Students’ Perspectives on the 'Caselatte' Method: Evaluating an Innovative Pedagogical Tool in Higher Commerce Education

Background & Problem Statement: Traditional lecture-dominated instruction in undergraduate commerce education often leads to passive learning and lower student engagement. This challenge is particularly acute when teaching theoretical frameworks in Economics alongside the contextual nuances of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) to first- and second-year students. Purpose of the Study: This study evaluates the effectiveness and student perceptions of the 'Caselatte' method—a novel, time-bound micro-case study model (1–2 page cases paired with structured group discussions and reflective debriefs) implemented at Shri V Z Patel Commerce College, Anand. Methodology & Data Cleaning: A cross-sectional survey utilizing a 5-point Likert scale and qualitative feedback was administered across different academic streams. Out of an initial pool of 108 respondents, 8 outliers (incomplete or straight-lined responses) were removed during data cleaning. The final analyzed sample comprised N = 100 students, stratified equally into four balanced sub-groups (n = 25 each): FY English Medium, FY Gujarati Medium, SY English Medium, and SY Gujarati Medium. Key Findings: Empirical findings indicate strong positive perceptions across all evaluated dimensions. Students reported high scores for active classroom engagement (Mean = 4.52/5.0), time efficiency (Mean = 4.60/5.0), conceptual retention (Mean = 4.38/5.0), and overall preference over traditional lectures (Mean = 4.41/5.0). Comparative analysis revealed no statistically significant gap in receptivity between English Medium (Mean = 4.45) and Gujarati Medium (Mean = 4.39) students, demonstrating the cross-linguistic adaptability of localized micro-cases. Implications & Conclusion: The results show that replacing lengthy, traditional business cases with bite-sized, regional micro-scenarios bridge abstract economic theory with practical understanding. The 'Caselatte' method offers a scalable, active-learning framework suitable for modern commerce curricula and the seamless integration of IKS.