Office of Medical Education
Championing the Educational Mission of JABSOM
The Office of Medical Education
John A. Burns School of Medicine
University of Hawaii
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Tell an engaging story
Stir emotions
Realistic to learners
Make us care about the
characters
• Raise learning issues
important to the curriculum
An effective case tells the story of a person who
encounters a problem, accesses valid information,
and uses their new knowledge and interpersonal
skills to understand the problem and identify
possible solutions.
• Review principles of PBL casewriting
• Practice a method to incorporate
Department of Education content
standards into cases
• Complete a draft of your first PBL
case.
Page 1-2: The Problem and
the People
Page 3-4: What Happens
Page 5:
Closure
• Step 1:
• Step 2:
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Choose the content area and
topic of the case
Choose the major themes of the
case
Writing Pages 1-5
Steps 3-7:
Break
Step 8:
Resource list
Step 9:
Teacher notes
Step 10:
Student tips page
Other wrinkles
Sharing Cases
• Which content area will I choose and
what case topic will I use to illustrate
it?
• Injury and Violence Prevention
• Tobacco Use
• Alcohol and Other Drug Use
• Sexual Health
• Nutrition
• Physical Activity
• Mental Health
• Personal and Consumer Health
• Community and Environmental
• Examples:
Health
– Content Area: Alcohol and Other Drug Use Prevention
– Topic of Case: Randall Nishimoto, a 16 year old male high
school student using Ecstasy
Or
– Content Area: Sexual Health
– Topic of Case: Jennifer Tom, a 18 year old female high
school senior exposed to HIV infection
• Things to check after choosing the case topic:
– Is the case topic one of special need or interest at
my high school or community?
– Will my topic be exciting to my students?
– Can I find ways to bring in my students’
environment in this case topic?
• Write the content area of your first case:
_____________________________
• Write the topic of your first case:
______________________________
• Step 1:
• Step 2:
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Choose the content area and
topic of the case
Choose the major themes of the
case
Writing Pages 1-5
Steps 3-7:
Break
Step 8:
Resource list
Step 9:
Teacher notes
Step 10:
Student tips page
Other wrinkles
Sharing Cases
• What do you hope students will learn from
your case (Objectives)?
• These themes represent the “learning issues”
you hope your students will research as a
result of going through your case.
• Step 1:
• Step 2:
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Choose the content area and
topic of the case
Choose the major themes of the
case
Writing Pages 1-5
Steps 3-7:
Break
Step 8:
Resource list
Step 9:
Teacher notes
Step 10:
Student tips page
Other wrinkles
Sharing Cases
The Problem and
the People
What Happens…
Closure
An effective case tells the story of a person
who encounters a problem, accesses valid
information, and uses their new knowledge
and interpersonal skills to understand the
case and suggest possible solutions.
• Introduces the problem
• Provides demographic information about
the key characters
• Defines the role of your students in the case
• Consider withholding key elements of the
story so that students hypothesize “what they
think is going on”.
Brandon Char
Brandon Char, an 18 year-old senior is sent to talk with
you, the school counselor, because he has seemed more
depressed and withdrawn since a fight at school.
Joel DeMello
It’s been a long day of work and you’re glad to finally get
home to your family. Things have been going well with
the kids lately, but Joel, your 14 year-old son looks a little
tired this evening. He eats three servings of dinner in
silence.
You empty the hamper to start a load of laundry. You’re
shocked to see a plastic bag fall out of one of Joel’s shirt
pockets. It’s filled with marijuana.
Role
Demographic
Data
Problem
• Begin the story (Content Area and Topic)
• Introduce the problem
• Identify the role of the student
• Provide key demographics
• Tell us more about the problem
– Answer some of the “What do we need to know”
questions of the group.
– Give some key clues to the likely problem.
• Tell us more about the characters
– Help students care about them.
– Add something about their personal lives.
• Personalize the case to your setting to make it more
meaningful to students
When the coaches arrive Ashleigh starts to wake up. The trainer gives her water to drink and
her father arrives later to take her to see her doctor.
The next day you see Ashleigh in the cafeteria. “Geez, Ash! Are you OK?”
“I’m fine,” she says.
You notice Ashleigh looks as though she’s lost weight.
“Have you been eating anything? You are soooo skinny!” you tell her.
(clues)
“Thanks.” she
proudly replies. “My doctor says I’m too thin. She’s so wrong!”
You and Ashleigh have been friends for years – ever since the fifth grade. She’s a good
student and on the cross country and track teams with you. She has always been thin, but
lately she appears unhealthy – her legs look like toothpicks! She now weighs 90 pounds.
Ashleigh gobbles down the chili con carne.
“I love this”, she says, “but not as much as the wieners in a roll on Fridays. Are you going to
eat yours?”
“You can have it”, you say, sticking a finger in your mouth
and pretending to gag. “I’ll just
(Character
have the fruit, salad, and milk.”
After finishing off your lunch, you notice Ashleigh
swallow a pill, then walk to the bathroom.
Development)
Funny, she always goes to the bathroom after eating. When she doesn’t return, you decide to
go in and check on her.
More about
the “Problem”
More about the
“Person”
• Tell us more about the problem
• Tell us more about the characters
• Personalize
• Tell us what happens…
• Raise or model the access of valid information
– Finding a web site
– Talking to a community organization
– Talking to a trusted advisor
• Personalize the case to your setting to make it more
meaningful to students
• Consider Learning Cues
2
In the bathroom you hear Ashleigh vomiting in a stall.
“Ash, are you OK? Are you sick? Want me to3get help?”
“NO! DON’T!” she replies. “I’ll be fine.” Analyze
Access Valid
Information
Influences of
After a minute, she exits the stall, washes her
face
Media
andand turns to you. “Promise
me you won’t tell anyone about this, pleeeeeeaaaasssee?
Culture
Reluctantly, you agree. But as you look at her reflection in the bathroom
mirror, you notice how thin her face looks, how discolored her teeth have
become recently, and how sickly your once vibrant friend now appears. Inside,
you feel like you’re not doing what’s best for your friend…
“You know,” says Ashleigh, “all the really good models in magazines are thin.
The camera alone adds ten pounds. If I want to make it big, I’ll have to be
thin, too. It’s not like I’m just acting crazy or something…”
Looking at Ashleigh again in the mirror, you remember hearing about
something called bulimia and wonder if Ashleigh has it. You decide to find out
more about bulimia.
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“You wonder if...”
“You try to recall the reason for...”
“Your friend asks you...”
“You make a mental note to review...”
“You decide to look up the web site for…
• Tell us what happens…
• Raise or model the access of valid information
• Personalize the case to your setting to make it
more meaningful to students
• Consider Learning Cues
• Tell us what happens…
• Interpersonal Communication Skills
– Model talking to friends or family
– Use “quotations”
– Model body language and tone
• Goal Setting and Decision-Making
– Raise the setting of goals for health
• Personalize
• Consider Learning Cues
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4
Goal Setting
Interpersonal
and
Communication
Decision
Skills
Making
After talking to the school counselor
about “a friend” and checking out some
resources on the web, including “On the Teen Scene”, a site hosted by the US
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), you make some decisions about your
own health and go to talk with Ashleigh.
“Ashleigh, I’m kinda worried about you.”
“Why? I’m fine,” she says.
“Well, all I know is I’ve seen you eat a lot of food and go barf it up later. I know
you’re getting really thin.”
“I’m not thin.”
“Ashleigh, I read that Jane Fonda had bulimia since she was 12. She would eat
then vomit up to twenty times a day. I know it can kill you. You gotta go talk to
the school counselor!”
“There’s nothing wrong with me!” Ashleigh’s eyes begin to tear.
“Ash I…” The two of you sit silently together for a long time.
• Tell us what happens…
• Interpersonal Communication Skills
– Model talking to friends or family
– Use “quotations”
– Model body language and tone
• Goal Setting and Decision-Making
– Raise the setting of goals for health
• Personalize
• Consider Learning Cues
• Closure
• Personalize
• Closure
• Personalize
The Problem and the
People
What Happens…
Closure
An effective case tells the story of a person
who encounters a problem, accesses valid
information, and uses their new knowledge
and interpersonal skills to set understand
the problem and identify possible solutions.
• Step 1:
• Step 2:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Choose the content area and
topic of the case
Choose the major themes of the
case
Writing Pages 1-5
Steps 3-7:
Break
Step 8:
Resource list
Step 9:
Teacher notes
Step 10:
Student tips page
Other wrinkles
Sharing Cases
• Step 1:
• Step 2:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Choose the content area and
topic of the case
Choose the major themes of the
case
Writing Pages 1-5
Steps 3-7:
Break
Step 8:
Resource list
Step 9:
Teacher notes
Step 10:
Student tips page
Other wrinkles
Sharing Cases
• Be selective
• Get permission, then contact
information for resource
people
• Consider web-sites,
computer-aided instruction
• Teacher Notes
– Gives some content or
processing background
• Possible Teacher Prompts
– Questions the tutor may ask
his students
• Possible Learning Issues
- Select to fulfill objectives
Information about
the content area or
suggestions for
facilitation.
Questions teachers
can ask the students
during processing.
Possible learning
issues (themes)
relevant to the page
that students may
wish to choose as
learning issues.
• Precedes the first page of
the case
• Reminds students of
certain learning skills
• Focuses attention
• Sets the tone
• Step 1:
• Step 2:
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•
•
•
•
•
•
Choose the content area and
topic of the case
Choose the major themes of the
case
Writing Pages 1-5
Steps 3-7:
Break
Step 8:
Resource list
Step 9:
Teacher notes
Step 10:
Student tips page
Other wrinkles
Sharing Cases
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Consider videotaped segments for some
cases
Consider longitudinal threads, recurring
characters to increase meaningfulness
Experiment with time course
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Consider cases that take place over 5 minutes
and some that take place over 50 years
Case Nodes
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A dilemma is presented to the case reader
at the end of a page.
Students must choose a course of action.
Their choice determines which page they
will receive next.
...On this home visit she looks particularly bad. She reaches for
your hand and holds it tightly. “Doctor”, she said, “I can’t take
the pain anymore. Will you help me end it all?”
Student Note: This page represents a node in the case. There
are two versions of the next page. The page you receive will
be determined by your group’s answer to Mrs. Stillner’s
question. After discussion, please inform your tutor whether
or not you will or will not provide physician-assisted suicide
and you will receive the appropriate page. After completing
the next page, which is the last page of the case, you will
receive both versions to review. (Edna Stillner HCP Unit 2)
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We must make choices.
Our choices have consequences.
Students can see the consequences of our
actions.
The node is a powerful cue
The node generates discussion
Use nodes strategically
• Step 1:
• Step 2:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Choose the content area and
topic of the case
Choose the major themes of the
case
Writing Pages 1-5
Steps 3-7:
Break
Step 8:
Resource list
Step 9:
Teacher notes
Step 10:
Student tips page
Other wrinkles
Sharing Cases
Office of Medical Education
Championing the Educational Mission of JABSOM