Case Application Suite: Promoting Collaborative Case Application in Learning By Design Classrooms

摘要

Transfer means extending what has been learned in one context to new contexts. This paper addresses the application part of transfer. For novice problem solvers, applying cases can be a difficult task. Case based Reasoning (Kolodner, 1993: Schank, 1982) makes some suggestions for promoting good case application. Learning By Design~(TM)(LBD) (Kolodner et al., 1998) builds on case-based reasoning and constructivist approaches to learning is well as classroom practices from problem based learning and communities of learners, to support both collaborative learning and learning from hands-on activities (Kolodner & Nagel, 1999). The software component to LBD, SMILE Supportive Multi-User Interactive Learning Environment), was designed to promote the kinds of reflection that case-based reasoning suggests are needed to learn from experience. Among other tools, SMILE consisted of a Case Authoring Tool, whose role was to scaffold student's reading of an expert case such that they could write it up to present to the rest of the class. Although this tool did approach students' understanding of'an expert case, it did not approach students' application of that case to their challenge. This paper reports on the Case Application Tool Suite (CATS), which supports four stages of case application ― case interpretation, matching, solution application, and solution assessment. This tool suite builds on our experiences with scaffolding design discussions (with the Design Discussion Area (DDA)) and scaffolds both case application and collaborative learning in a project-based environment.