Enhancing student learning with
case-based learning objects:
the views of social work students from
Scotland & Canada
Dr. Alan Knowles
Grant MacEwan College, Canada
&
Neil Ballantyne
Scottish Institute for Excellence in Social Work Education, Scotland.
HUSITA8, August 2007
Introduction
• Common place use of e-Learning environments
• Emergence of learning objects (LOs) and learning
object repositories for content
• Pedagaogical shift to constructivist approaches
• Recent survey (Kim & Bonk, 2006) of online
instructors’ views on the future of online learning
suggested that:
– blended education would become the norm;
– instructors would make greater use of content in the
form of learning objects;
– and collaborative and problem-based learning
(PBL) approaches would be used more widely
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Integrated learning
• Problems in all programmes of
professional education about perceived
relevance of classroom based learning to
the capabilities required of professionals
in the field.
• Within social work education this
problem has been variously described as:
– the theory/practice dilemma (Barbour, 1984);
– the problem of readiness to practice (Marsh and
Triseliotis, 1996);
– and, more recently, the problem of integrated
learning (Clapton et al, 2006).
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PBL as a potential solution
•
•
•
•
Students learn relevant knowledge in the context of, and in
order to understand authentic case situations.
Didactic lectures largely, or wholly, replaced by student
participation in study groups undertaking self-directed
learning to resolve problems represented by questions or
case material.
Role of the tutor becomes that of facilitator or coach to the
students’ learning.
Positive reviews of the implementation of PBL in social work:
– United Kingdom
(Burgess & Jackson, 1990; Cree & Davidson, 2000; Downes & McCluskey, 1985; Plowright
& Watkins, 2004),
– Australia
(Bolzan & Heycox,1997; Gibbons & Gray, 2002; Smith, 1985),
– United States
(Altshuler & Bosch, 2003; Sable, Larrivee & Gayer, 2001),
– Hong Kong
(Lam, 2004; Wong & Lam, 2007).
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PBL & learning technology
• Some PBL instructors beginning to use
computer-mediated communication (CMC) to
support reflective discussions within PBL study
groups in both distance & blended educational
settings (Barrows, 2002; de Leng et al, 2006;
Stromso et al 2007).
• Others harnessing web-based multimedia to
enrich the authenticity of the problem-based
case material (Balslev et al, 2005; de Leng et al,
2007; Kamin et al 2003)
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PBL & multimedia
• Potential pedagogical advantages of video based case
scenarios over text-based scenarios in the context of
PBL in medical education suggests that video offers
– a more holistic and complex picture of the case allowing
student to develop their own pattern recognition rather than
relying on the preprocessed verbal descriptions of the expert
tutor;
– freedom for a student to observe events directly and to
experience the patients or service users perspective on
reality;
– emotional impact conveyed through body language and
subtle non-verbal and para-verbal cues supporting a more
caring and empathic response from learners;
– use of a medium that is more familiar to the screenagers of
Generation X.
de Leng (2007)
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Multimedia & social work education
• Innovative social work educators have incorporated
images, audio, and video into the curriculum to
enrich and enliven teaching ever since it was
possible to do so (Fredollino & Knaggs, 2005;
Gelman and Tosone, 2006; Jerry and Collins, 2005;
Seabury, 2003; Shibusawa et al, 2006).
• However, no work in the social work literature has
evaluated the use of video in a PBL context, nor
have any of the materials in the studies tested the
reusability of learning objects in different
instructional contexts.
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Defining LOs
“. . . the fundamental idea behind learning
objects is that instructional designers can build
small (relative to the size of the entire course)
instructional components that can be reused a
number of times in different learning contexts”
(Wiley, 2000)
• The concept of reusability is central
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The reusability paradox
Pedagogical value
More effective learning needs contextualisation;
But increasing reusability requires less context
(e.g. a single image of a genogram, versus a complete teaching unit
on family systems)
Potential for reuse
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Wiley (2004)
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The reusability paradox
• The solution lies in finding a ‘sweet
spot’
– designing content that is large enough to be
educationally meaningful yet small enough to be
reusable
• In the social work context, case-based
learning objects may be ideal (though
not the only) candidates
• DEMO
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Research questions
• Does the use of online multimedia add
value to the learning experience?
