Four Structural Components Identified by Cognitive Flexibility
on Case-Based Learning
Cases: The core of cognitive flexibility is the broad case (whole/big picture). Not one typical scenario but many varied cases. Cases show the multi-dimensional nature of real life experiences, but no one case applies to all scenario. Based on the example provide in the diagram, learners need to look at many cases to identify the complexity of monetary acceleration, on the economy (See Figure at the bottom). Sections of different cases (experiences) help build a procedure to solve the case. This helps learners to develop cognitive skills.
Themes: Themes are ideas expressed by subject matter experts as possible schema (representations) for understanding the complex scenarios being studied by learner. Constructing a hypertext interface based on cognitive flexibility theory requires the use of multiple themes with the widest possible range. In complex, ill-structured domains, no one theme can be the correct answer. Therefore, we need to develop a number of themes that reflect the best understanding of content experts. Case scenarios tend to overlap, thus the adding themes increases instructional value.
Mini-Cases: The breaking down of a case into its parts is known as mini-cases. Mini-cases include text selections or scenario themes from complete cases. They could be short statements that reflect the themes and their relations to the primary case. Analyzing the mini-cases helps learners focus on the overlapping themes in various cases. For example, statements about consumer confidence or the foreign exchange market from different factual monetary scenarios represent potential mini-cases (See Figure at the bottom). Within each mini-case learners confront concepts, definitions, methodologies, and issues unique to monetary economics.
Perspectives: Conceptual and semantic elements within a mini-case are referred to as perspectives. As hyperlinks, perspectives provide constant access to the fundamental ideas, concepts, and definitions relating to the themes. Hot words and phrases within a perspective can link to relevant points in other perspectives thus leading to multiple representations of important ideas and concepts.
Graddy (2001)
