Using Case
Studies to Teach Plant Pathology
Melissa
Riley
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina
USA
Introduction
In the past, students in the introductory plant pathology course
at Clemson University were asked to observe and make drawings
of specimens, and possibly to isolate pathogens from infected
tissue samples. Students were often uninvolved and uninterested
in the information being presented. They also took little
responsibility for learning and understanding the material being
presented. In addition, they did not prepare for laboratories
and would only study laboratory material the night before exams.
The overall student learning experience often was dismal, and
a change was needed. Approximately five years ago, the laboratory
activities in the course were switched to a case study format.
This switch involved a change in the way instructors and students
interacted. Results from this switch included better student
understanding of the procedures conducted during laboratories
and how the procedures/materials could be important to them in
the future
What are case studies and how do you use them?
Much of our learning comes from active experiences, and case
studies essentially represent experiences. Many of you can
remember a story described by a professor in his/her class in
the past and how he/she approached the problem of the story and
how it was resolved. The story made an impression on you
at the time and you still remember it. In some cases when
you originally heard the story you could see yourself in a similar
position in the future. This is the type of experience that
can serve as the basis of a case study for your class. Students
are more likely to remember stories than they are to remember
a presentation of facts and figures. If the students can
see themselves in the situation, it makes the case more relevant
to them. An example of a case and teaching notes is located
on the following website:
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/roses/roses.html
(case)
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/roses/roses_notes.html
(teaching notes)
In this example case a student goes home for the weekend and
his mother wants to know what is wrong with her roses and what
she can do about it. Many students can see themselves in
this situation because they have often had friends and relatives
ask them to diagnose problems with their plants. Several
activities and questions are associated with this case.
Some of the questions are related to students’ observations
of symptoms and signs on real diseased plant specimens.
This provides an opportunity for students to observe samples and
learn how to make spore mounts from diseased tissue. The
instructor provides instructions on the use of microscopes and
preparation of spore mounts; this activity could be the first
laboratory session for the course. To complete the laboratory
activity students must investigate possible diseases of roses,
as well as the possible measures that can be used for disease
management. They find this information in resources
provided by the instructor, which are selected because they may
be helpful to the students in the future.
To make cases seems more personal, they are written using names
of students in the class. Sometimes the instructor can even
get students to read the material just to see if their names are
in the case for that week. The instructor should also relate
cases to the specific concerns of students, which makes them take
a greater interest in the case and the activities. Sometimes
I receive friendly complaints from students because they have
not been in a case during the semester and others comment jovially
about the situations their friends got into as characters in the
cases.
For each case the instructor should include a few resources that
could be useful to answer questions and determine the importance
of various components of the case. This prevents students from
getting frustrated or feeling lost while trying to answer questions
associated with the case. An extensive list of resources
should not be included because students will not look up more
than a couple of the resources. Resources also should be
readily accessible by students. When using internet resources,
care should be taken that web sites are still valid before the
case is given to students. In this regard, it may be beneficial
to spend a few minutes with students at the beginning of a semester
talking about the various resources that are available.
What are the responsibilities of the students and the
instructor?
Students are responsible for answering all of the questions
associated with the case prior to attending the next laboratory
session. A discussion of the questions is conducted at the beginning
of the next lab session. At most, the instructor acts as a facilitator
for this discussion. The instructor does not answer the
questions. The instructor may assist in the understanding
of a difficult concept by providing clarification or may ask for
additional information from students. It is sometimes difficult
to get all students involved in the discussion; the instructor
may become involved to ensure that all students participate.
Students are allowed to add material to the answers they submit
for evaluation, but they must have made an attempt to answer all
questions prior to coming to the laboratory. To differentiate
between material done before the discussion and that added during
the discussion, students are asked to utilize a different color
of ink or pencil/pen from that originally used to answer the questions.
Advantages of using case studies
I have found that when using case studies students are more
involved in learning material throughout the semester, and they
are not just cramming the night before a laboratory exam.
I give oral exams in the laboratory, and find that students are
better able to see the importance of material that has been covered
and how it relates to various situations. They also are
able to apply the information and knowledge to different situations.
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