Faculty vitality is important to an educational institute. Enriching faculty expertise in key domains of teaching, assessing and research improves the educational environment significantly and enhances the academic performance of learners. With the aim of fostering knowledge and the professional skills of the faculty, Suleman Dawood School of Business (SDSB), LUMS invited twenty-eight educators from all 5 schools of LUMS to join their 'Case-Based Learning Workshop.'
The Workshop held from January 14-18, 2019, facilitated the faculty to gain valuable insights on how to develop transdisciplinary curricula, course design, teaching materials, and in particular, how to improve their teaching skills and methods focused on case-based teaching.
The Workshop was led by internationally renowned professors, Dr. Joe Pons, President of AXIOMA Marketing Consultants, Spain; Dr. J.B. Kassarjian, IMD, Switzerland and Babson College, USA; Dr. Arshad Ahmad, Vice Chancellor LUMS and Dr. Alnoor Bhimani, Honourary Dean SDSB and Founding Director of LSE Entrepreneurship at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Associate Dean, Research and Scholarship at SDSB, Dr. Saad Azmat started off Day 1 with a welcome address and an introduction on the Workshop, which comprised sessions on teaching philosophies, approaches and techniques; engaging students for deep learning and teaching and learning with cases.
On Day 2, the focus narrowed down more towards case teaching with sessions on preparing to teach a case and managing the class discussion. A class was conducted by the workshop faculty followed by a session on leading a case classroom, which included incidents and pitfalls.
Moving towards case writing on Day 3, sessions were conducted on case research and writing, including principles, processes and experiences. The day ended with group work where the participants were encouraged to find opportunities to collaborate to further the goals of the institution. Day 4 continued the Workshop’s focus on case teaching with two case sessions and others on mentoring, and the challenges and dilemmas faced by academics. The last day culminated with group presentations followed by tea at the Vice Chancellor’s house. Rector LUMS, Mr. Shahid Hussain graciously made time for the closing session and certificate distribution ceremony.
The focus of the workshop was on issues related to general aspects of management education with special emphasis on the case method and interactive teaching methodologies, which gave the participants the chance to focus on their particular development needs more specifically. The participants faced situations that challenged their teaching skills and attitudes using insightful case discussions, simulations, role-play, and other work methods, which put the participants - teachers turned students - at the centre of the learning process.
Under the masterful guidance of the faculty, the Workshop helped the participants to enhance their teaching methodologies, materials, skills and provided valuable feedback on participants’ teaching techniques. According to many participants, the Case-Based Learning Workshop was a milestone in their teaching careers and encouraged them to initiate many new joint projects and forged professional connections amongst the different schools at LUMS.
Faculty from the Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering (SBASSE) who attended the workshop appreciated its content. "I signed up for the workshop wanting to learn the ‘hows and whys’ of the case method. After sitting through some very interesting sessions, led by knowledgeable facilitators, both these goals were achieved," appreciated Dr. Adnan Khan, Dean, Student Affairs and Associate Professor at the Department of Mathematics, SBASSE. Dr. Ihsan Ayyub Qazi, Associate Professor and the Chair of the Department of Computer Science said, “Attending this workshop was a great learning experience for me. I particularly liked the way different styles of teaching were methodically interspersed in order to maximise learning.”
SDSB faculty also shared how the Workshop has enhanced their knowledge and skills. Dr. Sameen Zafar, Assistant Professor at SDSB said, “An excellent choice of topics, especially those dealing with innovations in the case teaching method. The professors were very happy to answer all questions and engaged with all of us throughout the workshop.”
“The Workshop was one of the very best, I ever participated in. The learning was profound and rich because of the multidisciplinary nature of the group and cross-disciplinary discussions. I am already revisiting my teaching practices and applying what I learnt in the courses I am managing this semester,” said Dr. Tayyaba Tamim, Associate Professor at the Syed Ahsan Ali and Syed Maratib Ali School of Education (SOE).
