Exam Preparation using Case Studies

By Maxime Denis , McGill University

At a Glance

Discipline

STEM
Biochemistry

Instructional Level

University

Course

BIOC311

Tasks in Workflow

Social Plane(s)

Individual
Group
Whole Class

Type of Tasks

Collecting & seeking information
Solving problems
Taking a quiz & test

Technical Details

Class size

Very Large (>250)

Time

Multiple class periods (2-3 classes)

Instructional Purpose

Application & knowledge building
Assessment & knowledge refinement

Overview

The aim of this activity is to apply course materials to real-world problems using Case Studies. Students benefits from being exposed to literature in their field of study while also prompting them to integrate it into their course theory, in order to learn to create solutions to clinical problems.

Given 5 days before the final examination, each question in this activity should relate to some material seen in the course and show a real-world application of it. In this activity, students are given a list of 10 questions, one of which will appear on the final exam. Each question has a rubric, learning objectives, and reading material. Students in groups or individually can prepare for each question using the suggested readings and by consulting with peers.

Instructional Objectives

This activity helps students develop critical thinking skills by identifying and reading relevant academic literature
This activity helps students learn to integrate the knowledge they obtained from class and academic literature

Workflow & Materials

Activity Workflow

View on CourseFlow

Contributor's Notes

Benefits

Students are able to read literature in their field of study, and so are able to connect the theory in their course to actual clinical practices
Students feel less anxious for the longer question on the exam as they will have time to prepare on their own and with their teams

Challenges

The instructor has to be vigilant to ensure that each student has grasped the material even if they worked in groups. The answers should be sufficiently different.

Tips

Students can work in groups or individually depending on their preference and learning style.

Applied Strategies

Case-based Learning

Real-life scenarios

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Published: 25/09/2021

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