The philosophical foundation of the lecture-versus-case controversy: Its implications for course goals, objectives, and contents

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to see how educational philosophies that underlie lecture and case methods of teaching are related to setting course goals, objectives, and contents. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on the premise that foundational philosophies, worldviews, or paradigms underlie educational philosophies, and each educational philosophy favors a certain instructional methodology, which in turn implies a certain way or method of instruction. Findings – The findings of this paper are that each educational philosophy favors a certain instructional methodology, which in turn determines not only the way that the instruction is performed but also how course goals, objectives, and contents are set. Research limitations/implications – This paper implies that differences between the underlying world views of lecture and case methods of teaching similarly lead to differences in many other aspects of the teaching and learning process. Practical implications – This paper implies that in practice, faculty would set their course goals, objectives, and contents in a more consistent manner if they become consciously aware of the underlying philosophy of their teaching method. Originality/value – The original contribution of this paper is that it shows how in a systematic manner the differences in teaching philosophy lead to differences in what faculty would do in all areas of their course activities: goals, objectives, and contents.