Writing the Undisguised Case

Abstract

Case study teaching provides a bridge between the world of theory and the world of practice. In addition, case teaching enhances students' analytical and problem-solving skills and gives students the opportunity to engage in shared problem solving. Undisguised cases have certain advantages as teaching tools. First, undisguised cases give case writers credibility with their learners. Second, undisguised cases are often intrinsically more interesting than disguised cases. Third, undisguised cases are much more useful than disguised cases in producing research data for policy analysis. This article sets out some practical advice for case writers who write undisguised cases. The World Wide Web is a key resource for writers of undisguised cases, particularly the newspaper archives that are accessible on the Web. The undisguised case must be accurate in every detail, and the case author should cite all the sources on which the author relied when constructing the undisguised case narrative.