Second STRIDE Case Writing Workshop Begins
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Thirty five faculty members from around the Philippines gathered in Manila April 21 for the start of a three-day case writing workshop that is part of the STRIDE project.
WDI case writing expert John Branch, professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, began the workshop by first teaching a case of his own. He wanted to show the professors the advantages of using case studies in the classroom before showing them how to write one.
Unlike lectures, Branch told the participants, using case studies lets students lead their own learning.
“This is part of case teaching – not passively giving information, but forcing students to use their brains,” he said.
Each of the 35 faculty arrived at the workshop with an idea for a case study that examines companies or organizations in the Philippines. Over the three days, Branch and senior DCS consultant Andrea Meyer will help the professors begin writing an effective case study.
The workshop increases understanding and use of the case teaching method in the Philippines, where few cases about domestic companies and institutions have been written. Using case studies as teaching materials provides students with opportunities to apply what they are learning in the classroom to the real-life challenges and decisions faced by business owners and leaders of organizations.
Through collaboration with GlobaLens, WDI’s publishing division, each completed case will be professionally edited, published, and made available for free to university faculty members worldwide.
The case studies from the first workshop are available at www.globalens.com/STRIDE.
The case study workshop is part of the five-year, multi-million dollar STRIDE (Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development) project. The initiative, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with RTI International, aims to foster economic growth and development in the Philippines through support of education, research, and industry partnerships in high-growth economic fields, including science and technology.