What Type of Learner Should You Use Case Studies With?

• Ertmer et. al. quote Cossom (1991): "clearly, case based instruction is not a teaching/ learning method that appeals to all students, nor is it one that draws neutral responses.

• Cossam (1991) cited Daloz :"students at different levels of moral and cognitive development have varying degrees of comfort with ambiguity, lack of a 'right' response, multiplicity of views," qualities inherent in a case-based approach.

• Complex case studies are therefore probably best suited for college aged and older students.

• Ertmer et. al.: "challenging cases were perceived as interesting and valuable by those who emphasized the process of learning and who were not concerned with or flustered by mistakes.

• These students repeatedly mentioned how they expected to learn from difficult cases. On the other hand, students who were concerned about being right felt frustrated with difficult cases .

• Difficult case studies used with class discussions create the opportunity for the instructor and classmates to model metacognitive thinking strategies.

• If students are exposed to methods of regulating their own learning, they might be able to adopt those strategies and become better learners.