Writing Cases for Medical/Human Biology Education

This course is intended for advanced Division II and Division III students concentrating in health/medicine or education. Many medical schools, middle/high schools and colleges use collaborative, problem-based learning as a foundation for teaching critical thinking and learning content in depth. Solving medical cases motivates students to dig deeply into clinical studies and the biology of health and disease, as well as to consider ethical and social aspects of health care. Cases will be designed for classroom-based cooperative learning activities as well as for a new computer-based tool that supports inquiry (Rashi: an intelligent tutor) being designed by the Center for Knowledge Communication in the Computer Science Department at the University of Massachusetts. Students will collaborate on writing medical cases, structure them for problem-based, cooperative teaching tools, or and participate in testing the newest versions of the Rashi collaborative learning program. Prerequisite: Division II Contract Filed.