College Case Conference May 22, 2015 Chandra Hodgson, Humber College

The professor asks students to write a dialogue between two well-versed people on a controversial topic. The individuals in their story (say Sally and Sam) hold opposite views on a question such as global warming. Sally and Sam have at least twenty exchanges, twenty from Sally and twenty from Sam. The exchanges should be substantive and intelligent. The students must reference any claims that their protagonists make. Finally, at the end of the dialogue, the students should declare their own position on the topic and their reasons for it. (from Herreid, C.F. “Case Study Teaching” (2011))

The case is made available to students with a student assignment question for them to process. An assignment outlining explicitly what is expected in the case report is generally required for students to succeed. This can still involve the small group process as a step on the way to preparing their individual reports. Reports can also be prepared in groups, though be sure to use best practices in collaborative writing to avoid the usual pitfalls of group writing assignments.

Typically include the following sections: 1. Identification of the problem 2. Analysis of the data 3. Identification of alternatives 4. Identification of criteria 5. Assessment of alternatives using the criteria 6. Selection of best alternative (recommendation) 7. Implementation plan with timelines and milestones (optional)

Assign a reflection piece to the class either in place of or after a large group discussion. This is best managed online through the discussion or blog tool in an LMS such as Blackboard. Note: Can be combined with any other method as additional assessment.

Instructors assign the case as usual. They post discussion questions to an LMS such as Blackboard. There should ideally be a few discussion threads, for example, one about identifying the problem, one about alternatives, one about criteria, as well as one about what, ultimately, they would do in the shoes of the protagonist. These questions can be revealed one at a time, throughout the course of a week or more.