Teaching Evolution Using Case Studies
Understanding and Teaching Evolution | Belize | November, 2012
 What
 Why
use them?
 What
 Do
are case studies?
are their limitations?
you use case studies?
 Example (“Case Studies: A
 Resources
and Links
Case Study”)
What Are Case Studies?

“A story with a message” – CF Herreid (JCST, Feb. 94)

A brief, real-world scenario, followed by questions,
exercises, activities

Many different formats, variations

Used for decades in law schools, business schools,
medical schools

Usage in science classrooms increased dramatically in the
90s
Why Use Case Studies?

Less didactic, more engaging, student-active approach

Emphasizes critical analysis, reasoning, higher-order thinking

Promotes student interaction, builds communication skills

Typically focuses on student-relevant, real-world situations

Goal is not typically to teach content, although data show that
learning/retention of content using this method can equal or
exceed traditional (Socratic) methods
Limitations of Case Studies

Not necessarily the best method for conveying/teaching
large amounts of facts or information (debatable?)

Can be challenging (although not impossible) in large
lecture settings

Student reluctance

Issues associated with group dynamics

Instructor skill/ability with method is critical
Do you use case studies?
Why or why not?
Examples?
A Mini Case Study
Mark is the starting forward and team captain of his high school
basketball team. His team is playing for the state championship
in a couple days. He also has two midterms next week, his
girlfriend just dumped him and he just found out that his
parents are getting divorced. On top of all this, he’s starting to
feel under the weather, so he visits the school nurse.
A Mini Case Study (cont.)
The nurse explains that his immune system, and in fact all
vertebrate immune systems, rely on chemicals called cytokines
to function properly. Stress is known to produce chemicals
called corticosteroids, which slow down or stop the production
of cytokines. Consequently, stress makes him more susceptible
to infections and illness.
A Mini Case Study (cont.)
“That just doesn’t seem fair!”, laments Mark. “The
last thing in the world I need right now, when I’m
already so stressed out, is to get sick! Why does this
happen?!?”
A Mini Case Study (cont.)
QUESTIONS
1.
What selective pressures might have led to the evolution of
this trait in vertebrates?
2.
Why do you think it has persisted in humans?
3.
Predict what might happen in an individual born with a
mutation that prevented normal, functional corticosteroid
production. What might be the evolutionary implications of
such a mutation?
“Extended” Case Studies
www.dnadarwin.org
“Extended” Case Studies
lbc.msu.edu/evo-ed
Resources and Links

DNA to Darwin – www.dnadarwin.org

Evo-Ed: Case Studies for Evolution - lbc.msu.edu/evo-ed

National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases

BioQUEST Investigative Case Based Learning
www.bioquest.org/icbl/publications.php

Understanding Evolution - evolution.berkeley.edu

Merlot – www.merlot.org

PBS Evolution: Teaching Evolution Case Studies
www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/educators/teachstuds/
tvideos.html