How  to  Effec*vely  Use  Cases  and  other  Learning  Objects  

Jodi  Sandfort  Kate  Conners  

 NASPAA  2014  Pre-­‐Conference  Workshop  

Albuquerque,  NM  

Workshop  Purpose  

 ….refine  our  understanding  and  prac*ce  of  using  teaching  cases  and  other  learning  objects  to  design  interac*ve  teaching  and  engaged  learning  among  our  students  in  professional  public  affairs  programs    

The Hubert Project promotes interactive learning and

teaching for government and nonprofit professionals.

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Workshop  Agenda  

•  What?    –   Defining  Cases  and  other  “Learning  Objects”    

•  Why?      –   Science  of  Teaching  &  Learning  about  Interac=ve  Pedagogy  

•  How?      – Selec=ng  Materials,  Preparing,  Facilita=ng,  Building  Whole  Courses  

WHAT?      

Variety  of  Case  Study  formats  

Storytelling  as  a  Teaching  Tool  

Formats  

•  Verbal  •  WriVen  •  Video  •  Mul*media  

•  Descrip*ve  •  Protagonist  –  one  point  of  view  

•  Mul*ple  points  of  view  –  “Simula*on”  

What  is  a  teaching  case?  •  A  wriVen  or  mul*-­‐media  descrip*on  of  a  

par*cular  situa*on  or  decision  •  Requires  student  to  analyze  informa*on  and:  

–  make  a  strategic  decision    –  draw  a  conclusion  about  why  a  par*cular  

ac*on  was  taken  –  consider  issues  to  be  addressed    

•  Developed  less  “rigorously”  than  social  science  research  case  studies    

Characteris*cs  of  a  good  teaching  case      •  Tells  a  compelling  story  •  Forces  students  to:  

–  think  about  constraints  ac*ng  on  decision  makers  

–  think  about  the  op*ons  available  to  decision  makers  

–  Sort  through  informa*on  and  decide  what  is  relevant  

•  Has  no  obvious  “right”  answer  •  Provides  a  vehicle  for  collabora*ve  learning  

and  interac*on  

“Learning Objects”

 ….”anything  that  is  set  up  to  cons=tute  or  prompt  the  subject  maKer  of  an  interac=ve  teaching  session.”      (Alford  &  Brock,  2014:2)      

Open Educational Resources

Freely accessible, openly formatted and licensed media used for teaching, learning, assessment and research

“Learning  Object”  Formats  

•  Verbal  •  WriVen  •  Video  •  Mul*media  

Harvard  University,  B-­‐School,  Resources  on  Case  Teaching  

 

Professor  David  Garvin,  Harvard  

hVp://hbsp.harvard.edu/mul*media/pcl/pcl_1/4/advicenewteachers.html  

Case  Repository:    Mul*media  

Video  Briefs  

E-­‐Studies  

E-­‐Cases  

Other  Relevant  Case    Repositories:    WriVen    

1.  Electronic  Hallway  at  the  Evans  School  of  Public  Affairs  at  the  University  of  Washington:    hVp://hallway.evans.washington.edu/cases  

2.  Rutgers  School  of  Public  Affairs  &  Administra*on  Portal:  hVp://casesimportal.newark.rutgers.edu/  

3.  Collabora*ve  Governance  Ini*a*ve,  Maxwell  School  at  Syracuse  University:  hVp://www.maxwell.syr.edu/parcc_eparcc.aspx  

4.  Harvard  Business  School:    hVp://hbsp.harvard.edu/  &  Kennedy  School  of  Government:    hVp://www.case.hks.harvard.edu/  

5.  Ins*tute  for  Public  Administra*on  in  Canada  (IPAC):  hVp://www.ipac.ca/CaseStudyProgram-­‐About  

6.  Australian  New  Zealand  School  of  Government  (ANZSOG):                                                                              hVp://casestudies.anzsog.edu.au/  

7.  European  Case  Clearinghouse:    hVp://www.ecch.com/educators  

     

       

WHY?      Lessons  from  the  Science  of  Teaching  &  Learning  

Science  of  Teaching  &  Learning  “[N]arra*ve  serves  to  integrate  the  func*oning  of  individuals  within  groups  by  teaching  specific  skills  and  general  values,  and  crea*ng  common  blueprints  and  shared  understandings….The  convergence  of  these  diverse  func*ons  within  the  narra*ve  provides  a  nexus  of  neural  network  integra*on  among  lep  and  right;  top  and  boVom;  and  the  sensory,  soma*c,  motor,  affec*ve  and  cogni*ve  processes  in  all  parts  of  the  brain.”        

Cozolino  and  Sprokay  (2006:16)    “Neuroscience  and  Adult  Learning”  

 

Science  of  Teaching  &  Learning  

•  Prior  Experience    •  Tacit  &  Explicit  knowledge  

•  Neural  plas*city  Brain  structure  created  by  repeated  interac=ons  

Science  of  Teaching  &  Learning  

•  Social  founda*on  of  learning  •  Emo*onal  •  Body  language  •  Iden*fica*on  

Learning  Styles  &  Teaching  Tools  

Ac*ve  Experimenta*on  

   

Concrete  Experience  

Reflec*ve  observa*on  

Abstract  Conceptualiza*on  

Teaching  Case  Studies  

Adapted  from  Kolb,  1984.    Experien=al  Learning:    Experience  as  the  Source  of  Learning  &  Development  

Ac@on  Learning  Projects  

Project-­‐Based  “Capstone”  Workshops  

Simula@ons  

Personal  Learning  Networks  

HOW?      

