In February and March, Juncture held a workshop series led by case method expert Professor Carole Carlson who visited from the US on a Fullbright scholarship.
Professor Susan Watson, Dean of the Business School and Director of Juncture, said the workshops were important for building capacity in the case method which is of growing importance for the Business School.
“We are working to invigorate case writing and teaching in the Business School. Case based learning aligns with the University’s curriculum priority of relational learning with students as ‘active participants’. Using the case study method places the student at the centre of the learning equation, and real-life case examples help foster valuable discussions. The next step is for us is to develop and integrate more social impact case studies on Aotearoa New Zealand companies into our business curriculum. These can act as important examples for inspiring others on new ways to approach business.”
Professor Carol Carlson began the workshop series with a live case discussion using the New Zealand based case – Soul Capital – featuring its founder and Juncture steering group member Jamie Newth which helped illustrate how students experience case studies in the classroom.
“Case writing is a valuable opportunity for academics to extend their scholarship, expertise and influence, and establish new external partnerships. It also gives instructors purpose-built tools to engage students in the classroom,” said Professor Carlson.
Carole Carlson is Professor of the Practice at Brandeis University and an expert on the case method. She has published dozens of cases, including several that are HBS Bestsellers, is the Lead Editor of the Heller Social Impact Case Collection, recently published a well-received textbook “Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation” and is the recipient of multiple teaching awards.
During the workshops, Professor Carlson covered planning, creating transitions between theme areas, orchestrating class energy and navigating hot moments in the classrooms.
“The proven benefits for student learning make case teaching an important part of an instructor’s tool kit,” said Professor Carlson. “Just a few frameworks can help instructors use case teaching to its fullest potential.”
Writing and publishing cases and new case methods were introduced, including short cases, simulations and multimedia cases. Opportunities to contribute cases to the Brandeis Social Impact Case Collection were discussed.
The workshop series concluded with a session on authoring teaching notes to link case writing to pedagogy. Professor Carlson laid out a suggested format for teaching the case and establishing important links to underlying theory.
“To achieve the full promise of case writing and make cases accessible to others, the teaching note is critical.”
Professor Carla Houkamau, a member of Juncture’s Steering Group, recently published a case study (now a book) which is being taught in the core of the Bachelor of Commerce programme. This case study focuses on Moana New Zealand, the largest Māori-owned seafood company. It weaves together history, mātauranga Māori, and politics to explore how te ao Māori values shape economic development and sustainability efforts in Aotearoa. Professor Houkamau has also written a case study on Māori company Aotea, a therapeutic skin care company based on Aotea (Great Barrier Island). The company is inspired by mātauranga Māori and has a deep commitment to its values and culture. Despite the difficulty in manufacturing their product on Aotea, they are committed to this, allowing them to create jobs in the local community.
The case study workshops were held in person, thanks to a Fullbright scholarship that enabled Professor Carlson to visit the University. Professor Carlson is also working 1:1 with prospective case authors to help them develop their ideas and will follow up to help shape the cases in the months that follow. If you are interested in being part of this process, please email Juncture Associate Director Billie Lythberg b.lythberg@auckland.ac.nz
Professor Carlson commented on her experience leading the case study workshops.
“I was really impressed by the collegiality I saw among University of Auckland Business School faculty. During our sessions they were so supportive of each other while still using debate and discussion to challenge ideas and encourage us all to bring forth our best thinking. I was also impressed by the seriousness of purpose that every team member I met brought to their teaching, research and student interactions. University of Auckland is clearly a world class institution and I felt privileged to interact with so many insightful and welcoming individuals.”