• In particular, does it help to make the
simulated experience more authentic?
• Can case-based learning objects be
reused effectively in different
instructional contexts?
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Method 1
• A questionnaire (Scottish & Canadian sample)
– Opening questions included general demographic
data, information related to students’ computer
skills and Internet access;
– A Likert-type questionnaire that included a series
of 14 statements asking students to indicate the
extent to which they agreed with each;
– The 14 statements related to: a) orientation to the
case and accessibility; b) the design of the case;
and c) comparisons between learning from
multimedia & text-based cases;
– Included some open-ended statements.
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Method 2
• Focus discussion groups (Canada only)
– explored students’ perspectives on authenticity, sense
of immediacy and emotional reactions in using the
resource, feedback on the pedagogical design of the
case (problem-based learning learning design
elements), and additional recommendations.
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Samples
• Questionnaire
– Group 1: Scotland – second year undergraduate
students on social work law course (n=39). Study
mode mainly F2F with online access as an adjunct.
– Group 2: Canada – social work practice methods
course (n=26). Study mode: 50% online & 50% F2F
– Group 3: Canada – mental health course (n=31).
Study mode: 50% online & 50% F2F
– Total n=96 across all three groups
• Focus groups
– Two focus groups conducted with students from each
of the courses in Canada (social work methods n=8;
mental health and social work n=7)
– Total n=15 across two focus groups
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Orientation & Accessibility
N
1. I had technical problems accessing the
multimedia case study
2. I had sufficient advice, guidance and
support to help me access the case study
Mean
SD
Canada
57
2.30
1.180
Scotland
39
2.15
.933
Canada
57
4.30
.801
Scotland
39
3.46
.969
(Likert-type scale: 1=Stongly Disagree to 5=Strongly Agree)
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Case study design
3. The video transcripts were very helpful
4. I thought the multimedia case study was
well produced
5. Overall the performance of the actors
were convincing
6. The case content seemed out of date
N
mean
SD
Canada
55
4.33
.862
Scotland
39
4.15
.670
Canada
57
4.32
.631
Scotland
39
4.23
.536
Canada
57
4.23
.756
Scotland
39
3.54
.969
Canada
57
2.32
.827
Scotland
39
1.97
.584
(Likert-type scale: 1=Stongly Disagree to 5=Strongly Agree)
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Comparing multimedia
with text-based cases
7. Using the multimedia case study
significantly enhanced my learning
8. I didn’t enjoy using the multimedia case
study
9. There are no real differences learning from
text-based or multimedia case studies
10. The multimedia case study increased my
understanding of the complexities of practice
more than the text-based case studies
N
Mean
SD
Canada
57
4.42
.755
Scotland
39
3.82
.823
Canada
56
1.89
1.039
Scotland
39
1.90
.598
Canada
57
1.81
.875
Scotland
39
1.92
.839
Canada
57
4.44
.708
Scotland
39
3.72
.916
(Likert-type scale: 1=Stongly Disagree to 5=Strongly Agree)
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Comparing multimedia with
text-based cases (continued)
11. More of our problem-based learning
should incorporate multimedia
12. The multimedia seemed more realistic
than text-based case studies
13. The text-based case studies were more
engaging and motivating than the multimedia
case studies
14. It was easier to learn from the multimedia
case than from the text-based cases
N
mean
SD
Canada
56
4.16
.890
Scotland
39
4.10
.852
Canada
57
4.35
.813
Scotland
39
4.0
1.026
Canada
56
2.21
1.246
Scotland
39
2.31
1.030
Canada
57
4.35
.790
Scotland
39
3.74
.993
(Likert-type scale: 1=Stongly Disagree to 5=Strongly Agree)
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Findings
• The majority of students in all three settings
agreed that:
– the multimedia case significantly enhanced their
learning;
– they enjoyed using the multimedia case material;
– there are differences in learning from multimedia
cases as opposed to text-based cases;
– the multimedia case study increased their
understanding of the complexities of practice more
than text based case studies;
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Findings (continued)
– more of their PBL classes should use multimedia
cases;
– the multimedia case seemed more realistic
than text-based cases;
– text-based cases were not more engaging and
motivating to learn from than multimedia
– it was easier to learn from the multimedia case
than the text-based cases
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Open-ended questions: benefits
Authenticity
“It helps to provide a more authentic learning experience. It also makes
case scenarios more realistic and something you can identify with.”
