interesting problem with many correct answers. What does case study work look like in classrooms? Teachers generally start by having students read the case or watch a video that summarizes the case. Students then work in small groups or individually to solve the case study. Teachers set milestones defining what students should accomplish to help them manage their time.

During the case study learning process, student assessment of learning should be focused on reflection. Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick’s Learning and Leading With Habits of Mind gives several examples of what this reflection can look like in a classroom: 

Journaling: At the end of each work period, have students write an entry summarizing what they worked on, what worked well, what didn’t, and why. Sentence starters and clear rubrics or guidelines will help students be successful. At the end of a case study project, as Costa and Kallick write, it’s helpful to have students “select significant learnings, envision how they could apply these learnings to future situations, and commit to an action plan to consciously modify their behaviors.”

Interviews: While working on a case study, students can interview each other about their progress and learning. Teachers can interview students individually or in small groups to assess their learning process and their progress.

Student discussion: Discussions can be unstructured—students can talk about what they worked on that day in a think-pair-share or as a full class—or structured, using Socratic seminars or fishbowl discussions. If your class is tackling a case study in small groups, create a second set of small groups with a representative from each of the case study groups so that the groups can share their learning.

4 Tips for Setting Up a Case Study

1. Identify a problem to investigate: This should be something accessible and relevant to students’ lives. The problem should also be challenging and complex enough to yield multiple solutions with many layers.

2. Give context: Think of this step as a movie preview or book summary. Hook the learners to help them understand just enough about the problem to want to learn more.

3. Have a clear rubric: Giving structure to your definition of quality group work and products will lead to stronger end products. You may be able to have your learners help build these definitions.

4. Provide structures for presenting solutions: The amount of scaffolding you build in depends on your students’ skill level and development. A case study product can be something like several pieces of evidence of students collaborating to solve the case study, and ultimately presenting their solution with a detailed slide deck or an essay—you can scaffold this by providing specified headings for the sections of the essay.

Problem-Based Teaching Resources

There are many high-quality, peer-reviewed resources that are open source and easily accessible online.

• The National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science at the University at Buffalo built an online collection of more than 800 cases that cover topics ranging from biochemistry to economics. There are resources for middle and high school students.
• Models of Excellence , a project maintained by EL Education and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, has examples of great problem- and project-based tasks—and corresponding exemplary student work—for grades pre-K to 12.
• The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning at Purdue University is an open-source journal that publishes examples of problem-based learning in K–12 and post-secondary classrooms.
• The Tech Edvocate has a list of websites and tools related to problem-based learning.

In their book Problems as Possibilities , Linda Torp and Sara Sage write that at the elementary school level, students particularly appreciate how they feel that they are taken seriously when solving case studies. At the middle school level, “researchers stress the importance of relating middle school curriculum to issues of student concern and interest.” And high schoolers, they write, find the case study method “beneficial in preparing them for their future.”

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Learning & Development - Online Learning Case Studies

The importance of Online Learning increases as companies and organizations become more global. eLearning allows organizations to train staff anywhere, any time.

Business owners  and  leaders in organizations and government provide training to staff to help them grow and become more effective team members. eLearning can also benefit the organization’s business development and sales efforts.

As a consultant I provide my clients with services in  strategy and implementation of their eLearning projects.

Check out the benefits of eLearning and case studies on this page to see a variety of projects in the Learning & Development space.

Benefits of eLearning:

24/7 availability.

Regardless of if you implement eLearning programs for your staff, partners or your distribution channel, your “students” can access the program at any time of day or night, from anywhere. This makes eLearning more flexible and accessible than any other learning options.

Improved Pedagogy

eLearning Industry points out that eLearning programs provide the ability to include gamification, which is particularly important for millennials (the generation born between 1976 and 2001). Gamification enhances learner engagement and improves retention. ( Source : eLearning Industry)

Enhanced Reach

It has become more important to reach audiences in different locations. They may be remote employees, staff in different locations or partners and distribution channels around the world. eLearning can be a cost-effective and interactive approach, especially when paired with web meetings.

No more travelling around the globe to attend training provided at a head office. eLearning comes to you, bringing an interactive workplace to any location and timezone.

Continued Learning

Today’s employees expect ongoing training and skill enhancement. A company that provides ongoing training to their staff will benefit from greater loyalty, improved staff integration and competence. Millennials are especially looking for work that is in line with their personal values and is personally rewarding.

Available Services

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How I work with my clients

Based on 20+ years of experience in my corporate career and consulting practice, I support my clients with needs analysis, stakeholder alignment, r e quirements setting and project implementation.

Let me support you and your team to get your web-based learning off the ground. From understanding your internal needs to finding the best implementation strategy. Regardless if you contract with developers around the world or require implementation on your favourite eLearning platform.

Are you an eLearning agency looking for members to expand your team? I also work as a freelance consultant.  Contact me to discuss your needs.

What My Clients Say:

PAMELA ROY, PH.D.

Manager of Learning & Assessment

Diversity Abroad

"Diversity Abroad is the leading professional consortium of educational institutions, government agencies, for-profit and non-profit organizations dedicated to advancing diversity and inclusive good practices that increase access, achieve equitable diversity and foster inclusive excellence in global education. We consulted with Petra Mayer to create a Request for Proposal for an eLearning project designed to support faculty members at US higher education institutions to more effectively plan, implement and lead inclusive education abroad programs. Petra guided us through the discovery process and documented our needs and assumptions so as to better communicate with developers. She also created a survey for our members and provided us with a short list of developers and alternative system solutions. Through the work with Petra, we gained much greater clarity on the project."

Learning & Development Case Studies

The following case studies demonstrate a variety of projects I have been involved in over the past 20+ years. I am skilled in strategy development, needs analysis and requirements settings. I can also act as project lead for your training project or support your project during the delivery phase.

The following case studies cover the full spectrum of eLearning development.

In this example we we cover the process of taking a client through a LMS Discovery Project to better understand the organization’s business, technical and security requirements.

In this example we describe how we helped the Subject Matter Experts in a Construction Firm following a process documentation project on creating a curriculum for a high priority topic. 

In this example we took a team of Subject Matter Experts through the creation of curriculum for the courses they are tasked to develop.  After helping them to establish their course outline, we provided guidance in course creation on their LMS.

In this example we implemented an LMS for a non-profit, developed training for staff and supported the development for modular training during a 2-year client engagement. 

Feasibility study for a Learning Management System (LMS) based on a Request for Information (RFI) and 8 vendor responses. (2019)

Software Training development and LMS implementation for a US software company in conjunction with their internal SMEs (2021)

eLearning Certification Program consisting of multiple courses for a Technology Company. Implementation using Articulate Storyline 360. (2018)

eLearning Module by Rocky Mountaineer travel agents around the world to gain product knowledge. Implementation using Brainshark to accommodate resource and maintenance needs (2015)

Developing clear requirements is crucial for eLearning. This case study demonstrates the process of documenting requirements for RFP purposes (2017).

Development of an interactive game-based eLearning module for the OneWorld Alliance. The purpose was to educate airline staff and travel agents on the benefits and products of the airline alliance (2008)

Development of an interactive game-based eLearning module for the one world Alliance. The purpose was to educate airline staff and travel agents on the benefits and products of the airline alliance (2008)

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What the Case Study Method Really Teaches

• Nitin Nohria

Seven meta-skills that stick even if the cases fade from memory.

It’s been 100 years since Harvard Business School began using the case study method. Beyond teaching specific subject matter, the case study method excels in instilling meta-skills in students. This article explains the importance of seven such skills: preparation, discernment, bias recognition, judgement, collaboration, curiosity, and self-confidence.

During my decade as dean of Harvard Business School, I spent hundreds of hours talking with our alumni. To enliven these conversations, I relied on a favorite question: “What was the most important thing you learned from your time in our MBA program?”

• Nitin Nohria is the George F. Baker Jr. and Distinguished Service University Professor. He served as the 10th dean of Harvard Business School, from 2010 to 2020.

Partner Center

A transformation of the learning function: Why it should learn new ways

Organizations are acutely aware of the importance of learning in today’s business environment. They understand that technology is changing the nature of work and the roles within it. They also understand that the ability of the workforce to learn new skills, model new behaviors, and adapt continuously is key to sustained success. Hence the elevated role of the learning-and-development (L&D) function, which must work together with business leaders to enable an organization to learn effectively, at speed, and at scale.

Learning needs to be deeply integrated with an organization’s strategy and core talent processes, such as performance management. Yet many companies feel their functions are ill equipped to play such a role. Rather than being regarded as one of the most forward-thinking functions in an organization, leading it through a learning transformation, many feel that their L&D functions struggle to keep up with the needs of their businesses. 1 For an example, see Nick van Dam ed., Elevating L&D: Insights and Practical Guidance from the Field , Morrisville, NC: Lulu Press, 2018, p. 23.

Not so the L&D function of a US healthcare company that played a pivotal role in helping the organization respond to the COVID-19 crisis. When 90 percent of the 55,000-strong workforce suddenly began working remotely, within 24 hours, the function produced and posted online videos and learning modules to help workers set up equipment at home and log on securely (relieving a severely overstretched IT department that was already taking thousands of daily inquiries). And it curated new “playlists” of learning modules for employees on its digital platform, tailoring them to help workers find the information they needed quickly and navigate the crisis more effectively.

