JoinAll Case Studies
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Suggested Keywords, to help with your search (besides selecting subjects): clicker cases, directed cases, interrupted cases, discussion cases, intimate debate cases. As a reminder, all cases may be adjusted to meet the needs of your student level. See our case use guidelines.
Grade level filtering: enter desired grade levels in the Keywords box and click Apply.
By Charlie W. Zhao, Kevin Xo, Tom L. Haffie (rr)
This case study follows a young cystic fibrosis (CF) patient named Lucas. Through Lucas's story and interactions between his parents and pediatrician, students learn about the scientific background and basis of CF. By reviewing email correspondence b...
By Amy B. Dounay, Lori L. Driscoll, Phoebe M. Blessing, Hallie M. Comfort, Joshua M. Mares
This interrupted case study explores the scientific, legal, and societal complexities of repurposing an illicit substance, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), also known as "Ecstasy" or "Molly," into a clinically accepted medicine for treating ...
By Stephanie J. Toering Peters
This interrupted case study is designed to introduce beginning biology students to the process of science by exploring a question that is accessible to students with limited scientific background. The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardialis) is the tallest ...
By Orianna Carter
This case study addresses several concepts related to water hypoxia including physical laws governing dissolved oxygen levels and impacts to living systems during hypoxia. A survey of different factors causing reduced oxygen saturation levels on smal...
An Unusual Case of Hypertension
By Robert Ortiz, Sunil Nityanand
This case study examines the interaction between the endocrine, cardiovascular and renal systems. The case narrative details Mr. Smith's high blood pressure that does not seem to respond to treatment. Although he takes good care of himself and follow...
By Qinxia Li, Xinyao Yang, Lauren S. Gollahon
This directed case study examines differences between the exponential and logistic growth models in biology and how they are applied to solve real life problems. The narrative follows a student returning to the United States as he tries to assess his...
Bringing Home More than a Medal
By Tracie M. Addy, Kathryn A. Phillips, Maura O. Stevenson
This case study was inspired by the Zika virus outbreak that occurred around the time of the 2016 Olympic Games. Many athletes were fearful of attending because of the link between Zika virus infection and microcephaly in infants. This concern, howev...
By Mariela Cruz Calderón, Annie Prud’homme-Genereux
Why is the North American population of monarch butterflies declining? In 1999, a study published in the journal Nature suggested that a variety of genetically modified corn was killing these iconic butterflies. While it was later shown that the cond...
By Karen K. Bernd, Cindy D. Hauser, Kristie L. Foley
The first day of class is often a reading of the syllabus, even when active learning approaches are used throughout the rest of the term. This interrupted case uses the first day to model the expectations of a course that uses case method approaches....
By Tracie M. Addy, Catherine E. LePrevost, Courtney L. McGinnis
This case study was inspired by a real-life scenario, and follows the story of Roberto, a migrant farmworker whose health is impacted by the usage of pesticides on a farm. With the help of a health care provider, Roberto becomes aware of the ef...
By Gary L. Patterson
This flipped case study was written to provide foundational understanding of woody stem (tree) anatomy and to illustrate how scientific support is used to determine the age of objects made of wood, which in turn may affect an object's value. The narr...
By Justin F. Shaffer, Sha Sun
This case study explores the recent (2010 - 2016) outbreak of neural tube defects, specifically anencephaly, in a rural three-county region of Washington state, particularly Yakima, WA. The case study focuses on the biological aspects of teratogens t...
By Khadijah I. Makky, Audra A. Kramer
This interrupted case is based on a genome wide association study (GWAS) that identified the genetic variation causing some inhabitants of the Solomon Islands to have blond hair. The case illustrates the connection between genotype and phenotype, and...
Gastronomic Gastroenteritis at The Fat Duck
By Nienke E. van Houten
This interrupted case study was inspired by and uses data from one of the largest commercial restaurant associated outbreaks of norovirus reported in the literature. It applies basic principles of epidemiology and outbreak investigation to a shellfis...
By Angela K. Hartsock
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 explo...
By Gary H. Laverty
The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the major vector for transmission of numerous viral diseases, including yellow fever, dengue, and now, Zika. Interestingly, different subspecies of A. aegypti are known to exist in close proximity but with considerable g...
By Teresa C. Weglarz
This interrupted case study tells the story of Miles, a freshman in college, who volunteers to help with the composting program on campus. Miles is excited about composting but his mother is hesitant to try it at home. Miles learns about the key ingr...
By Jane P. Sheldon, Susana M. Peciña
This directed case study follows two college roommates, Darrell and Anthony, who have just returned to school after winter vacation. They share that their ageing fathers are concerned about their declining faculties and are amused by their fathers' e...
By Megan M. Emge, Zenobia N. Okwunwanne, Raphinos Uragu, Johnna L. Yowell, Breanna N. Harris
This interrupted case study tells the story of Michael, a Harvard law graduate with a stressful job and a seemingly heavy drinking problem. Students are provided with background information, medical history, and lab results in order to guide them tow...
