Using Case Studies for Assessment and Engagement

With the onset of the information generation, there is a more compelling need today to design engaging work. Students have the option to delete texts or e-mails that do not interest them, discarding what they do not find pertinent to their own lives. Students only learn from work they do, and they will do engaging work where they see a clear and compelling goal that is linked to a specific product of personal interest and value to them. They will learn and retain the material better, possibly transfer it to new contexts and share it with people who are important to them.

As many students in Anatomy and Physiology have aspirations of being medical professionals, case studies are a wonderful way to explore content in a meaningful way. These lessons strike the emotions of many, and it drives them to want to help. In one model, students are allowed to work in groups and select a particular case that they will later share with the class. In another model, the students work in small groups on a segmented case study to decide which tests they need to perform on the patient, get the results, and continue with the diagnosis. They enjoy acting like diagnosticians, and it gives them the freedom to research as they wish. Case studies employ many of the design qualities for engaging instruction- affiliation, working with peers and others; novelty and variety, using a wide range of media; choice- what they learn and how they learn it; authenticity- linking learning to their own interests.

It is easy to infuse technology into case studies. Employing search engines to research the disorders is very useful to the students. However, many of the online case studies have answer keys available online as well. To solve that problem, students can be given links to websites they should use are resources or to present them in a WebQuest format. Another way to integrate technology is by using a clicker case study. The National Center for Case Study Teaching database offers many of these. If you are a member of the American Anatomical Association or the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society, they also have a database of activities, including clicker case studies. In this type of case study, students are asked periodic questions in a segmented case study. The use of a TweetDeck for this would allow open responses here. Student groups could also be assigned case studies to discuss through blogging, and that may also be used as out of class assignments.

Case studies allow students to use higher level thinking skills. They have to truly understand what they are learning to be successful in answering the accompanying questions. This is much better gauge of understanding than is a paper and pencil, multiple choice or fill in the blank test. Students can easily find the answers to most of those questions within seconds simply by typing the question into a search engine. Assessment is more valuable when students are asked to synthesize all that they have learned and apply it to a real world situation.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I still use “standard” assessments in my class as well. There is definitely some basic information that students should be expected to know. Nobody would have confidence in a doctor who had to look everything up on his iPhone. There just needs to be a balance of each type to allow students with different strengths to succeed in the classroom. Some students are great memorizers, but that does not mean that they understand the concepts. Some students see the big picture, but can’t remember each little detail. By using case studies for assessment, the synthesizers are allowed to shine and the fact oriented can strengthen the details that they memorize.

Several case study sites are linked on the sidebar to the right. The National Center for Case Study Teaching also has many case studies in areas other than Anatomy and Physiology. Consider incorporating them into your class as well!

http://sciencecases.lib.buffalo.edu/cs/collection/results.asp?search=anatomy+and+physiology&subject_headings=&educational_level=&type_methods=&topical_areas=&x=0&y=0