"I am thrilled to help my students become world class leaders." Ed Perry, Acton School of Business
The rewards of case teaching do not come cheaply; they require a serious investment of time and energy. Teaching a full-time course requires at least 20 hours of your time per week during the first semester.
Time Guidelines for Preparing and Teaching a Course for the First Time
(Based on teaching two classes per week)
Within the first two weeks of the semester (28 hours total):
- 8 hours committing to memory the face and background of each student.
- 20 hours preparing the class materials.
During the first week (21 hours total):
- 10 hours preparing for classes.
- 4 hours of class time.
- 2 hours on administrative issues.
- 5 hours for one-on-one sessions with each student (for 30 students) to clarify their expectations, your commitment and the requirements for each class.
An average week during the semester (17 hours total):
- 10 hours preparing for classes.
- 4 hours of class time.
- 2 hours of office hours for individual meetings with students.
- 1 hour for evening sessions (2 hours per bi-weekly session).
During midterm week (29 hours total):
- 10 hours preparing for classes.
- 4 hours of class time.
- 15 hours for grading midterms and preparing student feedback.
During finals week (22 hours total):
- 6 hours preparing for classes. (The last classes are typically review sessions that require less preparation.)
- 4 hours of class time.
- 2 hours on administrative issues.
- 10 hours for grading finals and assigning final grades (Less time is needed than for midterms because no student feedback is required.)
All of the above estimates assume that a professor is teaching an established course for the first time. Once a teacher has taught a course at least once, the time required to prepare the case will decrease.