“I find that I tend to learn things more when in story formation. So to
have a case study be acted out as though it were real was very
beneficial.”
“Brings it to life, helps you remember who the characters are and
humanises them rather than words on a piece of paper.”
Motivation
“It is more realistic and it feels as though there is more point in helping
them, which gives you more motivation to carry out the work as paper
based case studies are very repetitious.”
“It is more engaging. It helps make our resources more diverse and
interesting.”
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Open ended questions: benefits
Non-verbal & para-verbal communication
“They bring to life scenarios allowing students to analyze body language
of social workers and service users.”
“Gave you the chance to see real people and body language and made
the process more realistic.”
“Gives an idea of thoughts and feelings as you can tune into how words
are said, for example tone, pitch, speed.”
Memorability
“It is easier to understand and remember (the case) better.”
Convenience
“You can watch them over and over, therefore it helps you pick on more
issues.”
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Open ended questions:
disadvantages
Technology access/failure
“If technology fails then the exercise becomes pointless.”
“Sometimes people cannot get access to the info which holds a
lot of people up.”
“Not everyone has access to computers or broadband
connections.”
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Findings from the focus
groups
• the visual nature of the multimedia case was the main
advantage.
• convenience of being able to work through the scenarios
from home,at their own pace, and replay the video
scenes.
• the case scenario was authentic, portrayed real emotion,
and was realistic of a client situation
• stronger emotional reactions and felt more involved
• the actors’ expressions and non-verbal cues made the
scenarios seem real - some students felt as though they
were in a social worker-client relationhsip
• Mixed views on amount of detailed information
available/required
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Conclusions
• Student perceptions on all three courses were
consistent and positive
• Multimedia case perceived as more authentic,
motivating, memorable and convenient. Also
appreciated access to non-verbal and para-verbal
cues
• Case-based LOs can be reused in different (albeit
related) contexts
• Therefore, value in encouraging educator
collaboration & exchange
• But need to design for reusability
• And multimedia does not ipso facto enhance
learning
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Limitations
• Learning
– Based on subjective views of students
so can’t assume actual learning gains
– One researcher was the instructor to the
Canadian students
• Reuse
– Only one learning object in the study
– So can’t generalise to other LOs, or
different types of LOs (e.g. conceptual
LOs)
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Future work
• Reusability
– Factors in the design of LOs that facilitate reuse
– Factors in the embedding process that facilitate
reuse
• Learning
–
–
–
–
Impact of multimedia on learning?
Retention and recall?
Role of emotion
Transfer of learning?
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The skill of the teacher
“It is not the objects that form a
coherent course but the skill of the
teacher in supplying a structure, a set
of activities and occasional coursespecific material that act as the ‘glue’
to tie together the entire course.”
Duncan (2003, p 18)
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For further information
KnowlesA@macewan.ca
&
neil.ballantyne@iriss.org.uk
Slides
http://www.iriss.org.uk/HUSITAmultimedia
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Acknowledgments
This project received partial funding from the
MacEwan Research Council
and the support of the
Scottish Institute for Excellence
in Social Work Education.
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