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National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science

• Case Studies

This website provides access to an award-winning collection of peer-reviewed case studies. The National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science also offers a five-day summer workshop and a two-day fall conference to train faculty in the case method of teaching science. In addition, they are actively engaged in educational research to assess the impact of the case method on student learning.

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Review by Pamela Brittain , Common Sense Education | Updated May 2020

National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science

Science-based debates, discussions, role plays, and more for research, analysis, and critical thinking

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Digital Citizenship, Relationships & Communication, Science, Social & Emotional Learning, Social Studies

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Pros : Peer-reviewed content; a large collection of cases on a broad range of topics; free resources are extensive.

Cons : Teacher notes and answer keys require subscription; limited collection for middle school.

Bottom Line : Great resource to address many skills, apply science, and adapt to work in your classroom.

• How Can I Teach with This Tool?
• What Is It?
• Is It Good for Learning?

The National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science is a resource that could work to introduce concepts or reinforce them. Working through the case studies themselves also teaches important skills as a stand-alone activity. You can use the cases as they are, but you'll likely have to adapt the content to work in your classroom. Because many of the cases are text-heavy, you may need to adjust them to better fit your students' reading levels. 

The case studies could be really useful when studying concepts that may feel more abstract. So, for instance, if you're talking about climate change or the biology of nutrition, you can teach the foundational concepts and then find a case study that's related to your topic so that students can apply what they've learned. Or you can begin with a project-based learning or flipped case study to dig into the concepts that you're covering. Because there are case studies around topical issues, you can likely find one that feels relevant to students and will pique their interest.

The National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science is an extensive collection of over 850 case studies focusing on various areas of science and society. Many cases, available for free on the site, come with resources for teaching the material (such as slideshows, PDFs, supporting materials, and videos), though some don't. Out of the 850-plus cases, only about 12 are specifically aimed at middle school, but over 400 are aimed at high school. Teachers can search by subject, educational level, instruction method, or special topic area (e.g., social justice, women in science, or science history). You can also search directly by keyword if you are interested in a specific thing. Aside from content, the cases come in different forms, like debates, clicker classes, flipped classrooms, role-playing, mock trials, and more. This gives teachers a lot of flexibility in both subject material and method of instruction.

A number of additional resources are available on the site to show teachers how to use case study materials in their classroom effectively, including the different methods of instruction for case studies. Some of these are free; however, there's a fee to access some of the materials (such as books, training, and conferences). With a subscription you also get access to teacher notes and answer keys. However, you must be a registered teacher to access these materials, and you have to prove your status as such before you are given access (they evaluate each registration individually). You can alter the studies, within reason, for "standard" usage, without additional permissions from the Center. This allows teachers to adapt the case studies to more accurately reflect their students and other lessons. However, "non-standard" alterations require permission from the Center. 

What makes The National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science especially useful is that it allows for a different way to approach the sciences and show the cross-curricular connections between both other sciences and the arts. This gives teachers a much broader range of tools for teaching science and a way to engage different types of students in their class. Cases are submitted by members of the scientific and education communities and are all peer-reviewed before being put on the site. This ensures that teachers can be confident that the materials they are teaching are accurate and have been fact-checked thoroughly.  

The wide variety of topics and approaches gives teachers a multitude of ways to engage students. The case studies can bring science to life, either through topical studies, history, or ethical debates. The biggest challenge is adapting the text-heavy studies to use in classes with students at different reading levels, as the vocabulary and syntax are generally advanced. However, the time and effort it takes to find and adapt the right study with an interesting approach will likely pay off with high engagement and practice in a wide variety of skills.

Learning Rating

Overall rating.

The case studies provide a selection of content that will meet the interests of a wide range of students, but engagement may depend on the type of case you present (PBL vs. Debate, etc.).

The case studies use multiple ways of presenting information and incorporate different instructional methods and content types. However, it's completely up to the teacher to provide scaffolding and adapt the cases to work in class.

The collection is limited to the case studies and their supporting materials; they're provided as stand-alone materials with instructor notes and answer keys available for a subscription. 

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National Center for case study teaching in science

Method assessment.

WHAT DO WE KNOW about case study teaching? The use of problem-based learning (one form of case study teaching) in medical schools has received close scrutiny from researchers. As the use of case-based teaching more broadly increases in undergraduate college and K-12 classrooms, a significant body of literature is beginning to accumulate on the assessment of the method and other active learning pedagogies.

Research Articles

Faculty perceptions on the benefits of case teaching.

We surveyed over 100 science teachers we had trained over a year-and-a-half-long period. One of the things we asked them was what they thought the benefits of case-based teaching were for their students. Here’s what they had to say.

