Committed to Cases:Integrating the case concept into your course

Eric RibbensBiology

Western Illinois University

Committed to Cases

• 1: What do you want to teach your students?

• 2: Syllabus deconstruction

• 3: Learn from my mistakes

A bit about me …

Crossing a milestone today!

My plan …

But my teaching?

My First Case

• Ribbens, E. 2001. Too many deer! A case study in managing urban deer herds. In The National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science Case Study Collection.

Science as a Bicycle

• If biology was about bikes, in conventional collegiate biology we would talk about the theory of aerodynamics, take bikes apart in the lab, watch videos of bike races … Then we’d take students for a wobbly ride around the block, and tell them to go win the Tour de France.

So while we think:

They are more likely to…

But why?

• I knew the arguments for cases. But did I believe them? And if so, why wasn’t I using more cases?

Small Group Work

• How many cases (or hours of cases) do you teach in your class over the semester?

• Why?

• What are your specific goals for the case component?

Syllabus Deconstruction

• Look at the example syllabus: Biol 102 (deleted)

• It’s a real syllabus that I found at random on the web.

• What can you tell about this course?

??

• What are the course goals?

• What are the objectives for November 3?

The Example Syllabus Again

• Assume it’s a typical intro bio for majors: (you’ve all taken one, many of you teach one)

• As a group, identify some course goals.

The Example Syllabus Again

• Assume it’s a typical intro bio for majors: (you’ve all taken one, many of you teach one)

• As a group, identify some course goals.

• What’s the most important goal? Why?

The Example Syllabus Again

• Assume it’s a typical intro bio for majors: (you’ve all taken one, many of you teach one)

• As a group, identify some course goals.

• What’s the most important goal? Why?

• Look at the example syllabus. Will the goal you chose be met when this course is taught?

Syllabus Redesign

• Look at the example syllabus. How many cases do you think should be taught? How many hours? How would you fit them in?

My Conclusion

• 1: Are cases important? YES• 2: However many

to be used, there’s NO ROOM.

Syllabus Redesign

• 1: Start with your goals• 2: Allocate cases, etc. in proportion!• 3: Goals goals goals

Look at the Botany Syllabus

• What are the course goals?

• What are the objectives for Unit 3?

Syllabus Deconstruction Cont.

• Group Work:• Pick a topic (your choice).• Write a set of goals for that class period (or 2)• Would you share those goals with your

students? Why or why not?

Challenges

• 1: Pedagogy• Why are you teaching with

cases?• Why are you teaching THIS

case?• Classroom Management:

cases are not lectures. Students don’t know how to act. You need to be a risk-taker!

Challenges

• 2: Your colleagues:• “You are not teaching concept XXX.”• “My syllabus is already too full. There’s no way I

could add cases too!”• “If your students are having fun, are they really

learning?”• “Your classroom sounds chaotic. That can’t be

good.”• “How do you possibly assess them?”

Challenges

• 3: Your Students:• “Why do I have to work with this group? I’m

better than they are!”• “This class was really fun, but Dr. Ribbens

didn’t do much!”• “I really don’t like these cases. They make me

think, and I’m better at memorizing facts.”

Case Challenges

• The Unexpected• Failure– “the bad fishing dudes”

• Serendipity– Chemical Eric and medical compassion

• Detours– PCB case and why finance research

Conclusion: