Case Studies

In America, the photographer is not simply the person who records the past, but the one who invents it. - Susan Sontag Melancholy Objects (1977). Performance improvement records the past and then invents the future. . . for survival.

In the 5th-century BC, the philosopher Lao-Tse (also Lao-tzu) wrote "If you tell me, I will listen. If you show me, I will see. But if you let me experience, I will learn." And so began one of the first active learning philosophies. Other Chinese philosophers, such as Kung Fu-tse (Latinized as Confucius) and Han Fei-Tzu, followed Lao-Tse by using a method that closely resembles what we now call the case method or case study. A member of the study group would present a paradox, which would be in the form of a parable. They would then discuss it and explore possible resolutions. The following links you take you to examples of various case studies. Training ROI Involving Employers in Training Empowerment Teams Various Case Studies Various Case Studies Safety Competencies The National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science Ethics Ergonomics CIO Business Captain Bligh and Leadership iPods Yahoo & Google Other Resources Beginnings of Case Studies Writing a Case Study Introduction to Case Study