Case Studies and Problem-Based Learning: A Perfect Marriage of Content and Context?

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Case Studies and Problem-Based Learning A
Perfect Marriage of Content and Context?
Deborah Allen University of Delaware Annual
Conference on Case Study Teaching in
Science October 5, 2007 Buffalo, New York
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Case Study PBL MethodsIs There a Difference?
Once Upon a Time?

• PBL
• student-centered
• small group
• problems before concepts

• Case Study
• instructor-centered
• whole class
• cases as extension,
• application of
• concepts

Please note that these are comparisons of the
classic models
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Case Studies PBL The Process
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The Ideal Undergraduate Science Course Should

• Offer an encounter with processes as well as
• essential concepts
• Be problem-driven
• Emphasize critical thinking
• Be taught in the context of topics that students
• confront in their lives
• Help students cope with the explosion of
• knowledge by providing them with intellectual
• tools rather than increasing coverage

Report from the National Research Council
(1996). From Analysis to Action Undergraduate
Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering
Technology
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Best Practice in Teaching

• Encourage students to identify their own real
  questions
• Apply concepts to other content areas
• Emphasize questioning, thinking, and problem
  solving
• Challenge students to hypothesize, infer, use
  logic and
• rationalization
• Use collaborative, small-group work
• Integrate and connect concepts in multiple
  content areas

Zemelman, Daniels and Hyde (1993) Best Practice
New Standards for Teaching and Learning in
Americas Schools.
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Types of Learning Objectives

• Content-oriented subject-specific
• Understanding, application of specific concepts
• Correlation, integration of concepts
• Process-oriented global skills
• Effective communication verbal and written
• Acquiring and evaluating information
• Working effectively with others
• Higher-order, critical thinking

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Skills Used Frequently by Physics Bachelors in
Selected Employment Sectors, 1994
Source AIP Education and Employment Statistics
Division
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Hybrid Models for Case Studies/PBL Courses
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Hybrid Models for Case Studies/PBL Courses
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The Science Semester
A 15-credit science and science pedagogy course
for future K-8 teachers
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A Typical Day in an Undergraduate PBL Course
(But Could be Case Studies!!)
Smaller Class
Larger Class
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An Case Where Instructor and Student Ideas about
Learning Were Not Well-Aligned
The goals are too broad, too lofty for general
education classes. These classes are to fill
group requirements, to pick a major. They aren't
for the student body to become better people
Quote from course evaluations, general
education biology course using PBL strategies
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Cooperative Learning What the Research Shows

• Academic Success
• higher achievement, including knowledge
  acquisition, accuracy, creativity in
  problem-solving, and higher reasoning level.
• Attitude Effects
• persistence towards goals, intrinsic
  motivation, applying learning in other
  situations, greater time on task

Johnson, Johnson, and Smith (1998 ) AAHE Prism.
Feb. 1998 Springer, Stanne, Donovan. (1999).
Review of Educational Research 6921-52.
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PBL Outcomes at UD

• Gains in critical thinking skills?
• Inconclusive
• Barriers to research on PBL?
• Randomization, blinding difficult
• Many uncontrollable variables variants in PBL,
  resources, motivation
• Appropriate outcome measures content knowledge
  vs. process skills

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Are They Learning Essential Content?
UD Case Study Introductory physics for
pre-meds Comparison with national data
base (force-concepts inventory) UD Case Study
Introductory biology for majors Pre- and
post-test comparison with non-PBL
sections Comparison of exam scores with non-PBL
section taught by same instructor
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Major Research Questions

• What do students think about their PBL
  experiences?
• Course evaluations
• Tracking student comments via focus groups
• Internships/practicum/research experience and PBL
• Alumni Surveys
• Does PBL have more global effects on students
  beyond content learning?
• Longitudinal Assessment of Cognitive Development
• What are the key experiences from the facultys
  perspective relating to PBL?
• Document numbers of faculty using PBL or other AL

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PBL Outcomes at UD

• Exposure to PBL improves number and quality of
  student-faculty interactions.
• Structured focus groups about PBL
• increased comfort and inclusion in class.
• increased ability to consider, evaluate, and
  respect different points of view.
• improved communication and interpersonal skills.
• made course content more interesting.

