Case Studies in Science: On the Web and in the Classroom

Although the case method has been used for years to teach law, business, and medicine, it is not as common in science. That's changing, however, thanks to a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts, which funded the establishment of the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science here at UB. A joint effort between the College of Arts and Sciences and the University Libraries, the Center has fostered several projects and initiatives, including its "Case Studies in Science" Web site at http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/case.html.

More than 45 cases in biology, chemistry, ecology, geology, physics, medicine and psychology now are available in the "UB Case Studies in Science Collection" at http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/ubcase.htm. Case topics include AIDS, human cloning, global warming, food irradiation and the deforestation of the Amazon. Each case has teaching notes covering the type of course it was developed for, its learning objectives, the major concepts and issues, and how to present it effectively in the classroom.

Many of the cases were written by science faculty from around the country who have attended the center's five-day summer workshops. On Oct. 6 and 7, the center will sponsor its first conference on using case studies to teach science at the University Inn & Conference Center. Sessions will cover writing cases, using cooperative learning techniques, facilitating case discussion, developing and teaching data-intensive and experimental/lab case studies, and troubleshooting small groups.

SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Clyde F. Herreid will be the conference leader. Featured speakers will include P. K. Rangachari, professor of medicine at McMaster University, where problem-cased learning first took root in the late 1960s; William M. Welty, director of the Center for Case Studies in Education at Pace University and a recognized expert in the discussion method of teaching cases; and Deborah Allen, director of undergraduate programs in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Delaware, where she and other science faculty began in 1992 to adapt problem-based learning to their introductory courses. UB professors Joseph Gardella, Mary Anne Rokitka, and Michael Hudecki also are on the program. Conference details and an registration form are available online at http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/conference/conference.html.

-Nancy Schiller and Will Hepfer, University Libraries