Using Cases to Improve College Teaching: A Guide to More Reflective Practice

This monograph explores practical and theoretical issues in use of case studies for college faculty to reflect on and improve instruction. Six chapters: (1) describe teaching case studies, with an overview of how and why they are used; (2) explore the rationale for their use within the frameworks of scholarship and professional development; (3) present three brief case studies and suggestions for their use in discussion; (4) present reports from faculty groups who have written case studies, with their suggestions on how to proceed; (5) discuss nine issues that have emerged through the use of cases (how they can place the focus on learning as well as teaching, possible alternative formats, getting at the more subtle issues of practice, going beyond problems to the problematic, whether and how cases can represent best practice, including content issues, using cases to build on one another, creating occasions for more productive use of cases, and the impact of case use on teaching improvement); and (6) describe three possible scenarios illustrating how cases might contribute to a campus culture that takes teaching and learning seriously. Four additional cases and teaching suggestions are appended as is a list of 13 resource organizations. (From the Publisher)