Case method teaching is used extensively in business schools around the world, and has become almost a hallmark of the top business schools. It is therefore surprising to find that there is so little empirical evidence to support its continued use. Successive literature reviews from 1987 to 2018 confirm this lack of evidence. Drawing on several decades of higher education research, this study used a proven survey instrument to evaluate the case method in terms of approaches to learning, an internationally accepted measure of course quality in higher education. The finding, that the case method is more effective than lectures in promoting understanding, although unsurprising to case method teachers, provides strong evidence of the efficacy of the case method in terms accepted by the higher education research community. This application of concepts and methods from the higher education research, to the research and practice of management education, presents opportunities for further research in management education and suggests new ways of improving and evaluating management education practice.