Cases have been used by health professions educators for many decades. Cases can capture students’ attention, help bridge the theory-to-practice gap, and invite learners into an active process of discovery. But what role do cases and case-based learning have in our rapidly evolving, technology-enhanced education landscape? How can we use cases to optimize learning in an increasingly complex practice space? And how can we reflect the diversity of our communities in our teaching cases, without causing unintended harm? 

This workshop outlines a pedagogy of case-based learning. Drawing on their experiences as learners, teachers and curriculum designers of case-based learning, the workshop facilitators will guide participants as they explore the role of cases and case-based learning in contemporary health professions education and learn how to optimize their use of cases to support rich, sustained learning.

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• Define case-based learning and identify when one might choose case-based learning over other modes of instruction, such as problem-based learning or simulation

• Identify some of the key design considerations when writing a case, including the level of detail, the level of difficulty, the human/social context and the discussion questions

• Demonstrate specific facilitator behaviours that leverage the power of case-based learning to support learners in struggling productively, with the goal of developing adaptive expertise

Who would benefit most from this workshop?

Health professions educators involved in instructional design, curriculum development and teaching who are interested in using cases and case-based learning to achieve extraordinary learning outcomes.

Facilitator Team: 

Sacha Agrawal, Chloe Leon, Nikhita Singhal, Vincent Tang, Karen Wang and Laura Williams