Case Method Training Workshop (PCL) for Teachers

On 25 April 2026, Nagoya University of Commerce and Business and the its graduate school (NUCB Business School) held a case method training session at the university’s Marunouchi Campus. Known as PCL (Participant-Centred Learning), this training session is held twice a year—in April and September—for the university’s teaching staff, with the aim of deepening their understanding of participant-centred education using the case method, which the university promotes university-wide. Approximately 90 members of staff attended the session.

In addition to classroom observations, the workshop featured mock lectures delivered by Professor Haruo Takagi and Professor Yuji Nagasawa from NUCB Business School. As in actual classes, participants engaged in small-group discussions prior to the session based on cases and assignments distributed in advance, followed by a plenary discussion.The participating faculty members took part in the sessions from the students’ perspective and engaged in very lively discussions. Furthermore, during the post-training debriefing, they exchanged views on aspects such as class management and the use of blackboard notes, providing an opportunity to further deepen their understanding of the case method.

About the case method

At Nagoya University of Commerce and Business, the case method has been adopted across all faculties to cultivate students’ ability to think independently, engage in discussion and make decisions. The case method is an educational approach that uses case studies based on real-life challenges and decision-making scenarios encountered in companies and organisations, enabling students to deepen their learning through peer discussion. In traditional one-way lectures, the focus is on passively acquiring knowledge from the lecturer.In contrast, with the case method, students read the cases themselves, consider how they would make a decision, and exchange diverse opinions within the class. Through this process, they can practically acquire the skills required in the real world, such as logical thinking, analytical skills, communication skills and leadership.