Case study competitions are a cornerstone of experiential learning at many business schools. In these competitions, students are divided into teams of five and challenged to analyze a real-world business problem, develop strategic recommendations, and present their solutions to judges often comprised of executives and industry leaders.
The format mirrors how cross-functional teams operate in professional settings, and the learning outcomes depend almost entirely on the quality of collaboration within each group. That collaboration is exactly where traditional breakout rooms fall short. When one business school professor attempted to run a case study competition over Zoom, the experience revealed a set of structural problems that no amount of facilitation skill could overcome. The same use case in Engageli produced a fundamentally different result.
In one business school class conducted over Zoom, the professor attempted to manage a case competition experience using breakout rooms. Students were asked to self-select into breakout rooms as part of the team assignment process. However, in a large class, some students did not select a room at all, creating a time-consuming orchestration challenge for the professor.
Once participants entered the breakout rooms, the professor had limited visibility into each group’s discussion, engagement level, or progress. Some groups were highly productive, while others became quiet, distracted, or stalled without guidance. Students had to manually request help or wait for the professor to visit their breakout room. In addition, participants could no longer see the prompt shared in the main room, resulting in a disconnected collaboration experience.
The challenge became immediately apparent because the most important aspect of case competitions is collaborative problem-solving among team members with different professional and academic backgrounds. Effective collaboration requires continuous interaction, visibility, and coaching, all of which can be difficult to sustain in traditional breakout rooms.
The same use case in Engageli created a completely different experience.
On the first day of class, the professor used polling to identify each student’s industry experience: marketing, legal, finance, engineering, product development, and other specialties. Based on the responses, the professor randomized seating into diverse groups of five and saved the arrangement as persistent teams for the semester.
During class sessions, the professor could instantly reseat students into their case competition teams, set timers, and have each group focus on a section of the case study to analyze. Because all tables remained within the same classroom environment, every student could continuously see the shared prompt and professor materials. This created a stronger sense of focus and alignment than isolated rooms ever could. Students also used Engageli Notes to capture brainstorming ideas and revisit them later during ongoing team discussions.
Rather than moving students into disconnected breakout rooms, the professor simply shifted the classroom into table audio mode, enabling simultaneous group collaboration while remaining in one unified classroom. The professor could walk the virtual classroom naturally, monitor engagement indicators in real time, and quickly identify which groups needed additional support. In another session, the professor created a dedicated “Staff Table” where students could temporarily join to ask questions and receive just-in-time coaching before returning to their teams.
Successful case competition teams combine strategic thinking with strong collaboration and presentation skills. The experience mirrors real-world business environments where cross-functional teams must quickly align, solve problems, and present actionable recommendations to leadership.
Successful case competition teams combine strategic thinking with strong collaboration and presentation skills. The experience mirrors real-world business environments where cross-functional teams must quickly align, solve problems, and present actionable recommendations to leadership.
Equally important is active participation from every team member and the inclusion of diverse perspectives and expertise. Diversity of experience avoids group think and improves how a team sees and solves problems. Engageli was quickly able to assign groups based on a poll check. The strongest learning outcomes emerge through discussion, debate,and iterative thinking. This is why collaborative environments like Engageli Tables can be especially effective for case competitions, enabling instructor visibility, dynamic coaching, and collaborative teamwork throughout the case competition experience.
See how Engageli Tables replace breakout rooms with a purpose-built collaboration experience. Request a demonstration with our team of educators.
Engageli Tables are persistent small-group workspaces within a unified virtual classroom. Unlike breakout rooms, tables keep all groups visible to the instructor at all times. Students remain connected to shared materials, and the instructor can monitor engagement, set timers, and provide coaching without leaving the main classroom view.
Yes. Engageli gives instructors a bird’s-eye view of all tables simultaneously. Engagement indicators show which groups are actively discussing and which may need support. This real-time visibility is the core difference from breakout rooms, where instructors must visit each room individually.
Instructors can use in-class polls to identify student backgrounds, then randomize seating based on responses. Engageli also supports saved seating arrangements, so a professor can create persistent teams on day one and instantly reseat students into those groups for the rest of the semester.
Table audio mode shifts the classroom so students can only hear and speak with their tablemates, enabling focused small-group collaboration. The instructor toggles between full-class discussion and table mode with a single click, with no need to launch, assign, or close separate rooms.
No. Because Engageli Tables exist within the main classroom, students can continuously see shared prompts, slides, and instructor materials while collaborating at their table. Breakout rooms, by contrast, disconnect students from the main room entirely.
Yes. Engageli Tables are especially effective for case competitions. Instructors can form diverse teams using polls, save persistent team assignments, set timers for each phase, and monitor all groups in real time. The unified classroom environment supports the sustained, iterative collaboration that case competitions require.
The Staff Table is a dedicated table where students can temporarily join to ask questions or receive coaching from the instructor or teaching assistants. Once they have the guidance they need, they return to their team table. This enables just-in-time support without disrupting other groups.
Engageli is purpose-built for learning, while Zoom is a meeting tool adapted for education. For group collaboration, Engageli provides persistent tables, real-time instructor visibility, one-click seating tools, engagement analytics, and a unified classroom that keeps all groups connected. Zoom’s breakout rooms lack these capabilities.