Using reflective reports to improve the case method

The case method has long been accepted as an excellent pedagogical approach and has been used extensively in management education. This paper examines the case method in the light of developments in adult education, and finds that reflection after the class discussion of the case is usually neglected and often inadvertently discouraged. Yet reflection after the event is an important part of the learning process. Requiring students to write brief reflective reports, after the class discussion of a case, has been used successfully to improve student learning and to improve the perceived value and relevance of a case study. The paper concludes that the use of reflective reports does a great deal to overcome concerns about value and relevance in management education.