Academic Programs

Case Studies

Project Lead: Dr. Yovita Gwekwerere (PhD)

Workshop Coordinator: Kyle Craftchick (OCT)

Project Partners: Laurentian University School of Education (English Language), Rainbow District School Board, Sudbury Catholic District School Board

Project Type: Workshop

Specialist Presenter: Dr. Clyde Freeman Herreid, State University of New York at Buffalo

Project Description

Laurentian University received a Knowledge Network (KNAER) grant from the Ontario Ministry of Education to host workshops on using Case Studies and Problem-based learning, novel methods for teaching in science and other disciplines. We invited Dr. Clyde Herreid, a specialist in using Case Studies in science from the University of New York at Buffalo to present the workshops to university faculty in Northern Ontario. Dr. Herreid is a distinguished science professor and director of the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

The main objective of this project was to disseminate research knowledge and resources that have been proved to enhance student learning in science-based fields. Dr. Herreid’s workshops focused on designing and using CS and PBL strategies to enrich learning in high school science and university courses. During his visit, Dr. Herreid hosted two one-day workshops and one round table discussion with faculty from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. The workshops were hosted in Sudbury and video-conferencing was made available for participants in remote areas through the Contact North sites. As part of the workshops, a toolkit consisting of DVDs and a video overview is being developed. Participants were also introduced to teaching resources available at the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science website. The toolkit will be made available to school boards and universities for disseminating on their websites. A complete toolkit will also be submitted to the Ministry of Education for dissemination in June 2012.

Alignment with Ministry Priorities

The visit by Dr. Clyde Herreid assisted in answering many important questions from the Ministry’s priority area on Teaching and Learning such as: a) What are the most authentic and effective strategies for developing critical thinking and investigation skills among elementary/high school and university students?; b) What is working in science instruction in Ontario and elsewhere and what does research say about these strategies?; c) To what extent are research-based instructional strategies being implemented in schools and post-secondary science courses? d) Are available resources being used effectively to teach science in more meaningful ways that promote inquiry skills? e) What do we know about effective assessment and evaluation practices that promote understanding in science? f) How can we increase the pool of scientists trained in Ontario?; This project helped answer some of these questions by inviting a ‘world class’ expert to act as a ‘knowledge’ broker and to facilitate and lead the spread of established science teaching strategies that have been found to be effective in complementing the traditional lecture method. This initiative helped promote collaboration and networking among school boards, universities and policy makers in their efforts to apply research to practice and to increased confidence in publicly-funded education.

Resources

The following section will contain resources for learning about and using case studies in teaching. Resources will be added as they become available.

Ontario Ministry of Education KNAER Grant Report

Workshop Video Overview

Toolkit Dissemination Letter

DVD Cover Letter

Photo Gallery

CBC Radio interview with Dr. Herreid

National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science

Case Study Example #1 - Torn at the Genes

Case Study Example #2 - Mom Always Liked You Best

Workshop Videos