511Module2Casestudies

Whatarethekeyconceptsofcasebasedlearningorcasebasedinstruction?

According to Johnson et al. article, case based learning allows learners to acquire
experiential knowledge quickly thereby enabling them to apply it to new situations. It
involves analyzing problems in a case, building inferences in a limitedinformation setting,
and forming decisionsinanambiguouscontextthat simulatesrealworldscenarios. Agood
case needs to have a defined setting, logical sequence of events,definedcharacters, goals
and explanations connected to the goals, as well as being instructional, realistic, relevant,
evocative and have sociorelational context (Johnson et al, 2012). Cases revolve arounda
key issue, what Wasserman calls a big idea, that overlays complex issues (Wasserman,
1994). The cases should be well written so as todrawstudentstothekeyissues. Thebig
idea should pack a wallop so as to elevate passions about the issue. Wasserman also
suggests that cases not be resolved, as an open ended cases spurs students on to find
some kind of resolution. These characteristicsofgoodcaseshelpprovidethestudentswith
themotivationtosiftthroughthecomplexitiesofthecase.

The use of case studies provides a frameworkfromwhichtoexamineproblemsanalytically.

Wasserman suggests the use of study questions to help frame the discussion.Goodstudy
questions build habits of thinking in students. In formulating thoughtful responses, students
gain experience in reasoning from the data, arguing a point of view, examining issues from
more than one perspective, suspending judgment, differentiating between fact and
opinion(Wasserman, 1994). These are valuable skills that can be applied to any problem
solvingsituation.
In addition, the case based model provides a situated stance with which to approach
problems. Students get a sense of the kind of work or decisions that they would have to
make in real life situations. This seems particularly valuable for fields where analytic skills
areapartofthejob,forexamplebusinessorengineeringstudents.

Johnson, J. F., Bagdasarov, Z., Connelly, S., Harkrider, L. Devenport, L.D. Mumford,M.D.
& Thiel, C. E. (2013). Casebased ethics education: The impact of cause complexity and
outcome favorability on ethicality. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research
Ethics,7(3),6377.

Wassermann, S. (1994). Using cases to study teaching. Phi Delta Kappan, 75(8), 602604,
606608,610611.