Case It A Project To Integrate Collaborative Casebased Learning Into International Undergraduate Bio

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Case It! A Project To Integrate Collaborative
Case-based Learning Into International
Undergraduate Biology Curricula

• Mark Bergland, Karen Klyczek, Kim Mogen,
• Mary Lundeberg and Douglas Johnson
• University of Wisconsin-River Falls

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Contact information
URL for Case It! Home Page http//www.uwrf.edu/ca
seit/caseit.html For more information
contact mark.s.bergland_at_uwrf.edu This project
is supported by the National Science Foundation
under grants DUE9455425 and DUE9752268. Opinions
expressed are those of the authors and not
necessarily those of the Foundation.
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Case It! Overview

• Electronic framework for analyzing and discussing
  case studies in molecular biology
• Human genetic diseases and associated ethical
  issues
• Molecular biology simulation to analyze DNA
  sequences
• Web-based poster sessions
• Interactions among high school and university
  students worldwide

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Class use

• Conferencing this spring involved three
  universities and three high schools (Wisconsin,
  North Carolina, London and Australia)
• Students gather background information on cases
  using Case It! Investigator (v1.2) and web
  browser
• Analyze DNA sequences using the Case It
  simulation
• Prepare web-page poster using automated system
• Poster session via integrated Internet
  conferencing
• Role-playing (family members and genetics
  counselors)

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Techniques for DNA analysis

• Features of Case It! Version 3.0
• DNA electrophoresis
• Restriction enzyme digestion and mapping
• Southern blotting
• New features of Case It! Version 4.0
• Dot blotting
• Polymerase Chain Reaction
• More efficient file management via new floating
  windows
• Exports photos in GIF format rather than JPEG
  format smaller files and no compression problems

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Sample case sickle-cell disease

• Steve and Martha are expecting their second
  child. They know that sickle cell disease runs
  in both of their families. They want to know
  whether this child could be affected. Neither
  they nor their 10-year-old daughter, Sarah, have
  shown any symptoms of the disease. They decide
  to have DNA tests to determine the status of the
  fetus, as well as to find out whether they in
  fact are carriers of the disease gene.

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Sample case sickle-cell disease
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Ethical issues

• Should someone with a family history of
  sickle-cell disease be required to undergo
  testing? Should they have children if they test
  positive, or if they have not been tested?
• Should the results of such tests be made
  available to insurance companies? to potential
  employers? to potential mates?
• If a genetics counselor was asked about the
  possibility of an abortion, how should the
  counselor respond?

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Sample case Breast Cancer

• While Elizabeth is reading the morning
  newspaper, she notices an ad for a free genetic
  screening for breast cancer at the clinic next
  week. The ad specifically invites women of
  Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry to participate.
  According to the newspaper ad, subjects will be
  tested to see whether they have mutations in the
  BRCA1 gene which would predispose them to breast
  cancer.
• Elizabeth, age 27, had heard about the discovery
  of the gene and about the mutation linked to
  Jewish women...

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Sample case continued

• Her paternal grandmother had been diagnosed with
  breast cancer at age 51 and died two years later,
  and Elizabeth worried that she had inherited the
  disease. She also worried about her mother, age
  52 and apparently cancer-free so far, and her
  7-year old daughter.
• Her daughter is not allowed to participate in
  the screening, but Elizabeth convinces her mother
  to go with her to get tested.

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Results of dot blot for Breast Cancer Case A
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Ethical issues

• If either Elizabeth or her mother test positive,
  is a prophylactic double mastectomy appropriate?
• If Elizabeth talks her mother into getting
  tested, how does the counselor deal with the hard
  feelings that might result if Elizabeth tests
  negative and her mother tests positive?
• Who should have access to these test results?
• Does the daughter have the right to know the
  results? She is only seven now, but what about
  when she is 16?
• Should this type of screening be mandatory?

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Poster creation and conferencing

• Original system
• Taught students how to use a commercial web page
  editor to create web page "posters", which were
  stored in each student's personal server space at
  UWRF, not in a central location
• Used WebCT to create discussion forums for each
  student group
• Manually created web page to link student posters
  and discussion forums

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Poster creation and conferencing

• Problems with original approach
• Logistically cumbersome and time-consuming
• Difficult to make links to discussion forums
  using newest version of WebCT
• Not easy to add new schools to the system, since
  everything had to be done manually
• Took too much time to teach students how to use
  commercial web page editor

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Poster creation and conferencing

• Solution
• Create our own integrated system
• Simple web-page editor to put together posters
  with minimal training
• Simple conferencing system that is easy to use
  but has necessary administrative functions
• Easy integration of posters and discussion forums
• Automated way for instructors at remote locations
  to add student groups to the Case It Launch Pad

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Use of Case It web page editor

• Students sign in with group username and
  password, then select their name from a list
• Ability to add new sections to poster and edit
  existing sections
• Text and graphics automatically uploaded to
  server at UW-River falls
• No knowledge of html required
• "Preview" or "publish" poster

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Students log in to edit their web page
Use "test01" for name and "7rUI" for password
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Setting up the basic web page design
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Adding sections to the web page
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Formatting a section, adding content
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Adding images to the web page
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Multiple sections can be added to the web page
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www links to posters
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Use of Case It conferencing system

• Each student group has its own forum
• Student name and institution then automatically
  appended to any messages they send or reply to
• Instructor can get tally of total messages sent
  by individual students, or compilation of all
  messages sent to a particular group
• Feature to be added this summer automated
  system for adding student groups to Launch Pad

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balloon icons links to discussion forums
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R summary of messages sent by individual
students
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Assessment

• Case-based simulation enhanced interest,
  especially for female students
• Students, particularly females, became more
  confident in their knowledge
• Females improved significantly more than males in
  pre-test/post-test comparisons
• For more information on assessment contact
  mary.a.lundeberg_at_uwrf.edu

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Student quotes

• "Case It! was definitely effective in my
  learning and understanding of genetic testing.
  Not only effective, but also interesting. Having
  a particular case and defect to figure out drove
  the information home. Very good program for
  college biology students. "
• "I learned more from this experience, than I
  have ever learned in any science class! Plus,
  there was an actual end result that we could be
  proud of. I definitely think this helped and you
  should keep it going."

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Invitation to participate

• We welcome participation in the Case It! Project
  at no cost to educators
• High school and university educators are invited
  to participate
• All you need is an internet connection
  everything is uploaded to the UWRF server
• Contact mark.s.bergland_at_uwrf.edu