That burst of activity did not divert the function from continuing to support the company in achieving its strategic goals. The company’s hiring program went ahead, thanks in part to the L&D function helping onboard 200 new recruits virtually. The function also converted critical leadership-development programs into digitally enabled sessions, facilitated calls for 1,400 leaders to help them build the behaviors required to manage teams remotely and ensure that productivity did not drop, and helped business teams learn about the latest technologies required to serve their clients in new, digitized ways.

“It all came together,” said the global head of the organization’s corporate university. “The online learning platform, the L&D operating model, and the function’s capabilities—all of which we have been building since 2017—allowed us to meet the needs of the business in real time.” That key observation helps explain why few L&D functions excel in their new roles. It is because most focus on the learning programs and how to deliver them on a digital platform, overlooking how the function is organized and its capabilities.

Good learning programs are, of course, critical. But the utility of even the best will be limited if not based upon an intimate understanding of an organization’s needs and an ability to forecast and respond to them rapidly—just as the US healthcare company did. And for that to happen, the L&D function must itself undergo a transformation and adopt an agile operating model.

Would you like to learn more about McKinsey Academy ?

The learning function of the future.

Organizations and functions that have undergone agile transformations have been shown to outperform in fast-changing operating environments, delivering higher customer and employee satisfaction, lower costs, and quicker times to market . Such a transformation entails adopting an operating model whereby every element of an organization or function—its strategy, structure, people, processes, and technology—becomes more dynamic, with support from a stable backbone that ensures efficiency and consistency where needed.

In our experience, most L&D functions today are overly stable—to the point of rigidity. Staff in course-design, content-management, program-delivery, and digital-platform support often work in different departments that have their own key performance indicators, which are not necessarily linked to overall business goals. For example, the performance of those in design and development is typically judged by the velocity at which they can produce error-free content and the number of training hours undertaken by learners, not necessarily the quality of the training and its impact. In the delivery of a learning program, the key metrics are typically efficiency (the numbers in a classroom), faculty utilization, and feedback from participants rather than any measure of the degree of learning or behavioral change. And content management is evaluated by how quickly material is updated rather than its relevance to business needs.

Those factors mean that L&D staff struggle to collaborate well as they focus on what is meaningful to them rather than on broader organizational goals and associated key performance indicators, such as whether programs help people improve in their jobs and provide a positive business impact. L&D employees can also be reluctant to change systems that worked well in the past but that do not support next-generation learning. Protracted, linear project life cycles; extensive template catalogs with standard operating procedures; and cumbersome legacy platforms and systems slow down the response rate to changing business needs.

The antidote to those challenges is not complete laissez-faire. An L&D function would be directionless without a long-term strategy , learners confused if design principles were inconsistently applied, and a company’s finances at risk in the absence of disciplined guidelines  for expenditure and vendor relationships. Rather, an L&D function needs to strike the right balance between stability and dynamism, assembling the components that will create a stable backbone as well as the dynamism needed for the function to keep pace with an organization’s learning needs.

To emerge stronger from the COVID-19 crisis, companies should start reskilling their workforces now

Stability and dynamism.

The exhibit shows how organizations can build both stability and dynamism into all elements of an L&D function: its strategy, structure, people, processes, and tech and systems. For instance, stability comes with a clear mandate, strategy, and budget linked to strategic priorities to guide the function’s work, but the function must also assess the learning needs of the business regularly so it can keep realigning resources. And for that, it needs a more dynamic governance structure whereby its steering committee meets regularly—perhaps quarterly—to review budget allocation.

Similarly, an L&D function needs a solid bench of experts in fields such as experience design, multichannel delivery, curation, and analytics. Those areas will add significant value to the work of the function and the organization. But there should also be a “flow to work” pool of resources that can staff priorities rapidly as required—for example, a group of instructional designers who can work across different content areas and support different business units as needed.

Importantly, L&D team members will often work as part of cross-functional project teams that have end-to-end ownership and decision-making authority, which are key elements of an agile operation that strives to deliver fast. To stay relevant, the function will also need to keep updating its skill profile.

When it comes to technology and systems, the L&D team has to set high cybersecurity and user-experience standards for stability. But for dynamism, it should also build partnerships so that its delivery capabilities are always cutting edge.

How to get there

The art of the possible.

A European bank with around 90,000 employees recognized that its learning-and-development (L&D) function was unable to keep up with the demand for fast, flexible learning to meet business needs. So the bank embarked on an ambitious transformation of the function.

In the first four months, a cross-functional team developed a future vision whereby a rich library of content would be available on a digital platform, tailored to individuals’ needs. It would be the Netflix of learning. The team also designed an L&D operating model and technology road map to support that vision.

Over the next six months, working in cross-functional teams that included learners, business leaders, and subject-matter, digital, and legal experts, the L&D function selected a cloud-based-technology vendor and designed its user interface, all while testing and learning. It then began rolling out a pilot consisting of 20 bite-size learning modules for 20,000 users. Previously, digital training programs were two- to three-hours long, which discouraged people from signing up for them—especially if they feared much of the content would be irrelevant. With the content broken into much smaller, three- to five-minute modules, users could pick exactly what they needed.

Within another 12 months, the L&D function had created 2,000 modules that reached 50,000 employees. The use of artificial intelligence to take account of user preferences, user feedback, performance-management feedback, and even real-time performance on the job helped personalize the modules.

Within the first two years of the transformation, the following had been achieved:

• The proportion of training delivered digitally reached 85 percent.
• User-satisfaction scores rose by 17 percentage points.
• The cost of training-hours consumed fell by 50 percent in aggregate.
• The training budget was able to be reduced by 10 percent.
• The time people had to wait to receive training decreased by an average of 75 percent.

Within four years, the L&D function had generated more than 4,000 learning modules and had the technology infrastructure, talent, and working practices in place to allow it to keep pace with the bank’s learning needs, no matter how rapidly they shifted.

The time it takes to transform an L&D function and the actions required will vary by organization. A 12- to 24-month journey is not uncommon, depending on the starting point, complexity, desired speed, and boldness of an organization. Most transformations, however, require the following groundwork:

• Set the learning vision. Establishing an L&D “North Star” linked to an organization’s strategic priorities (that is, making clear the goal both in efficiency—the time it takes to create a learning asset, for example—and in improved business performance) is a hallmark of a successful agile transformation. Everyone knows what success will look like. The goal should be ambitious, so it is important to understand what leading-edge practices can achieve (see sidebar, “The art of the possible”). But it is important that business leaders help set the goal so that L&D stays anchored to unlocking value.
• Assess the point of departure. An honest assessment of an L&D function’s current capabilities and readiness for change will help determine the appropriate interventions and priorities. The assessment should include input from learning professionals, end users, and business leaders and cover the five elements previously outlined. “Performance grids” can help organizations gauge how their L&D functions measure up against best practices and thus help identify goals and priorities.
• Design the operating model and the way ahead. With a clear understanding of a starting point, an organization can plan its L&D function’s structure, processes, and required capabilities; set a budget; and decide on initiatives and their sequencing. It is important to begin with initiatives that will capture significant business value—perhaps large-scale reskilling if a company is transforming in response to automation and new market opportunities—while incorporating quick wins to maintain momentum. Those could be pilots to shift to a digital customer-service model within certain business areas or ongoing programs, such as for onboarding and leadership development.

As in any agile transformation, implementation is an iterative process. Some companies might choose to change the way their entire L&D functions work from day one, willing to bear the short-term disruptions that will likely cause in return for a faster transformation. Most, however, start with one or more pilots and learn from them before further extending the new ways of working. Either way, continuous improvement is critical. As business and external environments change, so must L&D functions, their strategies, and their operating models.

L&D functions have unparalleled access to data and research that reveal how workers grow and improve, and they have long experience helping workers to do exactly that. If they can combine that knowledge and experience with an ability to understand and stay ahead of the changing needs of their organizations, they can deliver learning programs accordingly. That will help lead organizations forward at a time when talent is so critical to success. For many L&D functions, however, that goal will mean transforming the ways they operate.

Nicolai Chen Nielsen is an expert associate partner in McKinsey’s New York office, Faridun Dotiwala is a partner in the Mumbai office, and Matthew Murray is a senior knowledge expert and learning architect in the Chicago office.

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The most fundamental skill: Intentional learning and the career advantage

Learning and development leaders from top European companies gathered in Paris in September 2020 to share how they are managing the new world of work and to discuss challenges and new best practices.

Senior executives from Microsoft, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Uber, Thales, LinkedIn, and KPMG shared case studies about what has worked in their organisations, while academic and corporate experts revealed trends shaping the future.

Where does L&D stand in this turbulent year, and how can you prepare for the journey ahead? Here are 7 surprising tips from this unusual gathering.

#1. A teacher, not a textbook.

This year, even more learning is going digital – a trend confirmed by Makoto Miyasako, Head of Talent Management and Analytics at OECD, and Philippe Gerbelot-Barrillon, Head of LinkedIn Learning France, who both shared data from their organisations. Other reports also highlight this trend .

The accelerated shift to digital has its drawbacks. Many people miss a sense of human connection, and creating sustained engagement in fully online programmes remains difficult, according to Alexandre Glas, VP of Product and Data at online learning platform HUH Corporate.

