Table Of ContentChoon Lang Gwendoline Quek
Qiyun Wang Editors
Designing
Technology-Mediated
Case Learning in
Higher Education
A Global Perspective
Designing Technology-Mediated Case Learning
in Higher Education
·
Choon Lang Gwendoline Quek Qiyun Wang
Editors
Designing
Technology-Mediated Case
Learning in Higher Education
A Global Perspective
Editors
Choon Lang Gwendoline Quek Qiyun Wang
National Institute of Education National Institute of Education
Nanyang Technological University Nanyang Technological University
Singapore, Singapore Singapore, Singapore
ISBN 978-981-19-5133-6 ISBN 978-981-19-5135-0 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-5135-0
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Foreword
Before you lie the book Designing Technology-Mediated Case Learning in Higher
Education: A Global Perspective. This book discusses a very contemporary approach
to learning and learning environments in higher education, namely case-based
learning (CBL), and with an emphasis on technology-enhanced learning environ-
ments or tools. The approach of CBL fits well with a broader trend of making
higher education more authentic and realistic and links to related approaches such
as problem-based learning, challenge-based learning, place-based learning, and
authentic learning. These approaches, as does CBL, are a response to the call for
better links between the theory offered at higher education institutes and the reality
of practice in professions. CBL also fits with the need to train students a more modern
and broader set of skills that are not just cognitive in nature, but also encompass affec-
tive, metacognitive, and life skills and include learning to collaborate in a context of
diversity. The recent COVID-19 pandemic also shows the need for and importance of
online, hybrid and blended design of learning, a trend to which this book also nicely
links, for example by using cases via asynchronous discussion, wikis, or videos.
The book shows applications of CBL in different higher education contexts, such
as teacher education, economics education, and medical education. What all of these
contexts have in common is their strongly applied nature and their need for knowl-
edge to be constantly applied in practical situations and professions. The book also
nicely combines theoretical backgrounds of CBL with practical aspects of CBL, and
chapters for example discuss various examples of CBL, as well as guidelines for the
design of CBL. The title also promises an international perspective on CBL. Exper-
tise and research are brought together from different countries, including Singapore,
China, and South Korea.
With its contemporary nature, the combination of both practice and theory, its
multinational approach and its scientific background, the book lends itself nicely as
resource for teachers in higher education, those concerned with teacher education or
teacher professional development at universities, as well as students with an interest or
v
vi Foreword
focus on learning, learning environments and education. I wish you much enjoyment
with reading and using this book, and I hope the various cases in it, present you with
a good basis for your own learning!
Perry den Brok
Chair of the Education and Learning
Sciences Chair Group, Wageningen
University and Research
, The Netherlands; Chair of the 4TU
Centre for Engineering Education,
Wageningen, The Netherlands
Preface
Educators are perennially concerned with searching for better ways to bring about
learning. History records the efforts made, evident in a spectrum of pedagogies avail-
able, from conservative one-way street type teaching to liberal multichannel partic-
ipatory modes. In this book, case-based learning (CBL) is offered as an attractive
alternative to the traditional didactic instructional approaches which typify one-way
street type teaching.
Case-based learning, put simply, can apply to any teaching that uses cases or case
studies, as its teaching resources. However, there are various permutations, such as
case-based approach, case method, and case-based reasoning, all of which are used
by the various authors of the book. Formal definitions from the literature do occur in
the book, with consensus being that a case is a narrative of a real-life situation, usually
complex if not controversial, possessing many aspects and stimulating diverse and
divergent viewpoints, which render cases excellent material for discussion. A case-
based pedagogy is often a viable strategy in higher-order learning, when students
advance beyond rote memorization to thinking on their own, being able to articulate
and justify their decisions.
It is acknowledged that cases can be conveyed in didactive fashion, so what the
book does is look at technology-mediated case book teaching and learning that
emphasizes student participation and interaction. This would be when cases and
the lessons employ multimedia learning resources like e-texting, videos, and online
animation, all of which enable synchronous as well as asynchronous classroom partic-
ipation . This is in alignment with the age of digital learning, where students as digital
natives have more affinity for online functionality and a blended learning pedagogy.
Thus, contributors to the book provide a substantive case for not just CBL, but also
for the incorporation of technological tools to enhance the use of cases. Case method
teaching is now widespread across disciplines. Case libraries have grown, and cases
may be presented in a variety of media. Now, as online learning grows, educators
are exploring case-based learning in online environments.
The primary focus of this work is on the practical issue of design. The use of cases
has been in existence since the 1950s when Harvard inaugurated its use in legal, busi-
ness, and medical education. Thus, case study is no nouveau idea, with no dearth of
vii
viii Preface
literature explaining its purpose and extolling its virtues. Yet design, especially when
incorporating digital mechanisms, remains a concern. This provides the main impetus
for the book, how best to design, implement and evaluate technology-enhanced
case-based learning environments.
The book confines its scope to higher education as cases are currently and custom-
arily used for more mature learners. Its reach, however, is global, especially since
the contributors represent an international mix. This would be another strength of
the book. It is useful in all educational situations across borders. The compendium
of articles in the book can be regarded as a synthesis of readings on case study,
covering elucidation of case study as a pedagogical concept along with its strengths
and weaknesses, both text-and technology-mediated. This would be a handy refer-
ence for educators needing a comprehensive and all-rounded view to kickstart further
interest in this innovative method of teaching and learning.
