Improving Case Discussion With an Improv Mind-Set

Improvisational comedy emphasizes collaboration over competition. This leads to creative ideas and solutions to problems. By establishing this “improv mind-set” in the business classroom, an instructor may be able to overcome some of the problems associated with the case method (e.g., shy students, dominating students). By doing so, the learning environment of the classroom may be enhanced, and case discussions and learning outcomes may be improved. To frame the issue, the case method and some of its challenges are first discussed. Then the improv mind-set is explained and specific improv guidelines are offered. Finally, the author describes his experiences with trying to establish such a mind-set in a marketing class.

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