Designing and Delivering a Case Writing Course: A Practical Model for Business Schools

For many business students around the world, the case method defines the classroom experience. They get to debate decisions, analyze competing strategies, and step into the role of managers facing real-world challenges.

What they rarely see is how those cases are actually developed.

Building case-writing capability can benefit business schools in several ways. It strengthens experiential learning, deepens connections with industry partners, and contributes new teaching materials to the broader case method ecosystem. When students learn how cases are researched, structured, and written, they gain a better understanding of the analytical and storytelling work behind effective case teaching.

This article outlines a practical model for designing and delivering a case-writing course for business students. The course described here was developed to help students produce a teaching case for use in an undergraduate business curriculum under the supervision of a faculty member. It introduces a structured case-writing process and guides students from identifying a potential case opportunity through the development of a teaching case and a preliminary teaching note.

“Writing a case forces students to think differently about business problems,” said David Wood, Ivey Business School instructor and creator of the course. “They have to decide what facts matter, how to frame the decision clearly, and how to build a narrative that will support discussion in the classroom.”

Inside the Case Writing Course

The course is structured around four core learning objectives. Students learn how the case-writing process works, how to construct a clear case plan and opening paragraph, how teaching cases are structured and written, and how to develop a teaching note.

It is also designed to be compact. It includes three in-person sessions, while most of the work happens through independent research and writing. This format allows class time to focus on coaching, feedback, and practical exercises rather than extended lectures.

The first assignment is a Case Plan, which accounts for 20 percent of the course grade. The Case Plan includes an opening paragraph, learning objectives, a proposed case structure, data requirements, and a project timeline. Students complete the Case Plan before beginning their research, ensuring the case concept is clear before research begins.

In many case-writing projects, the Case Plan is also used to secure a provisional release when conducting primary research. This step introduces students to the professional case development process used in academic case publishing, where organizations review and approve case concepts before research begins.

The main deliverable is the Teaching Case, which represents 50 percent of the final grade. Students produce a complete case based either on field research or publicly available sources. The case must present a clear dilemma and follow a clear narrative supported by headings and exhibits.

The final component is a Preliminary Teaching Note, which accounts for the remaining 30 percent of the grade. The Preliminary Teaching Note includes a case synopsis, learning objectives, assignment questions, a proposed teaching plan, case analysis, and a list of exhibits. Developing the Preliminary Teaching Note alongside the case helps ensure the case supports its intended learning outcomes.

Class sessions include practical exercises designed to strengthen students’ writing skills. Frameworks, examples, and editing exercises are used to demonstrate how cases are structured and refined. One example used in the course, Farro BioMed, allows students to see how a case storyline develops and how decision points are framed.

Instructors also use annotated excerpts from published cases to illustrate how early drafts evolve into polished teaching materials. These examples help students better understand the conventions and narrative structure commonly used in teaching cases.

Students practice crafting and critiquing opening paragraphs, which are critical for establishing the decision context of a case. Peer editing sessions using the Nine C’s framework help students evaluate clarity, coherence, and analytical focus in each other's work.

Additionally, students are encouraged to review published cases throughout the course. Studying existing cases helps them understand common structures and writing conventions. It also exposes them to different types of cases, including incident cases, background cases, public-source cases, and interview-based cases.

A key resource used in the course is Writing Cases (5th Edition) by Wood, Louise A. Mauffette-Leenders, Michiel R. Leenders, and James A. Erskine. The book provides a practical framework and guides students through the full case-writing workflow, from identifying a case opportunity to preparing a teaching note.

“Writing Cases, Fifth Edition serves as the intellectual foundation of the course, offering a systematic and field-tested process for developing effective teaching cases and accompanying teaching notes. Its three-phase framework provides students with a clear pathway from identifying a decision situation to producing a classroom-ready case,” said Wood.

Teaching the Case Writing Process

The course is organized around the Three-Phase Writing Process described in Writing Cases (5th Edition). This framework walks students through the full case-writing process, from identifying a case idea to testing it in the classroom.

Each phase is introduced during one of the three in-person sessions.

The first class introduces students to the case method and what makes a case suitable for teaching. It also launches Phase 1 of the writing process. Students learn how to identify strong case ideas and frame a decision situation that will support classroom discussion. Tools such as the Case Origin Grid help students shape the storyline and define the focus of the case. These activities lead to the development of the case plan.

The second class focuses on Phase 2: Data Collection and Case Development. Students learn how to plan interviews, identify data needs, and manage confidentiality and disguise when working with organizations. The class also addresses case structure and narrative flow. A key exercise during this session involves workshopping opening paragraphs so students can refine the framing of the decision situation.

The third class is all about Phase 3: Writing, Editing, and Teaching Note Development. Students learn editing techniques such as the Nine C’s framework, which helps them evaluate clarity and structure in their writing. The session also introduces teaching note templates and explains how teaching notes are used in the classroom.

How to Evaluate Students Taking the Course

Evaluation focuses primarily on the quality of the cases produced.

Faculty evaluate cases based on clarity, analytical rigour, narrative flow, and the strength of the decision situation. The teaching value of the case and the alignment between the case and its learning objectives are also important considerations.

Faculty supervisors play an important role in evaluating the major deliverables. They review both the teaching case and the preliminary teaching note, providing feedback on the strength of the decision framing, the completeness of the research, and the overall teaching value of the material.

Wood explained: “Faculty supervisors evaluate student work through frequent one-on-one meetings that provide iterative feedback throughout the writing process. The case is assessed on the student’s ability to clearly and objectively communicate the challenge facing the protagonist, demonstrate a deep understanding of the situation without making the analysis obvious, and connect the case to well-defined learning objectives and conceptual analysis in the teaching note. Throughout the process, faculty guide and mentor students while avoiding dictating the work, allowing students to develop their own judgment, creativity, and learning as case writers.”

Unlike many seminar-style courses, this course does not include a participation grade. Because there are only three in-person sessions, assessment focuses entirely on the quality of the written submissions. Attendance is mandatory to ensure students receive the guidance needed to complete their projects.

Students are also introduced to the professional workflow involved in publishing teaching cases, including securing organizational permissions, drafting and revising cases, developing teaching notes, and testing cases in the classroom.

The course also reinforces academic integrity. Students are reminded that cases must represent original work and must avoid plagiarism or derivative writing.

Bringing a Case Writing Course to Your School

While this course was developed at Ivey Business School, the overall model can be adapted by other institutions interested in building case-writing capability among students.

The course works best with advanced students, such as final-year undergraduate or MBA students who already have experience working with cases and a strong understanding of business fundamentals.

Class size is another important consideration. Smaller cohorts allow instructors and faculty supervisors to provide meaningful feedback throughout the writing process. Maintaining an appropriate supervisor-to-student ratio helps ensure that each case receives the guidance needed to reach a high standard.

Schools adopting this model must also consider how students will identify organizations willing to participate in case research. Students often rely on faculty connections, industry partnerships, or personal networks to find suitable companies. Clear communication about the educational purpose of the case and the available confidentiality options can help encourage participation.

Careful timeline planning is also important. Case writing involves several stages, including research, drafting, editing, and teaching note development. Allowing sufficient time for each stage increases the likelihood that students will produce cases that can be used in the classroom or potentially published.

Teaching students how to write cases helps them understand how the case method works from the inside. It also helps them develop skills that are valuable beyond the classroom, including problem framing, research, analytical writing, and structured storytelling.

For business schools, courses like this can expand experiential learning opportunities while contributing new cases to the broader business teaching community.

“Adopting a case-writing course creates value across the entire business school ecosystem. Students develop essential skills in creative writing, field research, and tackling unstructured managerial problems; faculty benefit from continuously refreshing their curriculum with new, research-based teaching materials; and the school builds a sustainable pipeline of original cases that strengthens its culture of case teaching and learning. Over time, the course helps create a community of case writers and teachers who collectively enhance the school’s intellectual and pedagogical impact.” concluded Wood.

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