The Case Method Classroom: Header
The Case Method Classroom
The Case Method Classroom: Quote
The very essence of the case method is group discussion. . . . Long experience has shown that special facilities are needed in order that students may hear, see and talk freely with one another.
Winthrop W. Aldrich, President & Chairman of the Board, Chase National Bank, "Address at the Dedication for Aldrich Hall, June 12, 1953"17
In 1953, HBS expanded its campus with the building of Aldrich and Kresge Halls, the first addition to the HBS campus since it was constructed in 1927. Aldrich was the first building dedicated solely for classroom use. Philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. funded the construction in honor of his father-in-law, Nelson W. Aldrich, Senator from Rhode Island and chairman of the National Monetary Commission and the Federal Reserve.
War Industry Training Classroom, [1944]. HBS Archives Photograph Collection (olvwork380735).
Before 1953, the typical HBS classroom was configured as a lecture hall with the instructor standing in front of students who were seated in rows arranged in straight lines. With classrooms designed specifically for case method teaching, Aldrich Hall represented the School’s continued commitment to this pedagogy. Led by Dean Donald K. David, HBS faculty helped design the classroom layout, and a full-size classroom prototype was constructed and tested for classroom use. A committee to investigate the design of Aldrich Hall came up with a series of specifications that would allow faculty to move easily through the classroom, promote dynamic interaction among students, and provide an unobstructed line of sight to blackboards and projection screens. The architectural firm Perry, Shaw, Hepburn & Dean created a horseshoe-shaped classroom with tiered swivel seating to encourage dialogue among students.
Students in classroom in Aldrich Hall, 1965. HBS Archives Photograph Collection (olvwork377373).
The Case Method Classroom: Slider
A Classroom for The Case Method: Body 2
Students in classroom (1988, section B). HBS Archives Photograph Collection (olvwork378605).
One of the key priorities, as articulated in the classroom specifications, was: “The role of the instructor should be conceived as that of a leader in a group discussion; he will not need, and may even be hampered by, conventional room features which might suggest that he is an infallible authority with the students in orderly rows at his feet. Intimacy of discussion is likewise important, and features which contribute to either physical or symbolic distance between student and instructor should be avoided.”18 The basic design of the 17 classrooms in Aldrich Hall has proved fundamental to the case method of instruction and participant-centered learning at HBS and at business schools around the world.
A Classroom for The Case Method: Footnotes
17Winthrop W. Aldrich, “Address Delivered Friday June 12, 1953 at the Harvard University Graduate School of Business,” Dean’s Office Correspondence Files (Donald K. David, Dean), Box 122, Folder 16 (AA 1.1).
18Report to the Dean of the Planning Committee for Aldrich Hall, November 1, 1950, 11. Dean’s Office Correspondence Files (Donald K. David, Dean) Box 131, Folder 10 (AA 1.1).