Case Studies in Distance Learning Environments James A. Hewlett Professor of Biology Finger Lakes Community College

Online Pedagogies What unique challenges (from a teaching and learning perspective) do we need to overcome in order to be effective online instructors? How might the employment of the CSM help us face those challenges?

What I have learned about online students Diverse backgrounds (including more non- traditional students) Need to feel connected to the instructor and the other students Require prompt, frequent, and meaningful feedback Need to “ease” into the course and the material (fear  comfort)

Case Based Online Courses Address the needs of the online student Work well with recommended online pedagogies Are aligned with best practices in teaching Address ALL levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy Provide meaningful opportunities for assessment Cases can reflect the “nature” of the subject matter

Case Based Online Courses Address the needs of the online student Work well with recommended online pedagogies Are aligned with best practices in teaching Address ALL levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy Provide meaningful opportunities for assessment Cases can reflect the “nature” of the subject matter

A simple case with “clear direction” Not graded Used for students to practice file attachments Immediate feedback Case #1 : Simple to Complex “easing” the student into the course

Case #2 : Simple to Complex “easing” the student into the course Progress to cases that: – Continue to maintain a focus on a single concept (as with case #1) but… – Begin to introduce more “information” that must be considered in problem-solving – Begin to become less directed / more open-ended A 60 year old male with a history of chronic gastritis and tachycardia complains that he is becoming progressively more fatigued at the end of his workday. Seemingly simple tasks take enormous amounts of effort to complete…………..

Case Based Online Courses Address the needs of the online student Work well with recommended online pedagogies Are aligned with best practices in teaching Address ALL levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy Provide meaningful opportunities for assessment Cases can reflect the “nature” of the subject matter

How to address best practice ? GOOD PRACTICE… …Encourages Student-Faculty Contact …Encourages Cooperation Among Students …Gives Prompt Feedback …Emphasizes Time on Task …Communicates High Expectations …Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning Lesson for online instruction: Allowing students to choose project topics incorporates diverse views into online courses. …Encourages Active Learning Lesson for online instruction: Students should present course projects. Chickering, A., & Gamson, Z. (1987). Seven principles of good practice in undergraduate education. AAHE Bulletin, 39, 3-7.

How to address best practice ? Adressing “higher levels” of Bloom’s Taxonomy CategoryDefinition Evaluationjudging the value of material or methods as they might be applied in a particular situation; judging with the use of definite criteria Synthesiscreating something new by putting parts of different ideas together to make a whole. Analysisbreaking something down into its parts; may focus on identification of parts or analysis of relationships between parts, or recognition of organizational principles Applicationusing a general concept to solve problems in a particular situation; using learned material in new and concrete situations Comprehensionunderstanding something that has been communicated without necessarily relating it to anything else Knowledgerecalling or remembering something without necessarily understanding, using, or changing it

The Case Study Writing Project The Final Solution : Have students write a case

Create the assignment How would you construct a case study writing project for an online course that takes into consideration best practices, Bloom’s higher levels, and the needs of the online student …Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning Lesson for online instruction: Allowing students to choose project topics incorporates diverse views into online courses. …Encourages Active Learning Lesson for online instruction: Students should present course projects. Evaluationjudging the value of material or methods as they might be applied in a particular situation; judging with the use of definite criteria Synthesiscreating something new by putting parts of different ideas together to make a whole. - Require prompt, frequent, and meaningful feedback - Need to “ease” into the course and the material (fear  comfort)

Organization Case is constructed in pieces, with each piece receiving feedback

Interaction Students interact with each other as both the learner and the SME

Evaluation

Case Based Online Courses Address the needs of the online student Work well with recommended online pedagogies Are aligned with best practices in teaching Address ALL levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy Provide meaningful opportunities for assessment Cases can reflect the “nature” of the subject matter

The “nature” of the subject matter BIO 172 primarily populated by students entering a health profession Measurements, tests, and diagnostics: – Are not endpoints – cannot be considered in isolation

The “nature” of the subject matter The patient is an 8 year old male with a history of an unresolved hematoma following a sports-related injury. The patient was hit with a baseball on the right anterior thigh three weeks prior to the orthopedic visit. An initial exam made by the family physician revealed full flexion and extension of the knee and hip joint and mild tissue edema. Radiologic exam revealed no signs of any femoral fractures. Initially the area had been described by the patient as "tender." The edema has increased progressively since the injury and the patient presents to you with referred pain (foot and thigh). The patient has been icing the injury daily and pharmacological treatment has consisted of Tylenol and Advil. Physical examination is negative, except for a swollen, tender right anterior thigh with some resolving ecchymosis. HCT 34.2 HGB 11.3 WBC 6.6 PLT 220 APTT 54 sec

Clotting Disorder Too Much misconception hemophilia diet liver Not Enough What information would you like to collect to further your understanding of what is happening in this case?

Summary Address the needs of the online student Work well with recommended online pedagogies Are aligned with best practices in teaching Address ALL levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy Provide meaningful opportunities for assessment Cases can reflect the “nature” of the subject matter