The book contains articles which establishes the historical and theoretical founda-
tion to case-based instruction, showing how design and teaching of cases generally
adhere to the features first used at Harvard, and stamped by principles of educa-
tional theory; actual design considerations, highlighting the factors to guide case-
based learning design using technology; and lastly showcases examples of various
technology-mediated case-based learning environments in the international arena.
The articles in the book possess an individual thrust, but support the premise of
the book, that case study is possibly a superior teaching approach in many educa-
tional fields. Traditional teaching method—top down one-way street—tends to cramp
thinking and reflection. Case study, especially when augmented with technology,
does the opposite. It liberates and frees students to develop analytical, problem-
solving, and reasoned decision-making skills, in order to acquire genuine under-
standing of their subject for transference to real-world situations. Methods through
time differ, but this surely remains among the most crucial of educational goals.
Singapore Choon Lang Gwendoline Quek
Qiyun Wang
Introduction
The integration of computers into higher education (HE) classrooms over the past
few decades have seen the use of various digital technologies such as artificial intel-
ligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, networked computers, and mobile tech-
nologies which have the power to transform learning. A broad and inclusive defini-
tion of the emerging field of digital pedagogy (Baldin¸š, 2016) is the approaches to
effective teaching by appropriately leveraging the affordances of digital technologies
(Tan & Subramaniam, 2009), or more simply, pedagogical use of digital technologies
(Väätäjä & Ruokamo, 2021).
To further the full potential of digital technologies for teaching, the editors have
put together a series of compelling book chapters which will enable new structures
of knowledge and new ways of knowing (Kelly, 2010).
In this book, authors contributed their perspectives and educational experiences
in the case-based learning (CBL) research, designs, and implementations from their
diverse backgrounds. They came from Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, China,
Austria, Australia, the USA, and Hong Kong.
The book contains three primary areas of focus. Part I establishes the theoret-
ical and historical perspective to case-based instruction, showing how design and
teaching of cases generally adhere to the features first used at Harvard and stamped by
principles of educational theory. Part II showcases examples of various technology-
mediated case-based learning environments in the international arena, including
emerging technologies such as eye-tracking technique and 360-degree panoramic
videos. Part III shifts to actual design considerations, highlighting the factors to
guide case-based learning design using technology.
Chapter 1 begins with a systemic review on how CBL is used in teacher educa-
tion. Key themes that emerged from the review by the Australian-based author were
instructional design, video for case-based learning, CBL and reflection, contextual-
izing CBL and methods of inquiry. These were pertinent to recommendations for the
design of case-based learning research in teacher education.
Chapter 2 discusses how case-based teaching, in the context of a business
course for undergraduates, can be supported by different technologies, and how
ix
x Introduction
the technology-mediated case method embodies the Seven Principles of Good Prac-
tice. The ARCS (“Attention”, “Relevance”, “Confidence”, “Satisfaction”) model of
motivation (Keller, 1984) is also briefly introduced by the author from Singapore.
In Chap. 3, the author describes the development and implementation of CBL
in health professions education (HPE) in countries such as Taiwan, Canada, and the
USA. Current literature was reviewed to examine the effectiveness of CBL in HPE in
the areas of learning outcomes, teacher and student perceptions, and learning skills
development.
In Chap. 4, the Taiwanese author provides a brief history of case-based learning
and a spectrum of pedagogies used since 2000. The chapter includes the rationale
as to why and how CBL is a powerful instructional strategy to complement the
traditional didactic instructional approaches. This was supported by trends toward
technology-mediated CBL such as learning management systems, and social media
platforms, e.g., wiki, as evidenced in Chaps. 1, 2, 5, and 8.
In Chap. 5, a group of South Korean researchers and educators focused on case-
based design of online learning environments, in which authentic problems and
learning resources are provided in the form of multimedia cases for the learners to
explore and learn. Areas such as case-based instruction and case library resources
will play important roles in teaching and learning. In practice, how such a design can
benefit the teaching and learning will be shared from an authentic case taken from
South Korean context.
In Chap. 6, the Chinese author discusses the cases in the form of video cases, the
practice of video-based instruction which includes the sources of how these were
developed, and the case instruction practiced in China. Examples of the practices of
online case-based instruction are also used in higher education and distance education
in Chinese universities.
In Chap. 7, the author describes case-based learning as an instructional approach
to situate the beginning teachers’ authentic learning of classroom management. The
cases are teachers’ real stories encountered, documented, and curated for teacher
learning of classroom management via group discussions and reflection. To the
beginning teachers (with less than three years of teaching experience) when faced
with actual classroom encounters, their classroom management practices require
them to link the theory taught to solve actual classroom management problems.
This chapter presents two key areas: the development and application of an online
resource, a multi-model wiki-based platform of “case-stories” of beginning teachers
in Singapore, and the teachers’ perspectives based on their learning experience in
the case-based learning supported by wiki.
In Chap. 8, the author discusses how technology-mediated case-based learning
(TMCBL) might be organized and designed to build the rightful presence of nondom-
inant teachers in the USA. Three broad implications for TMCBL in teacher education
are discussed together with a set of guiding principles to inform design processes
and practices.
In Chap. 9, the author from China focuses on how to effectively design video
lectures and strategies that can support the effective learning of students. The design
