Effectiveness of the Case Analysis Tool and Recommendations for Course Improvement

This was not my first time using the case analysis approach. The structure is very simple and to the point, which suites my style of writing. I do like the fact that a background can be included because this is where you can give information to help the reader understand the bigger picture and include details to help decipher the rest of your paper if need be (i.e. if it’s very technical in nature and/or if there is previous research that the paper is building on).  I believe it is a very effective tool for presenting a balanced argument, then choosing a particular recommendation.  

In the military we use the case analysis way of thinking differently depending on the circumstances and any time constraints that are present. In an academic setting, the case analysis tool is a good way to write about a particular issue and look at alternatives. Because this tool can be used in a short or more detailed manner, it can be suite the needs of the project (buying a new scale or debating a war plan) and sometimes the individual.  In the field we don’t have the time to write a paper, so the decision making process is a lot shorter and narrowed to these areas: issue, alternative(s) advantages and disadvantages, and the decision). In the office, a case analysis is confined to a well formatted email or more likely, power-point slides that cover all the major areas (intro, background, etc) of the case analysis tool. The office circumstance is between being in the field and the academia setting when it comes to time constraints. So, you have more time to research alternatives but not enough time to write a big paper about it. The presentation or email must get to the point quick and still include enough details so people reading it can understand the purpose for it!  In my current line of work I use the field style, whereas before, the office style (power-points/emails) worked well for the projects I managed.

I do have a few recommendations to improve the writing aspect for the student’s sake. First do away with abstract and the abstract defense. I felt they were unnecessary and I have reservations about writing the abstract before the paper, because the abstract is bits and pieces taken from the paper to give the reader a taste of what they are about to read overall. It needs to be replaced (see weeks 1-3 on timeline below). We were given a template to follow in regards to the major areas. I felt it necessary to add a background section to mine and by looking at a few resources on line, a case analysis can include both a background and proposed solution areas in the paper. I think these options should be made available to the students in the template that is sent out. Thirdly, I thought the students choosing who to select for reviews had a few hiccups. To caveat, there were an odd number of students. This meant someone had to do more than the required two reviews and on two occasions, students were docked points because someone didn’t review there paper. It took instructor intervention to get them done. I think the instructor should assign who will review other students work as this will avoid any ambiguity and prevent instructor intervention later on.  Finally, I would alter the timeline of events to the follow:

Week 1:  Topic Research/Selection

Week 2:  Outline Due   

Week 3:  Outline Peer Review

            Week 4: Outline Peer Review Defense

Week 5:  Rough Draft Due

Week 6:  Rough Draft Peer Review

Week 7:  Rough Draft Peer Review Defense

Week 8:  Final Draft Due

Week 9:  Presentation Due

I did like the fact that the final draft and presentations were due at different times. In the past I had a class were both were due at the same time, but to the teacher/classes defense, I had an extra week to work on the final draft. So, I’m indifferent really but would prefer the former where separation of the assignments is given. I also liked the fact that we gave a defense in regards to the peer reviews we were given. This helped me stay on top of my paper also! I’m usually good about make changes to my paper without having to write about how I will do it, but I will admit writing a defense helped me see the reviewer’s side better, and I was more organized making the recommended changes.