A Case-Based Model for Training Managers and Commanders

Case-based training method involves a powerful learner-centered strategy which affects critical thinking, learning, and interacting with others. This research is an attempt to design a model for training managers and commanders, formulated on the basis of case study as one of the dimensions of the management laboratory at Imam Hussein Comprehensive University. The main reasons for employing this method contain participatory learning, observing theory in practice, enjoining learners with real-world complexities, having a decision-making position, evaluating the impact of individuals' decisions, dialogue-oriented learning, and educational flexibility. Grounded theory is used to design the promising model. Five experts were identified as the primary subjects of the research through the snowball sampling method, and finally, a total of 13 interviewees were addressed for in-depth unstructured interviews. In the end, after three types of open, axial and selective coding, the final local model of case-based education was achieved. As a result, the components including “defining the educational goals", "appointing and justifying the instructor", "case decisions", "training scenario development", "student preparation and environment", "student selection", "evaluation of training process and results", "development of final action plans", and "feedback report" were identified and organized in the form of "causal conditions", "context", "axial category", "intervening conditions", "strategies" and "consequences". This local model is significantly advantageous and innovative in terms of its comprehensive features and in its consideration of independence in action, factors involved in the model, including multi stages, and attention to other key components of case-based training compared to previous common models mentioned in this paper.