Case Studies in Classroom It works!

In lecturing, success meant that students paid attention, laughed at my jokes, and applauded me. I told them what to learn, what to read, what to write in exams and they did....

Alternate Reality I think one of the most important skills we can teach our students is the ability to make critical decisions in tricky situations. The best time to impart these skills is in our classrooms…

Why use case studies in classrooms?

What case studies can you use in a classroom?

A good case study is a story.

A good case study puts a student in a problem solver’s shoes.

A good case study provokes discussion.

Students must be required to make decisions during the case study.

A good case study should provide adequate background information about the topic.

A case study should be as realistic as possible

Creating a case study

Think about an instance when you used one health concepts in your clinical/ professional experience

Write that experience as if you were narrating it to your friends!

Building a Case Study

Start with a story

Gather Background information Gather information about the location of the ‘incident’ Gather information about the context of the ‘incident’ – The Season – The village – Other relevant information

Gather Background information Place the student in the situation Gather relevant images – Maps – Pictures of key plants, animals, humans!

The Problem What was the problem? – The way you heard it first – Don’t analyze the problem Why were you ( the student) approached to solve this problem? What caught your (the student’s) attention? Was the problem unique? Why?

The Mission Outline what was expected out of you when you were presented with this problem What resources you had in your organization? What resources you had access to? What resources does the patient or the community have access to?

Decision Point What was the first decision you had to make? What were the options you had? Which one did you choose? Why?

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