A common design flaw of online learning programmes is that they resemble a digital textbook, said Alexandre. But, while everyone remembers their favourite teacher, who remembers their favourite textbook? – he asked. The problem is not how to build a better textbook. “ We can all have access to knowledge now, almost for free, ” Alexandre pointed out. L&D’s mission should be to fill the role of a live teacher or mentor. Programmes should be designed with engagement as the main goal.

Read: The Risks and Benefits of Emerging Technology for HR (Interview)

#2. The learning is the culture.

Alex Baggerman, Workforce of the Future Lead at KPMG Netherlands, has an unconventional idea. What if training, culture, talent management, leadership models, and other strategic policies were all covered under a single learning agenda?

After internal research, Alex came up with a framework that includes all roles within the organisation with their respective skills and responsibilities. This creates radical transparency – it is easy to see where everyone stands and how one can rise to the next level in the organisation. That gives people ownership of their role and career, Alex said.

An added benefit is that this framework also becomes the blueprint of corporate culture, as it brings everyone together. “ We don’t need to have a culture programme. This is a culture programme. You just go to the same course and talk to each other ,” Alex said. This is what happens when L&D takes the lead: a company’s values are integral to each person’s role, and people feel united around a shared cause.

#3. Expand L&D beyond the organisation.

Laurent Hamel, CLO of Microsoft France, takes the idea of aligning L&D with company strategy to a whole new level. He proposes a shared learning experience for employees and customers.

Microsoft uses the same learning management system (LMS) for both internal and external trainings, Laurent shared. That way, the company delivers shared skills and values to all stakeholders. This is the fast track to creating a shared culture that extends even beyond the company. At the same time, it is a way to upskill more people who can fill the emerging tech jobs of the future.

With learning as a key value at the very top, Microsoft is reimagining itself as an educator, delivering skills and development for all. It is an inspiring story for how far L&D can go.

Read:  Build Technical Skills and Aim for Innovation: Microsoft CLO Advice for L&D Leaders

#4. Diversify to reach everyone.

L&D offerings need to be adapted to various audiences for maximum impact. Segmentation has been a key principle in marketing for years, and now it is shaping learning and development as well.

Makoto, from OECD, studies how the impact of programmes varies according to demographic traits like nationality or gender. He has uncovered surprising correlations: for example, in-person and online learning modalities affect men and women differently. If a course is completely face-to-face, women had higher completion rates, whereas men complete more fully online courses.

This does not imply any essential gender differences – the reason may be that women occupy different job roles, or other contextual factors not covered by Makoto’s research. What matters for L&D leaders is that they should use data to anticipate uneven impact and unintended consequences.

L&D leaders should track learning data and use it to maximise reach. They can boost inclusion by delivering solutions suitable for different audiences.

#5. Peer-to-peer on all levels: train leaders who can create other leaders.

What if executives could become coaches who spread a learning culture throughout the organisation? Victoria Feldman, former Global Leadership Development manager at Uber, achieved this by getting them to practise together in supportive learning groups.

In a leadership programme at Uber, Victoria employed the 70-20-10 learning model, in which only 10% consists of formal training. The majority, 70%, is social – learners use new strategies and behaviours in day-to-day interactions, and then discuss what they observed in “coaching pods” of 5 people.

The programme had a satisfaction score of 94% among nearly 2,000 learners in 16 countries. The takeaway: empower leaders to learn from each other, so they can use the same strategy to coach employees. This sustained momentum means that a programme’s impact only continues to grow.

#6. Resilience is a team effort.

Employees and leaders are often told that they need to build resilience. But resilience is not simply a personal quality, said Jeremie Brecheisen, Senior Managing Consultant, Gallup. It depends on the workplace conditions.

What makes for resilient employees and, consequently, organisations? Gallup identified these 5 requirements:

• Employees know what is expected of them
• They have the equipment needed to do their job
• Employees can do what they do best every day
• They feel their job’s mission or purpose is important
• They feel their co-workers are committed to quality work

These are all factors in which HR and L&D can make a difference – from allowing people to develop their strengths, to helping them connect with their purpose. Meeting these needs measurably increases organisational resilience.

#7. Make space for “uncomfortable conversations”.

For the first time since measurement began in 2000, world events are directly tied to engagement at work, Gallup’s data shows. Engagement rose when the Covid-19 pandemic started. It dipped again when the Black Lives Matter protests began, only to quickly shoot up to record levels within a few weeks, as more people engaged with these events. This shows that “ business and the things that are happening outside of that are becoming more interconnected than ever, ” Jeremie concluded.

In light of this, companies should revisit their expectations about how employees relate to work. Keeping social and personal concerns away from work is no longer relevant, according to Nicholas Hamilton-Archer, Director of Executive Education at Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University (US). The best policy for companies, Nick advised, is to make space for open and honest conversations. That may push people out of their comfort zone, but it can open up vast opportunities for growth.

Nicholas Davis, Professor of Practice at Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University (US), agrees that employees and leaders should bring their whole selves to work. This applies to learning, too: a “co-designed, co-learning development journey” that factors in their preferences and values is more effective, he said.

Allow employees to connect with their passions at work, and as they lean into their purpose, the benefits for both culture and productivity would be significant.

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Learning and Development Case Study: Heinz - A training scheme full of beans

After identifying the need to shift its training from external suppliers to an internal programme, Heinz set up Learning Bitez, covering skills from Outlook to can-making.

The challenge

As an employer of around 3,000 people in the UK alone, Heinz has always made a significant investment in external training. However, time pressures mean that releasing staff to undertake courses is a constant challenge.

At the same time, the company has been seeking ways to make the most of the wealth of knowledge, expertise and skills from within its workforce.

The programme

Last year's graduate intake helped to identify the need for shorter-term internal training , according to Pat Rees, Heinz's talent manager. "The graduates were assigned to different sites and had short training sessions called 'Lunch and Learn' with various heads of departments," she says.

"They reported how other managers were extremely interested in what they'd learned from these. We'd already realised a dynamic workplace needs regular updates. Processes change but we knew we could be drawing more on our internal talent pool."

Diving into big business:

The FA on HR in the public eye

The wonderful everyday: HR at Ikea

Smoothie does it: HR at Innocent Drinks

These lunchtime training concepts have evolved and, since January 2009, been rebranded Learning Bitez - workshops lasting between one and four hours, not necessarily at lunchtime, run internally and led by Heinz staff. Already, 600 people have sampled one or more of the 'bitez'.

Topics range from how to get the best out of Outlook to an introduction to can-making. They are prompted by the identification of a general need or by a department volunteering.

"The finance team discovered the financial parts of the monthly reports often went over people's heads, so proposed a learning bite to explain this in more detail," says Rees. "It started at our Hayes Park site, but has since spread out to other sites."

There are 61 bitez on offer at the moment but this list is growing and some are so popular they are regularly repeated. Some are relevant to a wide range of employees, while others are more specific.

"An introduction to can-filling can be tailored to the departments that provide services to this operation," says Rees. "This can help iron out potential problems."

Staff find out about the workshops available via internal communications and then book, with the approval of their line manager, through an online system. The HR department manages the booking process and deals with preparation and post-course evaluation, leaving the course leaders to focus on content.

The results

The best measurement of short bursts of training is immediate feedback and ongoing popularity, and Rees says both demonstrate staff enthusiasm. The concept has been embraced more fully at larger sites that are better equipped and have a greater spread of expertise, but Heinz is working on wider take-up, and when the content lends itself to remote participation , the company uses technology to enable employees to join in.

The HR view

Pat Rees is Heinz's talent manager. "Learning Bitez have been around for a year but they have made such an impact it is as if they've always been there," says Rees. "There's an agility about the way the courses start and I'd like to keep this so the training is always done by someone with a passion. Internal staff know their audiences, they already know where the problems are and how they can tailor their information.

"Some courses are extremely popular - how to get the best out of Outlook, for example. We just assume people know this but our head of IT took it upon himself to develop training," Rees adds.

"He trained 35 people last month and there are 30 more signed up for the January session. The short courses allow people to sample a subject - such as coaching - before embarking on a longer course. They make our resources go further and encourage greater cross-functional engagement and interaction, while providing real business benefits."

The employee view

Val Lowe is HR administrator at Heinz. "I did the personal effectiveness learning bite in November. The course leader took us through the ways in which Outlook had been dominating our days and how we could organise our time better ," says Lowe.

"We looked at to-do lists and tasks, how to arrange diaries and get emails under control. I used to keep about 300 emails on my system and now I've got that down to about 10," Lowe adds.

"I've also learned to turn off my email alert and to take a more disciplined approach by only looking at them at set times in the day. That way, I'm able to concentrate on the task I'm doing and not get distracted. I sift through and copy them into task lists.

"I have definitely found the course really useful and would highly recommend it to anyone. I finished the course, went back to my desk and was able to use the learning almost straight away. I am now thinking of leading a session myself."

Further reading

Learning and development case study: First Group

Learning and Development Case Study: Cable & Wireless - Keeping pace with fast change

How does the business partner model work for learning and development professionals?

What's new in learning and development technology for 2023

Case study: Creating a learning culture at Airbus

Heinz's new training programme is proving its worth in increased staff engagement

L&D case study: Co-operative Financial Services

Learning: Union learning reps - Training champions

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Case-based learning (CBL) is an established approach used across disciplines where students apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios, promoting higher levels of cognition (see Bloom’s Taxonomy ). In CBL classrooms, students typically work in groups on case studies, stories involving one or more characters and/or scenarios.  The cases present a disciplinary problem or problems for which students devise solutions under the guidance of the instructor. CBL has a strong history of successful implementation in medical, law, and business schools, and is increasingly used within undergraduate education, particularly within pre-professional majors and the sciences (Herreid, 1994). This method involves guided inquiry and is grounded in constructivism whereby students form new meanings by interacting with their knowledge and the environment (Lee, 2012).

There are a number of benefits to using CBL in the classroom. In a review of the literature, Williams (2005) describes how CBL: utilizes collaborative learning, facilitates the integration of learning, develops students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to learn, encourages learner self-reflection and critical reflection, allows for scientific inquiry, integrates knowledge and practice, and supports the development of a variety of learning skills.

CBL has several defining characteristics, including versatility, storytelling power, and efficient self-guided learning.  In a systematic analysis of 104 articles in health professions education, CBL was found to be utilized in courses with less than 50 to over 1000 students (Thistlethwaite et al., 2012). In these classrooms, group sizes ranged from 1 to 30, with most consisting of 2 to 15 students.  Instructors varied in the proportion of time they implemented CBL in the classroom, ranging from one case spanning two hours of classroom time, to year-long case-based courses. These findings demonstrate that instructors use CBL in a variety of ways in their classrooms.

The stories that comprise the framework of case studies are also a key component to CBL’s effectiveness. Jonassen and Hernandez-Serrano (2002, p.66) describe how storytelling:

Is a method of negotiating and renegotiating meanings that allows us to enter into other’s realms of meaning through messages they utter in their stories,

Helps us find our place in a culture,

Allows us to explicate and to interpret, and

Facilitates the attainment of vicarious experience by helping us to distinguish the positive models to emulate from the negative model.

Neurochemically, listening to stories can activate oxytocin, a hormone that increases one’s sensitivity to social cues, resulting in more empathy, generosity, compassion and trustworthiness (Zak, 2013; Kosfeld et al., 2005). The stories within case studies serve as a means by which learners form new understandings through characters and/or scenarios.

CBL is often described in conjunction or in comparison with problem-based learning (PBL). While the lines are often confusingly blurred within the literature, in the most conservative of definitions, the features distinguishing the two approaches include that PBL involves open rather than guided inquiry, is less structured, and the instructor plays a more passive role. In PBL multiple solutions to the problem may exit, but the problem is often initially not well-defined. PBL also has a stronger emphasis on developing self-directed learning. The choice between implementing CBL versus PBL is highly dependent on the goals and context of the instruction.  For example, in a comparison of PBL and CBL approaches during a curricular shift at two medical schools, students and faculty preferred CBL to PBL (Srinivasan et al., 2007). Students perceived CBL to be a more efficient process and more clinically applicable. However, in another context, PBL might be the favored approach.

In a review of the effectiveness of CBL in health profession education, Thistlethwaite et al. (2012), found several benefits:

Students enjoyed the method and thought it enhanced their learning,

Instructors liked how CBL engaged students in learning,

CBL seemed to facilitate small group learning, but the authors could not distinguish between whether it was the case itself or the small group learning that occurred as facilitated by the case.

Other studies have also reported on the effectiveness of CBL in achieving learning outcomes (Bonney, 2015; Breslin, 2008; Herreid, 2013; Krain, 2016). These findings suggest that CBL is a vehicle of engagement for instruction, and facilitates an environment whereby students can construct knowledge.

Science – Students are given a scenario to which they apply their basic science knowledge and problem-solving skills to help them solve the case. One example within the biological sciences is two brothers who have a family history of a genetic illness. They each have mutations within a particular sequence in their DNA. Students work through the case and draw conclusions about the biological impacts of these mutations using basic science. Sample cases: You are Not the Mother of Your Children ; Organic Chemisty and Your Cellphone: Organic Light-Emitting Diodes ;   A Light on Physics: F-Number and Exposure Time

Medicine – Medical or pre-health students read about a patient presenting with specific symptoms. Students decide which questions are important to ask the patient in their medical history, how long they have experienced such symptoms, etc. The case unfolds and students use clinical reasoning, propose relevant tests, develop a differential diagnoses and a plan of treatment. Sample cases: The Case of the Crying Baby: Surgical vs. Medical Management ; The Plan: Ethics and Physician Assisted Suicide ; The Haemophilus Vaccine: A Victory for Immunologic Engineering

Public Health – A case study describes a pandemic of a deadly infectious disease. Students work through the case to identify Patient Zero, the person who was the first to spread the disease, and how that individual became infected.  Sample cases: The Protective Parent ; The Elusive Tuberculosis Case: The CDC and Andrew Speaker ; Credible Voice: WHO-Beijing and the SARS Crisis

Law – A case study presents a legal dilemma for which students use problem solving to decide the best way to advise and defend a client. Students are presented information that changes during the case.  Sample cases: Mortgage Crisis Call (abstract) ; The Case of the Unpaid Interns (abstract) ; Police-Community Dialogue (abstract)

Business – Students work on a case study that presents the history of a business success or failure. They apply business principles learned in the classroom and assess why the venture was successful or not. Sample cases: SELCO-Determining a path forward ; Project Masiluleke: Texting and Testing to Fight HIV/AIDS in South Africa ; Mayo Clinic: Design Thinking in Healthcare

Humanities - Students consider a case that presents a theater facing financial and management difficulties. They apply business and theater principles learned in the classroom to the case, working together to create solutions for the theater. Sample cases: David Geffen School of Drama

Recommendations

Finding and Writing Cases

Consider utilizing or adapting open access cases - The availability of open resources and databases containing cases that instructors can download makes this approach even more accessible in the classroom. Two examples of open databases are the Case Center on Public Leadership and Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Case Program , which focus on government, leadership and public policy case studies.

• Consider writing original cases - In the event that an instructor is unable to find open access cases relevant to their course learning objectives, they may choose to write their own. See the following resources on case writing: Cooking with Betty Crocker: A Recipe for Case Writing ; The Way of Flesch: The Art of Writing Readable Cases ;   Twixt Fact and Fiction: A Case Writer’s Dilemma ; And All That Jazz: An Essay Extolling the Virtues of Writing Case Teaching Notes .

Implementing Cases

Take baby steps if new to CBL - While entire courses and curricula may involve case-based learning, instructors who desire to implement on a smaller-scale can integrate a single case into their class, and increase the number of cases utilized over time as desired.

Use cases in classes that are small, medium or large - Cases can be scaled to any course size. In large classes with stadium seating, students can work with peers nearby, while in small classes with more flexible seating arrangements, teams can move their chairs closer together. CBL can introduce more noise (and energy) in the classroom to which an instructor often quickly becomes accustomed. Further, students can be asked to work on cases outside of class, and wrap up discussion during the next class meeting.

Encourage collaborative work - Cases present an opportunity for students to work together to solve cases which the historical literature supports as beneficial to student learning (Bruffee, 1993). Allow students to work in groups to answer case questions.

Form diverse teams as feasible - When students work within diverse teams they can be exposed to a variety of perspectives that can help them solve the case. Depending on the context of the course, priorities, and the background information gathered about the students enrolled in the class, instructors may choose to organize student groups to allow for diversity in factors such as current course grades, gender, race/ethnicity, personality, among other items.  

Use stable teams as appropriate - If CBL is a large component of the course, a research-supported practice is to keep teams together long enough to go through the stages of group development: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning (Tuckman, 1965).

Walk around to guide groups - In CBL instructors serve as facilitators of student learning. Walking around allows the instructor to monitor student progress as well as identify and support any groups that may be struggling. Teaching assistants can also play a valuable role in supporting groups.

Interrupt strategically - Only every so often, for conversation in large group discussion of the case, especially when students appear confused on key concepts. An effective practice to help students meet case learning goals is to guide them as a whole group when the class is ready. This may include selecting a few student groups to present answers to discussion questions to the entire class, asking the class a question relevant to the case using polling software, and/or performing a mini-lesson on an area that appears to be confusing among students.  

Assess student learning in multiple ways - Students can be assessed informally by asking groups to report back answers to various case questions. This practice also helps students stay on task, and keeps them accountable. Cases can also be included on exams using related scenarios where students are asked to apply their knowledge.

Barrows HS. (1996). Problem-based learning in medicine and beyond: a brief overview. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 68, 3-12.  

Bonney KM. (2015). Case Study Teaching Method Improves Student Performance and Perceptions of Learning Gains. Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, 16(1): 21-28.

Breslin M, Buchanan, R. (2008) On the Case Study Method of Research and Teaching in Design.  Design Issues, 24(1), 36-40.

Bruffee KS. (1993). Collaborative learning: Higher education, interdependence, and authority of knowledge. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD.

Herreid CF. (2013). Start with a Story: The Case Study Method of Teaching College Science, edited by Clyde Freeman Herreid. Originally published in 2006 by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA); reprinted by the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science (NCCSTS) in 2013.

Herreid CH. (1994). Case studies in science: A novel method of science education. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 23(4), 221–229.

Jonassen DH and Hernandez-Serrano J. (2002). Case-based reasoning and instructional design: Using stories to support problem solving. Educational Technology, Research and Development, 50(2), 65-77.  