Cases and Critical Thinking

When we teach, we want our students to learn more than just a collection of facts – we also want them to become better critical thinkers. We believe that carefully constructed cases can provide pedagogical tools that teach not only content knowledge, but also critical thinking skills. We are currently engaged in an NSF-funded study that is looking at whether cases can be used to improve students' critical thinking skills.

© 1999-2024 National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science, University at Buffalo. All Rights Reserved.

National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science (NCCSTS)

The mission of the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science (NCCSTS) at SUNY-Buffalo is to promote the development and dissemination of materials and practices for case teaching in the sciences. 

Click on the links below to learn more about-

• a bibliography of case studies,
• faculty perceptions on the benefit of teaching case studies, and
• research articles

Below is a sample work flow showing how to navigate the NCCSTS case collection. Enjoy!

1. Start at the NCCSTS homepage ( http://sciencecases.lib.buffalo.edu/cs/ ). Then click on Case Collection (red arrow, upper right).

nccsts_front_page.png

2. Clicking on Case Collection takes you to the Keyword Search page. As shown below use the dropdown arrows to narrow your search parameters. As an example I chose Organic Chemistry under Subject Heading.

nccsts_keyword_search.png

3. Below is a partial list (6/25) of case studies categorized under the Subject Heading choice, Organic Chemistry.

nccsts_search_results.png

4. Click on a case study. I chose The Case of the Missing Bees (not shown in the partial list above). Below is a partial screenshot of the case study description. To download the case study click on the DOWNLOAD CASE icon (red arrow, upper right).

nccsts_download_case.png

5. Below is the the top of the first page of the case study, The Case of the Missing Bees .

nccsts_case_front_page.png

6. And of course make sure to review and adhere to the Permitted and Standard Uses and Permissions ( http://sciencecases.lib.buffalo.edu/cs/collection/uses/ ).

nccsts_uses.png

National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science

Case study title: The Case of the Missing Bees: High Fructose Corn Syrup and Colony Collapse Disorder

Case study authors: Jeffri C. Bohlscheid and Frank J. Dinan

• Material Detail: The National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science Case Collection

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The national center for case study teaching in science case collection.

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Ronald Mayne (Faculty)

Great source for case studies.  The only problem I have with this site is having to wade through all of the cases to find one relevent to my course.

Topher Gee (Faculty)

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National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science

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National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science

• https://www.nsta.org/case-studies

Although the case method has been used for years to teach law, business, and medicine, it is not common in science. Yet the use of case studies holds great promise as a pedagogical technique for teaching science, particularly to undergraduates, because it humanizes science and well illustrates scientific methodology and values. It develops students' skills in group learning, speaking, and critical thinking, and since many of the best cases are based on contemporary and often contentious science problems that students encounter in the news (such as human cloning), the use of cases in the classroom makes science relevant.

The University at Buffalo has been experimenting with case studies in science courses for over 15 years. They have found the method to be amazingly flexible. It has been used as the core of entire courses such as Scientific Inquiry or for single experiences in otherwise traditional lecture and lab courses. Cases dealing with cold fusion, AIDS, acid rain, ozone depletion, and toxic waste disposal have been used with undergraduates, graduates, and students in professional schools. A case on cystic fibrosis has been used in small laboratory sections run by teaching assistants and a case on the spotted owl has been employed in a large class of over 400 students. In our experience, students exposed to the case method have been extraordinarily excited and actively involved in their learning.The aim of the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science is to promote the development and dissemination of innovative materials and sound educational practices for case teaching in the sciences. Our website provides access to an award-winning library of case materials and we offer a variety of opportunities, including a five-day summer workshop and two-day fall conference, for science faculty to receive training in the method. Our work has been supported over the years by the National Science Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and the U.S. Department of Education.

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Preparing and Using Cases for Teaching

Case writing resources.

The links below provide information on writing cases and teaching using case based instruction. The links are categorized according to tips and strategies, assessment of cases, example cases, and references. All links open a new browser window.

Tips & Strategies for Writing and Using Cases

Desirable Components/Characteristics of Cases for Small Group Learning [pdf] Provides a checklist (with explanations) of case components.

National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science Website containing resources focusing on case method teaching, assessing case instruction, case ideas and examples, and more. Developed by the University of Buffalo.

The Case Files Website created to: 1) improve the knowledge of strategies for delivery and development of case studies, 2) create an on-line clearinghouse of cases and case ideas, and 3) broadly disseminate case ideas and highly sophisticated cases for technological education. Developed by Nashville State Community College.

