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The Review of Higher Education 27.2 (2004) 262-264



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James P. Honan, and Cheryl Sternman Rule. Using Cases in Higher Education, A Guide for Faculty and Administrators. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/John Wiley & Sons, 2002. 112 pp. Paper: $20.00. ISBN: 0-7879-5391-1.

Case studies as a pedagogical device have a long history, particularly in teaching business practices (Christensen with Hansen, 1987; Masoner, 1988) and more recently in other disciplines and on-line [End Page 262] (Julian, Kinzie, & Larsen, 2000; Lynn, 1999; Silverman, Welty, & Lyon, 1994). Honan and Rule's book is brief but contains much essential information. Packaged compactly in its four chapters are introductory material on using cases, comparisons with other pedagogical methods, elements of an effective case study, case study selection criteria, the mechanics of teaching using the case study, and pitfalls. The book closes with a brief (20 entries) but commendable annotated bibliography and an appendix that is itself a case study from Kansas State University which addresses problems of low achievement among students. Each of the chapters illustrates its points with reference to this case study.

For faculty who use cases relatively infrequently, this book is an excellent introduction to the method. For more experienced case users, it contains critical reminders. Though the orientation is toward improving instruction in the teaching of academic and administrative leadership, the book covers most of the essentials for using cases in any field and is written in a straightforward, easy-to-read, easy-to-understand format and style. For example,

Because students are such active participants in case study discussion, it is essential that they be well prepared for their multiple roles as listeners, advocates, skeptics, and naysayers. This preparation takes many forms and can be, to say the least, time consuming. Instructors and discussion leaders using case studies should highlight this issue for all participants—the "you get out of it what you put into it" adage certainly holds true. (p. 7).

Honan and Rule remind us that "good cases are ambiguous, full of conflict, and leave important issues unresolved" (p. 13). In essence, the approach in this book is the same as that found in the case method "Bible," namely, the edited collection of articles put together fifty years ago by Malcolm McNair at the Harvard Business School (McNair, 1954). In that volume, Albert Dunn notes:

The mind that can adjust easily to a democratic learning process has a number of distinguishing qualities, not the least of which is willingness to accept risk. The risk element is present in several forms under the case method, and the student who is to profit from case instruction must be prepared to take these chances. (p. 93)

Teaching that uses the case method is probably the most difficult of all pedagogies. Its apparent simplicity seduces the instructor into believing that little preparation is necessary, as students will be providing most of the energy and input. This impression is far from the truth as this book and only a little experience will demonstrate. While Using Cases in Higher Education is certainly valuable as a quick overview of this particular pedagogy, the treatment understandably suffers from the book's brevity and simplicity. For example, the reader who wishes more depth will look in vain for more thorough analyses and discussions of such perennial critical pedagogical issues as dealing with the heterogeneity of students in a class, applying learning theory, utilizing out-of-class experiences, stages in the dynamics of group development during a case discussion, and the continuous assessment of learning during discussion—all of which are especially problematic in teaching with cases. Lundeberg, Levin, and Harrington (1999) do a far more comprehensive and sophisticated job in these domains. Furthermore, some of the recommendations in Honan and Rule, while straightforward, occasionally hide potential negative classroom consequences. For example, the authors suggest: "The instructor can ask, 'is there anyone whom we have not yet heard from?'" (p. 43).

This publication comes out of the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education (HIHE) which have been...

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