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Additional Types of Assessment

• Individual contributions to group function in
  general and/or to specific group assignments and
  products
• Peer evaluation (student to student)
• Periodic evaluation of key course elements
• Periodic evaluation of the instructor student
  and faculty point of view

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PBL Outcomes at UD

• Gains in critical thinking skills?
• Inconclusive
• Barriers to research on PBL at UD?
• Many different models of PBL used (hybrids).
• Absence of a PBL curriculum track.

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Acknowledgments

• John Cavanaugh, Vice Provost
• Barbara Duch, MSERC
• Karen Bauer, Institutional Research
• Gabriele Bauer, Center for Teaching Effectiveness
• Many colleagues in the biology department,
  including Linda Dion, Flo Schmieg, Jane
  Noble-Harvey, Richard Donham, Gary Laverty, David
  Sheppard
• Supported by a grant from the Pew Charitable
  Trusts

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The Perry ModelStages of epistemological and
ethical growth

• Includes Ability To
• Understand the nature of knowledge, and how it is
  acquired
• Interpret the roles of authority
• Make decisions about complex life dilemmas

• Perry, W. G. (1979). Forms of intellectual and
  ethical development
• in the college years. Holt, Rhinehart Winston.

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A Stripped Down Perry Model Translation into
Student-Learner Characteristics
Positions 6-9 are Committed Relativism
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A Stripped Down Perry Model Translation into
Student-Learner Characteristics
Adapted from Knefelkamp, LL and J. L. Cornfeld
1979. Combining student stage and style in the
design of learning environments. CADI.
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Measure of Intellectual Development Study

• Interviews, essays of 44 1st or 2nd-year
  students, plus 5 peer facilitators
• Scored by 2 independent raters, Center for the
  Study of Intellectual Development (William S.
  Moore, Director originally Knefelkamp)
• 10 possible scores
• 222, 223, 233, 333, 334, 344, 444, 445, 455, 555

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Sample MID Essay Prompt

• Describe the best course youve experienced in
  your education. What made it positive for you?
  Feel free to go into as much detail as you think
  is necessary to give a clear idea of the course.
  For example, you might want to discuss areas such
  as the subject matter, class activities, what the
  teacher was like, the atmosphere of the class,
  the evaluation procedures whatever you think
  was the most important in making the experience
  positive for you. Please be as specific as
  possible in your response, describing as
  completely as you can why the issues you discuss
  stand out to you as important

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MID Observations
223 233 333 334 344 444 555
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Using the Perry Model to Design Instruction
Features of courses that support relativistic
students and challenge multiplistic ones

• More independent learning environment
• Professor as source of expertise or guide
• Encourage students to develop their own
  definition of problems and work out their own
  solutions.
• Let students select their own labs and modify
  design
• Team learning
• Test across the whole range of Blooms Taxonomy

Adapted from Finster, D. C. (1991). Developmental
instruction Part II. Application of the Perry
model to general chemistry. J. Chem. Ed. 68,
752-756.
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Using the Perry Model to Design Instruction

• Features of courses that support multiplistic
  students and challenge dualist ones

• Organize the course with some opportunity for
  flexibility in terms of content and sequencing
• Provide directions about how to generate
  problem-solving
• strategies (rather than presenting rote
  examples)
• Discuss different approaches to models,
  interpretation of data, etc.
• Use sources beyond professor and text
• Provide concrete experiences that rely less on
  authority and
• more on peers and self e.g. team projects, case
  studies

Adapted from Finster, D. C. (1991). Developmental
instruction Part II. Application of the Perry
model to general chemistry. J. Chem. Ed. 68,
752-756.
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Compelling Features of Case Studies/PBLfor New
Adapters

• Modeled on how students learn.
• With information overload, prepares students to
  be life-long learners.
• More realistic curriculum prepares students for
  world outside the classroom.
• Ensures more up-to-date materials, content.
• Generates enthusiasm among faculty.
• Boud and Feletti, 1998

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Acknowledgements