Kosfeld M, Heinrichs M, Zak PJ, Fischbacher U, Fehr E. (2005). Oxytocin increases trust in humans. Nature, 435, 673-676.

Krain M. (2016) Putting the learning in case learning? The effects of case-based approaches on student knowledge, attitudes, and engagement. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 27(2), 131-153.

Lee V. (2012). What is Inquiry-Guided Learning?  New Directions for Learning, 129:5-14.

Nkhoma M, Sriratanaviriyakul N. (2017). Using case method to enrich students’ learning outcomes. Active Learning in Higher Education, 18(1):37-50.

Srinivasan et al. (2007). Comparing problem-based learning with case-based learning: Effects of a major curricular shift at two institutions. Academic Medicine, 82(1): 74-82.

Thistlethwaite JE et al. (2012). The effectiveness of case-based learning in health professional education. A BEME systematic review: BEME Guide No. 23.  Medical Teacher, 34, e421-e444.

Tuckman B. (1965). Development sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63(6), 384-99.

Williams B. (2005). Case-based learning - a review of the literature: is there scope for this educational paradigm in prehospital education? Emerg Med, 22, 577-581.

Zak, PJ (2013). How Stories Change the Brain. Retrieved from: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_stories_change_brain

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Case Study Teaching Method Improves Student Performance and Perceptions of Learning Gains †

Associated data.

• Appendix 1: Example assessment questions used to assess the effectiveness of case studies at promoting learning
• Appendix 2: Student learning gains were assessed using a modified version of the SALG course evaluation tool

Following years of widespread use in business and medical education, the case study teaching method is becoming an increasingly common teaching strategy in science education. However, the current body of research provides limited evidence that the use of published case studies effectively promotes the fulfillment of specific learning objectives integral to many biology courses. This study tested the hypothesis that case studies are more effective than classroom discussions and textbook reading at promoting learning of key biological concepts, development of written and oral communication skills, and comprehension of the relevance of biological concepts to everyday life. This study also tested the hypothesis that case studies produced by the instructor of a course are more effective at promoting learning than those produced by unaffiliated instructors. Additionally, performance on quantitative learning assessments and student perceptions of learning gains were analyzed to determine whether reported perceptions of learning gains accurately reflect academic performance. The results reported here suggest that case studies, regardless of the source, are significantly more effective than other methods of content delivery at increasing performance on examination questions related to chemical bonds, osmosis and diffusion, mitosis and meiosis, and DNA structure and replication. This finding was positively correlated to increased student perceptions of learning gains associated with oral and written communication skills and the ability to recognize connections between biological concepts and other aspects of life. Based on these findings, case studies should be considered as a preferred method for teaching about a variety of concepts in science courses.

INTRODUCTION

The case study teaching method is a highly adaptable style of teaching that involves problem-based learning and promotes the development of analytical skills ( 8 ). By presenting content in the format of a narrative accompanied by questions and activities that promote group discussion and solving of complex problems, case studies facilitate development of the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive learning; moving beyond recall of knowledge to analysis, evaluation, and application ( 1 , 9 ). Similarly, case studies facilitate interdisciplinary learning and can be used to highlight connections between specific academic topics and real-world societal issues and applications ( 3 , 9 ). This has been reported to increase student motivation to participate in class activities, which promotes learning and increases performance on assessments ( 7 , 16 , 19 , 23 ). For these reasons, case-based teaching has been widely used in business and medical education for many years ( 4 , 11 , 12 , 14 ). Although case studies were considered a novel method of science education just 20 years ago, the case study teaching method has gained popularity in recent years among an array of scientific disciplines such as biology, chemistry, nursing, and psychology ( 5 – 7 , 9 , 11 , 13 , 15 – 17 , 21 , 22 , 24 ).

Although there is now a substantive and growing body of literature describing how to develop and use case studies in science teaching, current research on the effectiveness of case study teaching at meeting specific learning objectives is of limited scope and depth. Studies have shown that working in groups during completion of case studies significantly improves student perceptions of learning and may increase performance on assessment questions, and that the use of clickers can increase student engagement in case study activities, particularly among non-science majors, women, and freshmen ( 7 , 21 , 22 ). Case study teaching has been shown to improve exam performance in an anatomy and physiology course, increasing the mean score across all exams given in a two-semester sequence from 66% to 73% ( 5 ). Use of case studies was also shown to improve students’ ability to synthesize complex analytical questions about the real-world issues associated with a scientific topic ( 6 ). In a high school chemistry course, it was demonstrated that the case study teaching method produces significant increases in self-reported control of learning, task value, and self-efficacy for learning and performance ( 24 ). This effect on student motivation is important because enhanced motivation for learning activities has been shown to promote student engagement and academic performance ( 19 , 24 ). Additionally, faculty from a number of institutions have reported that using case studies promotes critical thinking, learning, and participation among students, especially in terms of the ability to view an issue from multiple perspectives and to grasp the practical application of core course concepts ( 23 ).

Despite what is known about the effectiveness of case studies in science education, questions remain about the functionality of the case study teaching method at promoting specific learning objectives that are important to many undergraduate biology courses. A recent survey of teachers who use case studies found that the topics most often covered in general biology courses included genetics and heredity, cell structure, cells and energy, chemistry of life, and cell cycle and cancer, suggesting that these topics should be of particular interest in studies that examine the effectiveness of the case study teaching method ( 8 ). However, the existing body of literature lacks direct evidence that the case study method is an effective tool for teaching about this collection of important topics in biology courses. Further, the extent to which case study teaching promotes development of science communication skills and the ability to understand the connections between biological concepts and everyday life has not been examined, yet these are core learning objectives shared by a variety of science courses. Although many instructors have produced case studies for use in their own classrooms, the production of novel case studies is time-consuming and requires skills that not all instructors have perfected. It is therefore important to determine whether case studies published by instructors who are unaffiliated with a particular course can be used effectively and obviate the need for each instructor to develop new case studies for their own courses. The results reported herein indicate that teaching with case studies results in significantly higher performance on examination questions about chemical bonds, osmosis and diffusion, mitosis and meiosis, and DNA structure and replication than that achieved by class discussions and textbook reading for topics of similar complexity. Case studies also increased overall student perceptions of learning gains and perceptions of learning gains specifically related to written and oral communication skills and the ability to grasp connections between scientific topics and their real-world applications. The effectiveness of the case study teaching method at increasing academic performance was not correlated to whether the case study used was authored by the instructor of the course or by an unaffiliated instructor. These findings support increased use of published case studies in the teaching of a variety of biological concepts and learning objectives.

Student population

This study was conducted at Kingsborough Community College, which is part of the City University of New York system, located in Brooklyn, New York. Kingsborough Community College has a diverse population of approximately 19,000 undergraduate students. The student population included in this study was enrolled in the first semester of a two-semester sequence of general (introductory) biology for biology majors during the spring, winter, or summer semester of 2014. A total of 63 students completed the course during this time period; 56 students consented to the inclusion of their data in the study. Of the students included in the study, 23 (41%) were male and 33 (59%) were female; 40 (71%) were registered as college freshmen and 16 (29%) were registered as college sophomores. To normalize participant groups, the same student population pooled from three classes taught by the same instructor was used to assess both experimental and control teaching methods.

Course material

The four biological concepts assessed during this study (chemical bonds, osmosis and diffusion, mitosis and meiosis, and DNA structure and replication) were selected as topics for studying the effectiveness of case study teaching because they were the key concepts addressed by this particular course that were most likely to be taught in a number of other courses, including biology courses for both majors and nonmajors at outside institutions. At the start of this study, relevant existing case studies were freely available from the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science (NCCSTS) to address mitosis and meiosis and DNA structure and replication, but published case studies that appropriately addressed chemical bonds and osmosis and diffusion were not available. Therefore, original case studies that addressed the latter two topics were produced as part of this study, and case studies produced by unaffiliated instructors and published by the NCCSTS were used to address the former two topics. By the conclusion of this study, all four case studies had been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication by the NCCSTS ( http://sciencecases.lib.buffalo.edu/cs/ ). Four of the remaining core topics covered in this course (macromolecules, photosynthesis, genetic inheritance, and translation) were selected as control lessons to provide control assessment data.

To minimize extraneous variation, control topics and assessments were carefully matched in complexity, format, and number with case studies, and an equal amount of class time was allocated for each case study and the corresponding control lesson. Instruction related to control lessons was delivered using minimal slide-based lectures, with emphasis on textbook reading assignments accompanied by worksheets completed by students in and out of the classroom, and small and large group discussion of key points. Completion of activities and discussion related to all case studies and control topics that were analyzed was conducted in the classroom, with the exception of the take-home portion of the osmosis and diffusion case study.

