Using Cases to Teach Biology
UW-Madison
October 18, 2012
>Texas2009227831823
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Ethel Stanley, BioQUEST
Science Case Network
This workshop focuses on the use of cases and
PBL (problem based learning) as pedagogical
strategies to support collaborative, open-ended
inquiry in biology.
In addition, we will use the Science Case
Network website to share both the resources and
participant responses at:
http://sciencecasenet.org/using-cases-to-teach-biology/
The international Commission on Biology Education
(CBE) raised the bar for scientists and educators:
“Influencing almost all our activities, from inception to
the grave, this (biological) revolution will require
profound decisions with respect to the ethical, legal,
social, cultural, educational, and development issues
that are sure to arise, affecting our personal lives and
society in ways that we have never experienced
before.”
(Vohra 2000)
Criticism of the way we teach science
“Build into every course
inquiry*, the processes of
science, a knowledge of
what practitioners do, and
the excitement of cutting
edge research.”
“involving the student in
asking questions and
finding answers”
Shaping the Future: New Expectations for
Undergraduate Education in Science,
Mathematics, Engineering and Technology
NSF, 1996. (p. 53)
Entry into an age
of cyberlearners
Our students engage early as self-directed learners:
Less reliant on authority/experience
Instant information retrieval
Social construction/collaboration
Preparing students to be scientifically literate
citizens as well introducing what it means to
be a scientist is a challenging role for faculty.
Teaching biology is becoming increasingly
interdisciplinary and global in terms of
methodology, tools, and data. (NSF, 2008;
NRC, 2009; AAAS, 2010; UNESCO, 2010;
MOE, 2010)
One strategy to address contemporary biology
education is to use investigative cases.
“Crossing the Chasm” of Curricular Reform: BioQUEST Curriculum
Consortium Invites CAL-laboration CAL-laborate Volume 4 June 2000
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/107
“There Wasn’t a Mine Runnin’ a Lump O’ Coal”: A Kentucky Coal Miner
Remembers the Influenza Pandemic of 1918–1919
. . you ain't old enough to remember
the year the flu struck the people so bad in this . . . in this country, do you?
HAWKINS: Yeah, I think that both my… both my great-grandparents died in
that.
T. BARTLEY: It was the saddest lookin‘ time then that ever you saw in your life.
My brother lived over there in the camps then and I was working over there and I
was dropping cars onto the tipple. And that, that epidemic broke out and people
went to dyin’ and there just four and five dyin‘ every night dyin’ right there in the
camps, every night. And I began goin‘ over there, my brother and all his family
took down with it, what’d they call it, the flu? Yeah, 1918 flu. And, uh, when I’d get
over there I’d ride my horse and, and go over there in the evening and I’d stay
with my brother about three hours and do what I could to help ’em. And every one
of them was in the bed and sometimes Doctor Preston would come while I was
there, he was the doctor. And he said “I’m a tryin‘ to save their lives but I’m
afraid I’m not going to.”And they were so bad off. And, and every, nearly every
porch, every porch that I’d look at had—would have a casket box a sittin’ on it.
And men a diggin‘ graves just as hard as they could and the mines had to shut
down there wasn’t a nary a man, there wasn’t a, there wasn’t a mine arunnin’ a
lump of coal or runnin' no work. Stayed that away for about six weeks. .
T. BARTLEY:
Case Analysis
1. What is this narrative about?
1. What do you already know? What would
you like to know more about?
KNOW
NEED TO KNOW
Group work time:
One person from each group should
post case analysis results using web page:
http://sciencecasenet.org/using-cases-to-teach-biology/
1. What is this case about?
Flu of 1918 and its effects on coal mining, community
Know
There was a pandemic of flu in 1918.
It killed many people.
It interrupted work, mines closed.
Some people lived in camps.
It lasted about 6 weeks, according to the
transcript.
The doctor felt he couldn’t help people get
better.
Dealing with the dead was a huge issue.
In 1918, World War I was ending.
There were no vaccines then.
Viruses were unknown.
Influenza is caused by a virus.
There’s a flu shot that you get every year.
Need to Know
Did soldiers/sailors bring the flu from
elsewhere?
Was there flu in other countries besides
the US?
How long did it last?
What treatments were available then?
What treatments were available now?
How is flu spread?
Why did so many people die of it?
What made this particular flu so deadly?
Do people die of flu today, like the annual
flu?
Have there been other epidemics of flu?
Could it happen again?
Next?
•Focus on the questions raised by groups
•Introduce relevant lecture/lab content
•Open inquiry experience
•…
Data
http://www.demog.berkeley.edu/~andrew/1918/
Year
1911
Male
50.9
Female
54.4
1912
1913
1914
1915
51.5
50.3
52
52.5
55.9
55
56.8
56.8
1916
1917
1918
49.6
48.4
36.6
54.3
54
42.2
1919
53.5
56
Average Age at Death from 1911 until 1919 (Noymer 2007)
Age
<1
1917
2944.5
1918
4540.9
1--4
5--14
15-24
422.7
47.9
78
1436.2
352.7
1175.7
25-34
35-44
45-54
117.7
193.2
292.3
1998
1097.6
686.8
US Deaths per 100,000 Attributed to Influenza
and Pneumonia in 1917 and 1918 (Noymer 2007)
Strategies
In 1918, Seattle public health
officials required all passengers
and employees mass transit
systems wear masks. At that time
no one knew what caused the
influenza and vaccines were not
available. It was understood that
coughing and sneezing
contributed to the spread of the
disease. Spitting was also
prohibited in many cities.
Street car conductor in Seattle not allowing passengers aboard
without a mask.
Record held at: National Archives at College Park, MD. 165-WW-269B-11
Tools
200
180
160
# People
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
0
20
Susceptible #
40
Time
Infected #
60
80
Recovered #
Predict generally what changes you’d expect to see in
the SIR model results with respect to S, I, and R
individuals if you were to simulate the use of masks.
(Hint: Assume a 10% decrease in transmission.)
100
Simulation Results for Scenario 2 of Avian Influenza
with 200 people (200 susceptible) and the use of
masks with a 10% reduction in transmission.
Masks are used starting on day 30, when the
epidemic has already nearly run its course.
Simulation Results for Scenario 3 of Avian Influenza with
200 people (200 susceptible) and the use of masks with
a 10% reduction in transmission.
Masks are used starting on day 10, when the epidemic is
still in its growth phase.
The effect of public health measures on the 1918 influenza
pandemic in U.S. cities.
Bootsma MC, Ferguson NM.
Mathematical Institute, Faculty of Sciences, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 6, 3508 TA Utrecht, The
Netherlands.
During the 1918 influenza pandemic, the U.S., unlike Europe, put considerable effort into public health
interventions. There was also more geographic variation in the autumn wave of the pandemic in the U.S.
compared with Europe, with some cities seeing only a single large peak in mortality and others seeing
double-peaked epidemics. Here we examine whether differences in the public health measures adopted
by different cities can explain the variation in epidemic patterns and overall mortality observed. We show
that city-specific per-capita excess mortality in 1918 was significantly correlated with 1917 per-capita
mortality, indicating some intrinsic variation in overall mortality, perhaps related to sociodemographic
factors. In the subset of 23 cities for which we had partial data on the timing of interventions, an even
stronger correlation was found between excess mortality and how early in the epidemic interventions
were introduced. We then fitted an epidemic model to weekly mortality in 16 cities with nearly complete
intervention-timing data and estimated the impact of interventions. The model reproduced the observed
epidemic patterns well. In line with theoretical arguments, we found the time-limited interventions used
reduced total mortality only moderately (perhaps 10-30%), and that the impact was often very limited
because of interventions being introduced too late and lifted too early. San Francisco, St. Louis,
Milwaukee, and Kansas City had the most effective interventions, reducing transmission rates by up to
30-50%. Our analysis also suggests that individuals reactively reduced their contact rates in response to
high levels of mortality during the pandemic.
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/0611071104v1
Fig. 2.
Effects of transient imperfect health interventions on epidemic dynamics.
Results derived from a simple deterministic susceptible–infected–
recovered (SIR) epidemic model. Weekly infection incidence over 6
months from a SIR model with 3.5-day infectious period, R0 = 2, 100,000
population, two seed infections at time 0, and controls imposed from day
25. Green curve, no controls; red curve, over-effective controls that
reduce R by 40% and stop on day 75 (leading to a second wave); blue
curve, controls that reduce R by 32.5% and stop on day 110 (giving the
minimal possible epidemic size).
Interventions
Pharmacological Interventions
•
•
Vaccination
Antivirals as prophylactics
Nonpharmacologic interventions (NPIs) – efficacy and
gaining compliance
•
•
•
•
•
Community mitigation (school closures, restrictions
on movements)
Quarantine and isolation of healthy and sick
individuals
Travel restrictions locally and globally
Social distancing
Use of masks and increased hygiene
•
Poultry industry (CAFO placement and regulation)
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
•
•
Swine production (CAFO placement and regulation)
Importers and exporters of other goods and services
•
Pharmaceutical industry
Antiviral availability
•
•
Health insurance industry
Health care industry
Hospital space limitations for isolation and
treatment
•
Loss of personnel to pandemic
Margaret Waterman (Southeast Missouri State)
Suggested resources related to pandemic planning:
Pandemicplanning.gov
Avianflu.gov
National Governor’s Association document on Preparing for
Pandemic Influenza
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov)
World Health Organization (www.who.int/en/)
PubMed (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Mapping the flu in the 21st century
Many of the maps that track the current H5N1 avian flu in humans and birds are
interactive
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/health/birdflu/map_flash.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/world/05/bird_flu_map/html/1.stm
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/infoflash05a.html?project=avianflumap05&h=500&w=780&hasAd=1
First install Google Earth from http://earth.google.com .
Next load the Bird Flu layer: http://www.daden.co.uk/newsglobe/birdflu.kmz
Please see the website for resources.