By Maria-Elena Conin, Lea C. George, Joshua D. Kumin, Philip J. Stephens
This interrupted case study follows the course of Cara, a high school athlete training for the state championships in cross country. She suffers from polycystic ovarian syndrome and her prescribed medication (spironolactone) greatly diminishes the ac...
By Helen S. Joyner, Brennan Smith
In this case study, students assume the role of a quality assurance team that is in charge of determining potential causes and solutions for potato chip bags that open during the shipping process. Students will use basic quality control tools to eval...
By Michèle I. Shuster
This case study was developed for an introductory biology course with the goal of integrating content (specifically, structure/function, signaling pathways, and homeostasis) while reinforcing general critical thinking skills and the scientific method...
Developing a Holistic Understanding of Hybridization and Resonance
By Manisha Nigam
This case study is the result of the author's efforts to help students master the complex concept of resonance by unifying multiple concepts across general chemistry and organic chemistry courses. Resonance is a key building block for students' under...
Why Did the Snake Cross the Road?
By Milton T. Drott, Mark A. Sarvary
Although Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium is a fundamental part of introductory biology classes, students often have difficulty understanding its implications. This interrupted case study places students in the role of small teams who are conducting prelim...
By Brynn F. Welch, Christine M. Fleet
This case study is centered on a real scenario from 2013 in which the Kickstarter fundraising platform included a fundraising proposal from a group wanting to use synthetic biology to make glowing plants. The proposal raised controversy because the G...
By Chaya Gopalan, William B. Kist
Hyper-IgM syndrome is an X-linked genetic disorder more commonly affecting males than females. It is caused by the lack of heavy chain class-switching from IgM to other isotypes. Patients with hyper-IgM syndrome are susceptible to a variety of infect...
By Helen S. Joyner
In this case study, students are asked to design a new refrigeration system for a company that stores produce. Students will need to consider various aspects of refrigeration system design, such as single- versus multi-stage, size, operating temperat...
By Qinxia Li, Xinyao Yang, Howsikan Kugathasan
This directed case study is designed for an intermediate algebra course, appropriate for high school mathematics and lower division college mathematics. The ideal class size for running the activity is generally between 16 and 20 students. The main o...
By Natalie G. Farny
In this clicker case, students are introduced to George, an undergraduate student who has been experiencing some odd symptoms. His roommate convinces him to see a physician who recognizes that George's symptoms are consistent with diabetes mellitus; ...
By Linda C. Fuselier
This case study is based on stories reported in the media and is used to examine biological and ethical dimensions of assisted reproductive technologies, specifically egg donation and gestational surrogacy. The case follows an Indian woman as s...
By Nadia Sellami, Julie A. Morris, Sheela Vemu
Lactose intolerance, caused by a lack of persistent lactase enzyme expression, is a trait commonly observed in adult humans, with varying geographic prevalence depending on dietary habits in different cultures. This case study follows a diverse group...
By Jessica L. Allen, Crystal E. Nyitray, Tejal A. Desai, Miquella G. Chavez
This case study applies problem-based learning to the field of biotechnology. Students assume the role of newly-hired bioengineers at a fictitious biotech company, Bio-Art. Students work individually to complete background research in the basic biolo...
By Ryan T. Neumann, Collin J. Quinn, Brittany A. Whitaker, Sean T. Woyton, Breanna N. Harris
In this interrupted case study, students pose as an intern of a neuromuscular/skeletal specialist and discover how sarin and myasthenia gravis influence muscle function. Students are given background information about the patients and their situation...
By Amanda J. Chunco, Jennifer K. Uno
This case study focuses on the relationship between the microbiome (the suite of species that live in or on the human body) and autoimmune and allergic diseases. At the center of the case is Amelia, a young woman living with Crohn's disease. As the c...
By Philip J. Stephens
In many physiology classes the frog neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is presented as the classic example of a chemical synapse, but many synapses show properties that are different. For example, in many chemical synapses there is a protein transporter in...
By Breanna N. Harris
In this interrupted case study, students shadow an endocrinologist as she tries to determine what is wrong with Angela Barber. Angela is a middle-aged woman presenting with symptoms suggestive of a thyroid issue. Students are given background informa...
It’s a Crocodile! No, a Fish! No, a Dolphin!
By Andrea Bixler
It is not uncommon to hear creationists argue that evolution is not science because no one saw it happen, or for students to wonder how we can know anything about the physiology or behavior of organisms that went extinct hundreds of millions of years...
By Thomas A. Davis
To what extent should corn be used for the production of ethanol? Are we better off producing corn for food or producing corn for fuel? This case study uses a technique called "intimate debate" (also known as "constructive controversy") in order to e...
By Rebecca K. Wilson
This case study is targeted to the middle school science student and written especially with female students in mind. Using an interdisciplinary approach, it combines content from physical science and areas of biology (bacteriology, pathology) to tel...
By Charlie W. Zhao, Jasper C.H. Wong, Tom L. Haffie (rr)
This case study was originally developed for undergraduate science students as part of an extracurricular competition, but it could also be delivered as a directed case. Accordingly two versions of the activity are included. Each version requires stu...