Committed to Cases: Integrating the case concept into your course

1. Committed to Cases:Integrating the case concept into your course Eric Ribbens Biology Western Illinois University

2. Committed to Cases • 1: What do you want to teach your students? • 2: Syllabus deconstruction • 3: Learn from my mistakes

3. A bit about me …

4. Crossing a milestone today!

5. My plan …

6. But my teaching?

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. So while we think:

11. They are more likely to…

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

13. 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?

14. 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?

15. ?? • What are the course goals? • What are the objectives for November 3?

16. 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.

17. 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?

18. 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?

19. 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?

20. My Conclusion • 1: Are cases important? YES • 2: However many to be used, there’s NO ROOM.

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

22. Look at the Botany Syllabus • What are the course goals? • What are the objectives for Unit 3?

23. 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?

24. 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!

25. 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?”

26. Challenges • 3: Your Students: • “Why do I have to work with thisgroup? 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.”

27. Case Challenges • The Unexpected • Failure • “the bad fishing dudes” • Serendipity • Chemical Eric and medical compassion • Detours • PCB case and why finance research

28. Conclusion: