Structured Case Analysis: Developing Critical Thinking Skills in a Marketing Case Course

Abstract

Structured case analysis is a hybrid pedagogy that flexibly combines diverse instructional methods with comprehensive case analysis as a mechanism to develop critical thinking skills. An incremental learning framework is proposed that allows instructors to develop and monitor content-specific theory and the corresponding critical thinking skills. Structured exercises are used initially to examine theory and augment critical thinking skills. The degree of structure decreases progressively as students develop these skills and master theory. The process culminates in traditional (unstructured) case analysis. This discussion explores the characteristics and benefits of structured case analysis and describes how the method can be implemented in a marketing case course. The incremental learning framework fosters metacognition and task generalization. Structured case analysis can be adapted to courses that seek to develop critical thinking and marketing decision making.