Selec*ng  Appropriate  Materials  Preparing  Yourself  &  Students  Facilita*ng  Learning  in  Class  Structuring  a  Course  (including  Assignments)    

Interac*ve  Teaching  

Learning  Objects  

Par*cipant-­‐Centered  Learning  

Students  must  be  able  to  see,  hear  and  engage  with  each  other  as  well  as  the  instructor,  so:  

Physical  Environment  

•  Lobby  to  get  classrooms  that  facilitate  discussion  •  Move  around  the  classroom  to  facilitate  discussion  

Usage Notes •  Direction on how instructors can facilitate

discussion of the case in class •  Advice on key analytical points that can

be garnered from the case •  Suggesting timing of various parts •  Questions for students •  Board diagrams

•  Additional readings and / or theoretical concepts

Facilita*on  Plan  

Write  plan  about  how  you  will  facilitate  discussion,  star*ng  with  use  of  *me    

–  Introductory  lecture  (if  any)  – Case  Set  up,  related  to  core  issues  of  course  &  session.    Establish  shared  understanding  of  what  is  “going  on”  in  the  case  

– Time  alloca*on  for  each  issue  you  want  to  address  

– Summary  and  take-­‐away  messages  

If  wriVen  case,  consider  visual  images  

Various  approaches:    Very  structured  

Idea  Capture  Plan  

•  Visualize  how  you  want  to  represent  key  ideas  – Parts  of  the  board  – Rela*onships    

•  Consider    – Should  anything  be  represented  first  by  you?    (on  board,  on  slide)    

Other  prepara*on  

•  Materials,  equipment  

•  Student  pre-­‐session  ques*ons  

hVp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ7aVrtTbg0  

Facilita@ng  Classroom  Discussion  

Some  Jan  Rivkin  strategies:  •  Focusing immediately on

the central strategic question addressed by the case in a compelling way (“How will Nutrasweet respond?”)

•  Forcing students to take a position and defend it analytically by calling on them

•  Using role-plays to increase engagement

•  Preventing a narrowing of the debate (“Who sees things very differently?”)

•  Move away from a wrong analytical path –  Using students to point

out problems –  With humor (“Oops”)

•  Use humor to underline a central point (“Never enter a price war without credible low cost position”)

•  Linking central analytical points to overall themes from past classes and future ones

Strategies  for  Promo*ng  Engagement  

•  “Role  plays”  –  what  would  you  do?    

•  Take  a  poll  of  class  and  ask  different  sides  to  represent  

•  Socra*c  method  –  cold  call….alterna*vely  “warm”  call  

•  Probe  for  alterna*ve  vantage  point  

•  Small  groups  •  Non-­‐speaking  

engagement  (discussion  forums)  

•  Opportunity  to  lead  discussion  with  study  ques*on  provided  in  advance  

•  Include  par*cipa*on  as  part  of  course  grade  

Alterna*ve  Ways  to  Close  Discussion  

1.  Summarize  what  you  think  are  some  key  take-­‐away  points  either  orally  or  in  wri*ng/handout  form  

2.  Ask  one  or  two  students  at  the  beginning  of  class  to  provide  some  take-­‐away  points  Ask  for  volunteers:  “What  did  we  learn  from  this  case?”  

3.  Relate  analysis  to  something  immediate  (in  the  news)  or  local  

…and  don’t  always  do  it  the  same  way!  

 

The  Prac*ce….  •  Make sure that the major themes and analytical

points in the class get across to the class •  Monitor overall level and swings in class

engagement •  Choose speakers in a way that:

–  Advances the class discussion –  Is equitable

•  Remember the order of speakers if you have promised people they can talk

•  Write legibly on the whiteboard

Indicators  of  Success  –  Class  Session  

•  Students  do  most  of  the  talking  

•  High  #  of  students  voluntarily  par*cipa*ng  in  discussion    

•  Low  #  of  ques*ons  asked  by  instructor;  #  number  of  challenging  ques*ons  asked  between  students  of  each  other  

•  High  ‘energy’  in  the  room  •  Number  of  high  points  where  everyone  engaged  and  focused  on  issues  

•  Coherence  to  discussion;  in  the  end,  it  ‘made  sense’  

Planning  Courses  using  Learning  Materials    

•  Select  materials  – Consistent  with  learning  objec*ves  – High  quality  in  terms  of  expression  and  demands  

– Fits  *me  available  – Of  interest  to  students  (they  can  project  themselves  into  the  situa*on)  

•  Consider  integra*ng  with  assignments  

 

Some  Alterna*ve  Ways  to  Use  Cases  

•  Case  Dominant  •  Reality  Check    •  Alterna*ng  Class  Sessions  •  Compara*ve  Cases  •  Drop  in  

Scaffolding        

• Scaffold  content,  aVending  to  levels  of  difficulty  over  the  term.  – Start  with  cases  that  explore  a  few  central  constructs  via  familiar,  interes*ng  topics.  

– Layer  mul*ple  skills/concepts,  and  syntheses  over  the  term  (permits  repeated,  incremental  prac*ce  and  expansion  of  skills).  

•  Allow  room  at  end  of  each  discussion  and  end  of  term  for  reflec*on,  synthesis,  ques*ons,  lessons  learned  

Assessment  of  Student  Learning  

•  Quiz  on  the  Content  of  the  Case  •  Memos  or  other  professional  wri*ng  to  address  quandary  

•  Financial  or  sta*s*cal  analysis  in  the  presen*ng  context  

•  Students  create  Case  or  E-­‐Case    

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