Professionals and academicians from sixty five
countries have participated in international (summer) conferences on Case Method
Research & Application in Lausanne, Switzerland (1980), London, UK (1984, 1985,
1987), Boston, U.S.A. (1988, 1989), Enschede, Netherlands (1990), Berlin Germany
(1991), Limerick, Ireland (1992), Bratislava, Slovakia - Vienna, Austria (1993),
Montreal, Canada (1994), Leysin, Switzerland (1995), Warsaw, Poland (1996),
Edinburgh, Scotland (1997), Marseille, France (1998), Cáceres, Spain (1999),
Budapest, Hungary (2000), Lund, Sweden, (2001), Mannheim, Germany, (2002),
Bordeaux, France (2003), Buenos Aires, Argentina (2004) and Brno, Czech Republic
(2005), Brisbane, Australia, Guadalajara, Mexico, Barranquilla, Colombia,
Odense, Denmark, Istanbul, Turkey, Lima, Peru, Graz, Austria.
Since 1998, WACRA and ACT - The Academy for Creative Teaching - cooperate in a
series of winter conferences on Creative Teaching. The first seven ACT
conferences were held in Lucerne, Switzerland in Vienna, Austria. ACT8 met in
San Juan, Puerto Rico, U.S.A. and ACT9 convened in Bolzano, Italy (South
Tyrol) 2006. From 2007 to 2017 ACT conference took place in Lucca, Italy,
Munich, Germany, Sedona, AZ, U.S.A., Cologne, Germany, Seville, Spain,
Casablanca, Morocco, Paris, France, Vienna, Austria, Rome, Italy, Barcelona,
Spain.
Please visit the WACRA website
www.wacra.org for details and dates
on other activities and future conferences.
The Case Method
The Case Method can be defined in a broad sense by contrasting it with the
lecture method. Instead of textbooks, the Case Method uses partial, historical
descriptions of specific situations enabling students to discover and develop
their own unique framework for problem-solving. The Case Method achieves this
goal efficiently and effectively. Data and information are presented in
narrative form to encourage student involvement by solving problems actively, by
identifying sources of information necessary for problem-solving, by engaging in
critical thinking and through group work. (The group work contributes to the
development of individuals able and willing to work collegially, etc.). Although
"cases" have been used in one form or another by both law and medicine for a
long time, the Case Method in the teaching of management and other disciplines
is relatively new. The Harvard Business School is well known for its innovative
role in this regard. The method has applications far beyond the managerial,
business orientation so familiar to many.
New applications for the Case Method in
disciplines other than management and business are being explored and research
is being conducted on this basis. The Case Method is increasingly applied in
higher education and educational administration, the instruction (and operation)
of the social sciences, the arts, engineering, agriculture, strategic policy
planning, and personnel development in different parts of the world.
Although Case Research is often strongly associated with business programs,
the reality is that across many disciplines, particularly in professional
programs, the use of short, 'situational' cases is widespread. Think about the
kind of 'signature' pedagogy that characterizes education and training in law,
medicine, clinical practice of all kinds, counseling and justice studies, for
example, there is a vibrant case culture grounded in the 'short case'. Short
case studies, grounded in a real world setting, with focused learning
objectives, presented and discussed at WACRA conferences are opportunities to
have the scholarship of the 'short case' recognized as a distinct contribution
to teaching and learning. The established manuscript and review processes for
case submissions apply as well as proposals for panels and workshops.
The development and increasing affordability of
new communication technologies is changing the educational environment for
teachers, trainers and students. Institutions worldwide are investigating and
investing in distance education, video-based instruction, and computer-assisted
instruction. Over twenty volumes of international case method research papers,
cases and presentations attest to WACRA's success in providing an important
forum in "managing change in multi-cultural settings" and in promoting cross
cultural dialogue and development in Higher Education and training.
Objectives
The objectives of WACRA are to explain, research and advance the use of the case
method in teaching, planning and training at all levels; to promote and
encourage research using the case method, with special emphasis placed on
studying the teaching effectiveness in varied teaching-learning systems; to
coordinate development of interactive pedagogical methods involving the case
method, simulations and games; to augment the available body of research and
teaching materials; to foster interdisciplinary applications and to encourage
cooperation with the public sector, the business community and other case method
oriented professional specialties on a worldwide basis.
Functions
WACRA's main function at the present time is to coordinate research, to
facilitate the organization of forums, public discussions, workshops, training
sessions, lectures and conferences and develop a worldwide network. WACRA
organizes annual conferences at various locations around the world to provide
opportunities and encourage the exchange of ideas, the presentation of planned,
on-going and completed research, and the sharing of applications, simulations
and games. Papers and manuscripts accepted (double blind peer review -
acceptance rate for publication on average is between thirty and forty percent)
and presented at the annual conferences are published. The WACRA NEWSLETTER
informs members about ongoing research projects, employment (exchange)
opportunities, new publications and releases, curriculum development and other
developments in interactive pedagogy. WACRA supports and cooperates with
national Case Method Organizations, with Case Clearing Houses worldwide.
WACRA® Refereed Journal – IJCRA
The International Journal of Case Method Research & Application – IJCRA - is the authoritative Journal of the Word Association for Case Method Research & Application. The Journal continues a long WACRA tradition of educational leadership and pioneering in case method research and application and state-of-the-art contributions to the theory and practice of learning and teaching with cases. IJCRA’s editorial board is representative of WACRA’s international membership, interests and goals. To-date, thirty-one quarterly issues have been published, including one devoted to Service Learning projects, one on the ‘alleviation of poverty through education’ and five Spanish language issues. The Journal is listed in Cabell’s Publishing Opportunities in Management.
WACRA® Website and WACRA®NEWSletter
Inform members on case method activities: up-coming events, conference announcements, call for papers and invitations to workshops, links to case teaching and case writing organizations worldwide, reports on case teaching and writing activities at member institutions and reports on the activities of WACRA® members and their milestone achievements.
WACRA® Forums and Conferences
WACRA® organizes forums, symposia, workshops, model demonstrations and training sessions (conducted by world renowned experts), conferences, including an annual international meeting at which participants have the opportunity to exchange ideas, present their research, and share the results of case writing and case method applications.
Delegates from around the world present their ideas and proposals on interactive, interdisciplinary, inter-cultural and international teaching and learning. They report on case method research (on-going and completed), case writing, simulations and new innovative uses of multimedia and interactive teaching methods and applications.
Advantages of Membership
Membership in WACRA is open to all individuals and organizations wishing to
advance the objectives of the association. As a member you receive the WACRA
NEWSLETTER, substantial discounts on WACRA publications, preferential rates at
all WACRA sponsored meetings, notices of all activities and calls for papers. As
a member you can receive training and assistance in case writing and teaching;
once you are a member, payment of full registration fee for any meeting includes
membership in WACRA for the following calendar. You have the opportunity for
networking, consulting and to associate with other professionals working with
cases, simulations and games on a truly international scale.
Membership
Membership in WACRA is open to all individuals and organizations in all
countries who wish to advance the objectives of the association and to advance
professional standards in the field. The various classes of membership and
annual dues which provide for the continuing support of WACRA, are as follows:
- Regular USD 85: Any individual
(teacher, researcher, government official or representative, business
executive, attorney, consultant) who wishes to assist actively in attaining
the goals of WACRA.
- Organization USD 785: includes
membership for up to ten faculty members.
- Associate (Advanced Students)USD 75
- Retired Faculty USD 45
- Library Subscription Rate per year USD
1050
You are cordially invited to join, to participate
and to share your expertise and experiences with colleagues from around the
world. |
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