Data collection and analysis

This study was performed in accordance with a protocol approved by the Kingsborough Community College Human Research Protection Program and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the City University of New York (CUNY IRB reference 539938-1; KCC IRB application #: KCC 13-12-126-0138). Assessment scores were collected from regularly scheduled course examinations. For each case study, control questions were included on the same examination that were similar in number, format, point value, and difficulty level, but related to a different topic covered in the course that was of similar complexity. Complexity and difficulty of both case study and control questions were evaluated using experiential data from previous iterations of the course; the Bloom’s taxonomy designation and amount of material covered by each question, as well as the average score on similar questions achieved by students in previous iterations of the course was considered in determining appropriate controls. All assessment questions were scored using a standardized, pre-determined rubric. Student perceptions of learning gains were assessed using a modified version of the Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG) course evaluation tool ( http://www.salgsite.org ), distributed in hardcopy and completed anonymously during the last week of the course. Students were presented with a consent form to opt-in to having their data included in the data analysis. After the course had concluded and final course grades had been posted, data from consenting students were pooled in a database and identifying information was removed prior to analysis. Statistical analysis of data was conducted using the Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance and calculation of the R 2 coefficient of determination.

Teaching with case studies improves performance on learning assessments, independent of case study origin

To evaluate the effectiveness of the case study teaching method at promoting learning, student performance on examination questions related to material covered by case studies was compared with performance on questions that covered material addressed through classroom discussions and textbook reading. The latter questions served as control items; assessment items for each case study were compared with control items that were of similar format, difficulty, and point value ( Appendix 1 ). Each of the four case studies resulted in an increase in examination performance compared with control questions that was statistically significant, with an average difference of 18% ( Fig. 1 ). The mean score on case study-related questions was 73% for the chemical bonds case study, 79% for osmosis and diffusion, 76% for mitosis and meiosis, and 70% for DNA structure and replication ( Fig. 1 ). The mean score for non-case study-related control questions was 60%, 54%, 60%, and 52%, respectively ( Fig. 1 ). In terms of examination performance, no significant difference between case studies produced by the instructor of the course (chemical bonds and osmosis and diffusion) and those produced by unaffiliated instructors (mitosis and meiosis and DNA structure and replication) was indicated by the Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance. However, the 25% difference between the mean score on questions related to the osmosis and diffusion case study and the mean score on the paired control questions was notably higher than the 13–18% differences observed for the other case studies ( Fig. 1 ).

Case study teaching method increases student performance on examination questions. Mean score on a set of examination questions related to lessons covered by case studies (black bars) and paired control questions of similar format and difficulty about an unrelated topic (white bars). Chemical bonds, n = 54; Osmosis and diffusion, n = 54; Mitosis and meiosis, n = 51; DNA structure and replication, n = 50. Error bars represent the standard error of the mean (SEM). Asterisk indicates p < 0.05.

Case study teaching increases student perception of learning gains related to core course objectives

Student learning gains were assessed using a modified version of the SALG course evaluation tool ( Appendix 2 ). To determine whether completing case studies was more effective at increasing student perceptions of learning gains than completing textbook readings or participating in class discussions, perceptions of student learning gains for each were compared. In response to the question “Overall, how much did each of the following aspects of the class help your learning?” 82% of students responded that case studies helped a “good” or “great” amount, compared with 70% for participating in class discussions and 58% for completing textbook reading; only 4% of students responded that case studies helped a “small amount” or “provided no help,” compared with 2% for class discussions and 22% for textbook reading ( Fig. 2A ). The differences in reported learning gains derived from the use of case studies compared with class discussion and textbook readings were statistically significant, while the difference in learning gains associated with class discussion compared with textbook reading was not statistically significant by a narrow margin ( p = 0.051).

The case study teaching method increases student perceptions of learning gains. Student perceptions of learning gains are indicated by plotting responses to the question “How much did each of the following activities: (A) Help your learning overall? (B) Improve your ability to communicate your knowledge of scientific concepts in writing? (C) Improve your ability to communicate your knowledge of scientific concepts orally? (D) Help you understand the connections between scientific concepts and other aspects of your everyday life?” Reponses are represented as follows: Helped a great amount (black bars); Helped a good amount (dark gray bars); Helped a moderate amount (medium gray bars); Helped a small amount (light gray bars); Provided no help (white bars). Asterisk indicates p < 0.05.

To elucidate the effectiveness of case studies at promoting learning gains related to specific course learning objectives compared with class discussions and textbook reading, students were asked how much each of these methods of content delivery specifically helped improve skills that were integral to fulfilling three main course objectives. When students were asked how much each of the methods helped “improve your ability to communicate knowledge of scientific concepts in writing,” 81% of students responded that case studies help a “good” or “great” amount, compared with 63% for class discussions and 59% for textbook reading; only 6% of students responded that case studies helped a “small amount” or “provided no help,” compared with 8% for class discussions and 21% for textbook reading ( Fig. 2B ). When the same question was posed about the ability to communicate orally, 81% of students responded that case studies help a “good” or “great” amount, compared with 68% for class discussions and 50% for textbook reading, while the respective response rates for helped a “small amount” or “provided no help,” were 4%, 6%, and 25% ( Fig. 2C ). The differences in learning gains associated with both written and oral communication were statistically significant when completion of case studies was compared with either participation in class discussion or completion of textbook readings. Compared with textbook reading, class discussions led to a statistically significant increase in oral but not written communication skills.

Students were then asked how much each of the methods helped them “understand the connections between scientific concepts and other aspects of your everyday life.” A total of 79% of respondents declared that case studies help a “good” or “great” amount, compared with 70% for class discussions and 57% for textbook reading ( Fig. 2D ). Only 4% stated that case studies and class discussions helped a “small amount” or “provided no help,” compared with 21% for textbook reading ( Fig. 2D ). Similar to overall learning gains, the use of case studies significantly increased the ability to understand the relevance of science to everyday life compared with class discussion and textbook readings, while the difference in learning gains associated with participation in class discussion compared with textbook reading was not statistically significant ( p = 0.054).

Student perceptions of learning gains resulting from case study teaching are positively correlated to increased performance on examinations, but independent of case study author

To test the hypothesis that case studies produced specifically for this course by the instructor were more effective at promoting learning gains than topically relevant case studies published by authors not associated with this course, perceptions of learning gains were compared for each of the case studies. For both of the case studies produced by the instructor of the course, 87% of students indicated that the case study provided a “good” or “great” amount of help to their learning, and 2% indicated that the case studies provided “little” or “no” help ( Table 1 ). In comparison, an average of 85% of students indicated that the case studies produced by an unaffiliated instructor provided a “good” or “great” amount of help to their learning, and 4% indicated that the case studies provided “little” or “no” help ( Table 1 ). The instructor-produced case studies yielded both the highest and lowest percentage of students reporting the highest level of learning gains (a “great” amount), while case studies produced by unaffiliated instructors yielded intermediate values. Therefore, it can be concluded that the effectiveness of case studies at promoting learning gains is not significantly affected by whether or not the course instructor authored the case study.

Case studies positively affect student perceptions of learning gains about various biological topics.

Finally, to determine whether performance on examination questions accurately predicts student perceptions of learning gains, mean scores on examination questions related to case studies were compared with reported perceptions of learning gains for those case studies ( Fig. 3 ). The coefficient of determination (R 2 value) was 0.81, indicating a strong, but not definitive, positive correlation between perceptions of learning gains and performance on examinations, suggesting that student perception of learning gains is a valid tool for assessing the effectiveness of case studies ( Fig. 3 ). This correlation was independent of case study author.

Perception of learning gains but not author of case study is positively correlated to score on related examination questions. Percentage of students reporting that each specific case study provided “a great amount of help” to their learning was plotted against the point difference between mean score on examination questions related to that case study and mean score on paired control questions. Positive point differences indicate how much higher the mean scores on case study-related questions were than the mean scores on paired control questions. Black squares represent case studies produced by the instructor of the course; white squares represent case studies produced by unaffiliated instructors. R 2 value indicates the coefficient of determination.

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that teaching with case studies produced by the instructor of a course is more effective at promoting learning gains than using case studies produced by unaffiliated instructors. This study also tested the hypothesis that the case study teaching method is more effective than class discussions and textbook reading at promoting learning gains associated with four of the most commonly taught topics in undergraduate general biology courses: chemical bonds, osmosis and diffusion, mitosis and meiosis, and DNA structure and replication. In addition to assessing content-based learning gains, development of written and oral communication skills and the ability to connect scientific topics with real-world applications was also assessed, because these skills were overarching learning objectives of this course, and classroom activities related to both case studies and control lessons were designed to provide opportunities for students to develop these skills. Finally, data were analyzed to determine whether performance on examination questions is positively correlated to student perceptions of learning gains resulting from case study teaching.

Compared with equivalent control questions about topics of similar complexity taught using class discussions and textbook readings, all four case studies produced statistically significant increases in the mean score on examination questions ( Fig. 1 ). This indicates that case studies are more effective than more commonly used, traditional methods of content delivery at promoting learning of a variety of core concepts covered in general biology courses. The average increase in score on each test item was equivalent to nearly two letter grades, which is substantial enough to elevate the average student performance on test items from the unsatisfactory/failing range to the satisfactory/passing range. The finding that there was no statistical difference between case studies in terms of performance on examination questions suggests that case studies are equally effective at promoting learning of disparate topics in biology. The observations that students did not perform significantly less well on the first case study presented (chemical bonds) compared with the other case studies and that performance on examination questions did not progressively increase with each successive case study suggests that the effectiveness of case studies is not directly related to the amount of experience students have using case studies. Furthermore, anecdotal evidence from previous semesters of this course suggests that, of the four topics addressed by cases in this study, DNA structure and function and osmosis and diffusion are the first and second most difficult for students to grasp. The lack of a statistical difference between case studies therefore suggests that the effectiveness of a case study at promoting learning gains is not directly proportional to the difficulty of the concept covered. However, the finding that use of the osmosis and diffusion case study resulted in the greatest increase in examination performance compared with control questions and also produced the highest student perceptions of learning gains is noteworthy and could be attributed to the fact that it was the only case study evaluated that included a hands-on experiment. Because the inclusion of a hands-on kinetic activity may synergistically enhance student engagement and learning and result in an even greater increase in learning gains than case studies that lack this type of activity, it is recommended that case studies that incorporate this type of activity be preferentially utilized.

Student perceptions of learning gains are strongly motivating factors for engagement in the classroom and academic performance, so it is important to assess the effect of any teaching method in this context ( 19 , 24 ). A modified version of the SALG course evaluation tool was used to assess student perceptions of learning gains because it has been previously validated as an efficacious tool ( Appendix 2 ) ( 20 ). Using the SALG tool, case study teaching was demonstrated to significantly increase student perceptions of overall learning gains compared with class discussions and textbook reading ( Fig. 2A ). Case studies were shown to be particularly useful for promoting perceived development of written and oral communication skills and for demonstrating connections between scientific topics and real-world issues and applications ( Figs. 2B–2D ). Further, student perceptions of “great” learning gains positively correlated with increased performance on examination questions, indicating that assessment of learning gains using the SALG tool is both valid and useful in this course setting ( Fig. 3 ). These findings also suggest that case study teaching could be used to increase student motivation and engagement in classroom activities and thus promote learning and performance on assessments. The finding that textbook reading yielded the lowest student perceptions of learning gains was not unexpected, since reading facilitates passive learning while the class discussions and case studies were both designed to promote active learning.

Importantly, there was no statistical difference in student performance on examinations attributed to the two case studies produced by the instructor of the course compared with the two case studies produced by unaffiliated instructors. The average difference between the two instructor-produced case studies and the two case studies published by unaffiliated instructors was only 3% in terms of both the average score on examination questions (76% compared with 73%) and the average increase in score compared with paired control items (14% compared with 17%) ( Fig. 1 ). Even when considering the inherent qualitative differences of course grades, these differences are negligible. Similarly, the effectiveness of case studies at promoting learning gains was not significantly affected by the origin of the case study, as evidenced by similar percentages of students reporting “good” and “great” learning gains regardless of whether the case study was produced by the course instructor or an unaffiliated instructor ( Table 1 ).

The observation that case studies published by unaffiliated instructors are just as effective as those produced by the instructor of a course suggests that instructors can reasonably rely on the use of pre-published case studies relevant to their class rather than investing the considerable time and effort required to produce a novel case study. Case studies covering a wide range of topics in the sciences are available from a number of sources, and many of them are free access. The National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science (NCCSTS) database ( http://sciencecases.lib.buffalo.edu/cs/ ) contains over 500 case studies that are freely available to instructors, and are accompanied by teaching notes that provide logistical advice and additional resources for implementing the case study, as well as a set of assessment questions with a password-protected answer key. Case study repositories are also maintained by BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium ( http://www.bioquest.org/icbl/cases.php ) and the Science Case Network ( http://sciencecasenet.org ); both are available for use by instructors from outside institutions.

It should be noted that all case studies used in this study were rigorously peer-reviewed and accepted for publication by the NCCSTS prior to the completion of this study ( 2 , 10 , 18 , 25 ); the conclusions of this study may not apply to case studies that were not developed in accordance with similar standards. Because case study teaching involves skills such as creative writing and management of dynamic group discussion in a way that is not commonly integrated into many other teaching methods, it is recommended that novice case study teachers seek training or guidance before writing their first case study or implementing the method. The lack of a difference observed in the use of case studies from different sources should be interpreted with some degree of caution since only two sources were represented in this study, and each by only two cases. Furthermore, in an educational setting, quantitative differences in test scores might produce meaningful qualitative differences in course grades even in the absence of a p value that is statistically significant. For example, there is a meaningful qualitative difference between test scores that result in an average grade of C− and test scores that result in an average grade of C+, even if there is no statistically significant difference between the two sets of scores.

In the future, it could be informative to confirm these findings using a larger cohort, by repeating the study at different institutions with different instructors, by evaluating different case studies, and by directly comparing the effectiveness of the case studying teaching method with additional forms of instruction, such as traditional chalkboard and slide-based lecturing, and laboratory-based activities. It may also be informative to examine whether demographic factors such as student age and gender modulate the effectiveness of the case study teaching method, and whether case studies work equally well for non-science majors taking a science course compared with those majoring in the subject. Since the topical material used in this study is often included in other classes in both high school and undergraduate education, such as cell biology, genetics, and chemistry, the conclusions of this study are directly applicable to a broad range of courses. Presently, it is recommended that the use of case studies in teaching undergraduate general biology and other science courses be expanded, especially for the teaching of capacious issues with real-world applications and in classes where development of written and oral communication skills are key objectives. The use of case studies that involve hands-on activities should be emphasized to maximize the benefit of this teaching method. Importantly, instructors can be confident in the use of pre-published case studies to promote learning, as there is no indication that the effectiveness of the case study teaching method is reliant on the production of novel, customized case studies for each course.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS

Acknowledgments.

This article benefitted from a President’s Faculty Innovation Grant, Kingsborough Community College. The author declares that there are no conflicts of interest.

† Supplemental materials available at http://jmbe.asm.org

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Home > HLAW > PROGRAM > 24

Heritage language and second language processing of referential structures in Russian

Angelina Rubina , University of South Carolina Follow

30-5-2024 3:00 PM

30-5-2024 3:30 PM

Area of the Proposal

Linguistic properties of heritage languages in child and adult bilinguals

Most studies on second language (L2) and heritage language (HL) acquisition of Russian have focused on one population group (either L2 or, more rarely, HL learners) and one linguistic structure at a time (i.e., Laleko, 2010; Sekerina et al., 2019). However, a comparative analysis of L2 and HL learners on a variety of language structures has greater representativity, offering a more fine-grained picture of bilingual language development. Addressing the representativity limitation of existing research, this study focuses on the grammar feature of specificity (referentiality) in Russian. Specificity in Russian presents an interesting case study, because it is expressed through different grammatical structures, which allows us to compare how different bilinguals (HL versus L2 learners) on different proficiency levels process the same feature, depending on the linguistic level of its realization.

The current experiment included adult English-dominant literate speakers of (i) L2 Russian (n=45) and (ii) HL Russian (n=40), recruited in the U.S. The control group were monolingual Russian adults (n=20), living in Russia. Data collection (60-75 minutes) consisted of (i) a reading proficiency test WebCAPE (Emmersion Learning, 2020), (ii) an adapted version of the language learning experience questionnaire Bilingual Language Profile (Birdsong, Gerken & Amengual, 2012), and (iii) a self-paced reading task measuring reading times and comprehension, conducted online through PennController for IBEX (Zehr & Schwarz, 2018).

Each item in the self-paced reading task consisted of two sentences, presented in Russian, one phrase at a time. The first sentence included one of the target structures expressing specificity. The second sentence was a continuation of the situation described in the first one. Each second sentence started with a personal pronoun he or she , which matched the gender/number of the target in the first sentence. Being referential, the pronoun in the second sentence should be perceived as grammatical for [+specific] targets and as ungrammatical for [-specific] targets. The target structures included: (i) modifiers denoting possession (i.e., a [+specific] nominal modifier rubaška NOUN.NOM mužčiny NOUN.GEN ‘a/the shirt of a/the man’ and a [-specific] adjectival modifier mužskaja ADJ.NOM rubaška NOUN.NOM ‘a shirt for men, a men’s shirt’), and (ii) case alternations on direct objects under negation (i.e., an accusative-marked [+specific] ne zakažet buterbrod ACC ‘will not order a/the sandwich’ and a genitive-marked [-specific] ne zakažet buterbroda GEN ‘will not order a sandwich’). Thus, the four experimental conditions (six target items each, 24 target items total) included: two conditions on the [+specific] interpretation with grammatical sentences which could have a referential pronoun, and two conditions on the [-specific] interpretation, which does not allow referential pronouns. Ungrammatical referential pronouns (and/or the words following them) in the [-specific] condition were expected to cause processing delays.

Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data address the effects of the type of bilingualism and the type of grammar structure, as well as other linguistic factors (i.e., proficiency level). The results provide insights about the similarities and differences of HL and L2 bilingual language profiles.

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Microsoft Copilot Studio: Building copilots with agent capabilities

Omar Aftab , Vice President, Conversational AI , Tuesday, May 21, 2024

At Microsoft Build 2024 , we’re excited to announce a host of new powerful capabilities in   Microsoft Copilot Studio —t he single conversational AI tool you can use to create your very own custom copilots or extend Microsoft C opilot experiences with your own enterprise data and scenarios.

The first of these are c opilots that can now act as independent agents— ones that can be triggered by events— not just conversation— and can automa te and orchestrate complex, long-running business processes with more autonomy and less human intervention.

For instance, consider the potential of a copilot that can react when an email arrives, look up the sender’s details, see their previous communications, and use generative AI to trigger the appropriate chain of actions in their response. From understanding the intent of the email, to look ing up the sender’s details and account , see ing their previous communications, checking inventory,   responding to the sender asking for their preferences, and then taking the appropriate actions to close a ticket — orchestrating and shepherding an entire process over days.  

With such capabilities, copilots are evolving from those that work with you to those that work for you. They can be designed to handle specific roles or functions, such as IT, marketing, sales, customer success, and finance across various industries, including travel, retail, and financial services.  

With these new capabilities, here are some examples of the kinds of copilots our customers can build:  

• IT help desk .  IT support is complex, involving tickets, order numbers, approvals, and stock levels . O pening and closing a ticket can be a long-running task that spans days. A copilot can now handle this process, interfacing with IT service management applications, resolving IT tickets with context and memory, creating purchase orders for device refresh, and reaching out and getting managers approvals — all independently .
• Employee onboarding . Onboarding new employees is often expensive and slow. Now, imagine you’re a new hire. A copilot greets you, reasons over HR data, and answers your questions. It introduces you to your buddy, provides training and deadlines, assists with forms, and sets up your first week of meetings. Throughout all of this, the copilot is in touch, guiding you through the weeks -long onboarding and account set up processes.  
• Personal concierge for sales and service . Balancing exceptional customer experience while meeting ambitious revenue goals can be challenging. When a copilot serves guests, i t can use the memory of previous conversations with guests to remember their preferences, make reservations, handle complaints, and answer questions related to the products and services on offer. The copilot learns from its interactions and proposes new ways of handling customer scenarios. By doing so, copilots can increase upsell and attachment rates, driving revenue for the resort while simultaneously enhancing guest experience, satisfaction rates, and repeat business.

Let’s dig deeper into a few of the underlying capabilities that make all this possible:

• Asynchronous orchestration of complex tasks . The first is the ability to use generative AI- powered   planning and reasoning to manage complex, multi step, long-running tasks. For example, reacting to a new order means determining the need to verify inventory, trigger ing the right payment processes, pinging a supervisor for approval if the amount is above a certain threshold, and replying with a confirmation. Many of these events can take hours—or even days— to complete, but the copilot will run through them , maintaining the necessary state and context to do so.
• Memory and context . One of the frustrating things about support has traditionally been having to repeat information: who you are, what your policy number is, what your address is. There is no continuity of conversation. Copilots will now learn from previous conversations from the users and utilize this knowledge to continually personalize interactions . A copilot may not need to ask you for your laptop model or your address when you call again for the same issue. Conversations will thus become long-running, contextual, and deeply personalized.
• Monitor, learn, and improve . Copilots can now learn and adapt, offering monitoring and teaching capabilities to make their interactions better. Each copilot records a comprehensive history of its activities, providing transparency into its performance, including user interactions, actions taken, and feedback received, and you can see what decisions it made — and correct and teach them — with just a few clicks.

• Delegation with confidence and guardrails . When developing copilots with agent capabilities, establishing clear boundaries is paramount. Copilots operate strictly within the confines of the maker-defined instructions, knowledge, and actions. The data sources linked to the copilot adhere to stringent security measures and controls, managed through the unified admin center of Copilot Studio. This includes data loss prevention, robust authentication protocols, and more.

The se advanced new capabilities in Copilot Studio are currently accessible to customers participating in a limited private preview  where organizations such as Centro de la Familia are excited to explore agent capabilities that support teachers and case workers, allowing them to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time working with children, ultimately leading to better child outcomes . Based on feedback from program participants, we will continue to iterate and refine these capabilities for broader access in a preview planned for later this year .  

Additional innovations with Copilot Studio

There’s a lot more to share at Microsoft Build with Copilot Studio, and we’ll touch on just a few of our new capabilities here. To learn more — just sign up and try it out for yourself here .

It’s easier than ever to create c opilots .  With Copilot Studio, creating and testing copilots is now incredibly simple. You can create your copilot with our brand new conversationally driven experience — simply describe what you want it to do, and what knowledge you want it to have, and Copilot Studio will create your very own c opilot. You can then immediately test it out, add additional capabilities, such as your own actions, APIs, and enterprise knowledge — and then publish it live with a few clicks.

Connect all your enterprise data with Copilot c onnectors .   Customers want copilots connected with data from their own enterprises business systems and apps. Copilot connectors enable anyone to ground their copilot in business and collaboration data. This makes it possible for copilots to use various data sources, including public websites, SharePoint, OneDrive, Microsoft Dataverse tables, Microsoft Fabric OneLake (coming this calendar year), Microsoft Graph, as well as leading third-party apps. You can even create your own custom generative prompts to configure how a copilot handles a response from an API or connector.

Here are a few examples of how Copilot connectors can transform copilot experiences for specific personas or functions:

• Legal and Compliance . Navigate complex legal landscapes with a Copilot extension that queries specific legal datasets, ensuring controlled and compliant responses without overwhelming users with extraneous information.
• HR Helper . Assist employees with accessing essential resources for benefits and PTO policies, and even book time off directly through Copilot.
• Incident Report Coordinator . Workers can locate the right documentation, report incidents, and track them efficiently, all within the context of the chat.

Starting in June 2024, developers can access the preview for Copilot connectors and stay informed on updates here .

Conversational analytics (private preview) : One of the most common asks from customers has been the need for deeper insight into what their copilot is doing, how generative AI is responding, when it was unable to give the right answers and why — and recommendations on what to do to improve it.

Templates : If simply describing your copilot to build it wasn’t easy enough, Copilot Studio will now also include a variety of pre-built copilot samples for departments and industries. Some templates — such as Safe Travels for comprehensive travel support, Organization Navigator for organizational clarity, Kudos Copilot for fostering recognition, Wellness for employee health insights — are available now, with many more releasing in the coming months.

Enhanced security and controls (public preview ) : Administrators can now configure advanced settings beyond the default security measures and controls. With Microsoft Purview , Copilot Studio administrators gain access to more detailed governance tools, including audit logs, inventory capabilities, and sensitivity labels. They will be able to review comprehensive audit logs that cover tenant-wide usage, inventory (with API support), and tenant hygiene (such as data loss prevention violations and inactive copilots), enabling them to effectively monitor business impact. Both creators and end-users will be able to view sensitivity labels when responses are generated using AI-powered answers based on SharePoint documents.

With all the amazing innovations, numerous organizations are using Copilot Studio to build transformative generative AI-powered solutions. Check out this story from Nsure on how they are using Copilot Studio:

Get started today with Copilot Studio

This is just a glimpse of all the exciting innovation around copilots and Copilot Studio — we have a host of exciting new capabilities to share in our sessions at Build. So, join us in watching the sessions below, and try out Copilot Studio yourself and build and share your very own copilot in minutes.

Watch the sessions at Microsoft Build:

• “ Microsoft Build opening keynote ”
• “ Next generation AI for developers with the Microsoft Cloud ”
• “ Shaping next-gen development: the future of Copilot in Power Platform ”

Huawei FTTO helps Crimson Mactan to build a Green, Simplified and Sustainable network

Because of the one fiber, one room configuration, connecting each room to the IT server is done only through one fiber. Making it easier and faster to deploy as we upgrade our existing network.

Nestled in one of the country’s most prestigious tourist destinations, Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan is a sprawling 6-hectare beach resort and spa located in Mactan, Cebu with luxurious private pool villas featuring individual plunge pools and well-appointed guestrooms that combine both comfort and style with its contemporary Asian style.

New technology can enrich the user experience and aging network need upgrade

With the current high demand requirements in the hospitality market, companies have been paying more attention on how to be green, energy saving, sustainable development and so on. Guests nowadays have higher requirements on network bandwidth that expects a stable and smooth experience. Therefore, the lifespan of each network devices needs to be upgraded in a timely manner to avoid these kinds of connectivity challenges.

Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan exemplifies how technology can enrich the visitor experience and encourage sustainable practices. The demand for connectivity of guest has changed. On average each guest in the hotel has at least two devices, this means guest demand for our network to be faster. Apart from leisure guests, Crimson has corporate and business guests who require high-speed, stable connection for remote work.

One fiber One room, FTTO provides a green and simplified network

Crimson uses FTTO to connect smart devices such as Smart TV, Smart speakers. Smooth hotel operation relies greatly on seamless connectivity, ensuring seamless activities from online reservation, property management system, payment system, self-service counters and more. Because of the   one fiber, one room configuration , connecting each room to the IT server is done only through one fiber. Making it easier and faster to deploy as we upgrade our existing network.

Huawei FTTO using IP+POL network architecture, One fiber One room, uses fiber connectivity supporting long distance access allowing each villa to be connected to the IT room with just one fiber. Crimson has 283 rooms and villas distributed in more than 50 buildings FTTO solution use ONU, which support all the requirement for each guest room from the AP access, internet, telephone ports, and IPTV connection. One fiber one room, saves more than 70% materials cost for the cabling system and also reduce construction time by 60%.

ONU provide POE that connect with AP, reducing the need for additional power supply. It is also very easy to install as it is designed for plug and play.

Crimson Mactan General Manager, Mr Didier Belmonte said “Huawei FTTO solution offers significant advantages in terms of bandwidth, coverage, O&M costs, and service life to Crimson Mactan.  It brings us Wi-Fi everywhere and also provides sustainable development for our hotel. It  helps Crimson Mactan build a Green, Simplified and Sustainable network.”

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