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cultural facets, and “reality models” into the classroom, they require systemic diag-
nosis that evokes wide-ranging perceptions of cause and effect, sharpening and
enlarging debates and discussions. Finally, cases can accomplish deeper learning
objectives—e.g., underscoring the importance of having more than one theoretical
lens, discovering an emotional response as an intervening variable decision- making,
failing to separate facts from assumptions, or discovering personal biases in the use
of heuristics or rules of thumb when making decisions.
I believe that professors are obliged to not only teach other people’s cases but to
research and write original cases to profess their own ideas. Conducting research on
organizations and clinical fieldwork on hospital managers and physician efficiency
has enabled me to write case studies such as “When the Physician Becomes a
Patient,” “Managing a Liver Transplant Decision: Capacity and Medical Strategy,”
“Implementing an Advanced Surgery Program at a Tertiary Care Regional Medical
Center: Leading Change and the Liabilities of Newness,” “Friederike Bismarck’s
Dilemma,” “Baker Medical Center,” or “The Loughbeg Lipitor Factory” (these
cases are available from the author). Writing original cases not only provides me
with strong links to the practice of management but also exposes students to my
current research and thinking, while I learn from their insights.
While the case method is an important part of my teaching, I continue to experi-
ment with a variety of other teaching methods. I am becoming more convinced that
multimedia pedagogy, classroom polls, buzz groups, computer simulations, and
group work foster effective learning without sacrificing critical thinking, analytical
skills, and conceptual skills.
Over the past few years, I have become cognizant of four challenges faced in the
classroom. First is the tendency to overload and overburden the students with infor-
mation, concepts, and knowledge—e.g., too many powerpoint slides and too many
final takeaways. The second challenge is knowing when and how to refocus your
attention away from the academic content and toward the people and the learning
process. The third challenge is avoiding overcontrol of the learning experience,
remembering to see what is going on in the moment, and thus allowing the students
to create their own learning and even to teach the professor. The fourth challenge is
being able to connect with each student as an individual to give every student an
equal chance to learn. I will focus on this fourth challenge.
Connecting with each student as an individual turns out to be more complicated
than making simple adjustments, such as adding better case studies, finding impor-
tant and relevant readings, or employing multimedia pedagogy. We have to be clear
about each student’s learning goals. We also have to understand students as indi-
vidual learners and guide them to reach their potential in each and every session.
There are auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learning preferences to consider. Some
students still enjoy a and lecture; many enjoy active learning; others learn much
better in a flipped classroom. I try to employ multiple techniques, and as long as I
have been at it, I still have lot to learn.
Here is a case in point. One of my MD-MBA graduate students told me that she
needed more time to process ideas discussed in class; when I asked questions in
class, she felt unable to participate. She made an appointment and requested more
J.A. Chilingerian