San Marcos High School begins the 2023-2024 school year with a new Business Research course, where students will be the first and only high schoolers in the country to work with the esteemed Harvard Case Study Method.
Used for over 100 years by the Master's of Business Administration program at the Harvard Business School, the Case Study Method takes students through actual cases of businesses which made key decisions that led to the creation or growth of their enterprise. While many colleges across the country each year request permission to utilize the method from Harvard for their own campuses, San Marcos High School students will have all those very same materials at their fingertips this year.
The new SMHS program was developed thanks to Physics teacher, David Joiner, who set out to build the Business Research course with the hopes of providing deeper, more impactful experiences for his students.
Joiner, who worked with Harvard during his career as an acoustical engineer and had the chance to observe the methodology in action, said he found the course intriguing and wanted to bring this experience to SMHS students.
“The classes will foster an interactive environment where students actively participate in discussions, team exercises, and simulations,” Joiner said.
Students will review a variety of business cases, including some with local roots. In those cases, students will have the opportunity to not only study the case, but visit the business itself and learn even more, directly from the leaders of that group.
Despite being a brand new addition to the SMHS course offering, Joiner’s class was requested by over 35 students. These Juniors and Seniors are excited about the unique experience they are being afforded through this course.
“I have always wanted to know why businesses do what they do and how they make the decisions that are so important to their place in the industry,” said Jonathan Walker, senior at SMHS. “I think this class will give me the insight I want.”
Joiner said he believes that this innovative approach to business education will empower students to develop essential skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork.
“By cultivating an experiential and dynamic learning environment, students will gain a competitive edge in their future careers while fostering a lifelong love for learning and innovation,” Joiner said.