Why use cases? Website containing bulleted list descriptions on underlying procedures for using cases, case based process, characteristics of a good case, choosing and using a case, materials to use for case, and more. Developed by the Walker Teaching Resource Center, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

References on Case-Based Learning

Burgess, K. L. (2004). Is your case a problem? Journal of STEM Education, 5(1 and 2), 42-44.

Carlson, R., Barise, A., & Wooldridge, D. (2005). Toward authentic case-based assessment: Developing quality family sciences professionals. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences Education, 23(1).

Demarco, R., Hayward, L., & Lynch, M. (2002). Nursing students' experiences with and strategic approaches to case-based instruction: a replication and comparison study between two disciplines. J Nurs Educ, 41(4), 165-174.

Farhoomand, A. (2004). Writing teaching cases: A quick reference guide. Communications of the Association for Information Systems , 13, 103-107.

Gini, A. R. (1985). The case method: A perspective. Journal of Business Ethics , 4(4), 351-352.

Krishnan, R. T. (2004). Case method: A perspective, AIMA National Workshop on Case Development . Bangalore, India

Shinn, S. (2004). Getting down to cases. Biz Ed, January/February .

Sutyak, J. P., Lebeau, R. B., & O'Donnell, A. M. (1998). Unstructured cases in case-based learning benefit students with primary care career preferences. Am J Surg , 175(6), 503-507.

Walters, M. R. (1999). Case-stimulated learning within endocrine physiology lectures: An approach applicable to other disciplines. Advances in Physiology Education , 21(1), S74-S78.

Williams, B. (2005). Case based learning--a review of the literature: is there scope for this educational paradigm in prehospital education? Emerg Med J , 22(8), 577-581.

Williams, S. M. (1992). Putting case-based instruction into context: Examples from legal and medical education. Journal of the Learning Sciences , 2(4), 367-427.

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Killing Chloroplasts

Herbicides Targeting Photosynthesis

By Angela K. Hartsock

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This case study takes place at a fictional biotechnology company developing herbicides against invasive plant species. The case study focuses on five herbicides with different effects on photosynthesis. Students play the role of lab interns and explore photosynthesis and the herbicide effects by engaging in concept mapping, experimental design, data manipulation, and data analysis. The goal is to use the experimental data to predict the steps in photosynthesis that are inhibited by each herbicide. Students should come away from the case study with a process-based understanding of photosynthesis. This case study is designed for the "flipped" classroom with suggested preparatory videos and associated assessment questions included. Videos can be supplemented with textbook readings or mini-lectures. This activity was developed for a non-majors introductory biology course but it could also be used in any general biology course, including majors' courses. It might also be used to establish foundational knowledge for more advanced discussions of photosynthesis in plant biology (botany) courses.

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Date Posted

• Develop a hypothesis based on observations.
• Diagram the process of photosynthesis.
• Analyze the interactions between the different processes happening during photosynthesis.
• Apply understanding of photosynthesis to experimental data analysis.

photosynthesis; chloroplasts; plants; herbicides; atrazine; chloroplast; corn resistance;

Subject Headings

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

High school, Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper division

TOPICAL AREAS

TYPE/METHODS

Teaching Notes & Answer Key

Teaching notes.

Case teaching notes are protected and access to them is limited to paid subscribed instructors. To become a paid subscriber, purchase a subscription here .

Teaching notes are intended to help teachers select and adopt a case. They typically include a summary of the case, teaching objectives, information about the intended audience, details about how the case may be taught, and a list of references and resources.

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Answer Keys are protected and access to them is limited to paid subscribed instructors. To become a paid subscriber, purchase a subscription here .

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Materials & Media

Supplemental materials.

• The Simple Story of Photosynthesis and Food This video explores the relationship between photosynthesis and carbohydrates, starch, and fiber; and how the air we breathe is related to the food we ingest. The video provides a general overview and context for a more detailed discussion of the process in the next video. Running time: 4:00 min. Lesson by Amanda Ooten, animation by Bouncepad Collective, 2013.
• Photosynthesis In this video Paul Andersen reviews photosynthesis including the structure of choloroplasts, the major pigments involved, the light reaction, the Calvin cycle, and strategies for avoiding the problem of photorespiration that evolved in CAM and C4 plants. Running time: 12:26 min. Bozeman Science, 2012.
• How Atrazine Kills Plants This video links the action of the herbicide atrazine to the inhibition of photosynthesis. This video also prepares students to consider how the actions of herbicides influence each of the major components in photosynthesis. Running time: 4:49 min. Created by Angela Hartsock for the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science, 2016.

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