Integrating Case Studies into the Biomedical Engineering Design Experience

Integrating Case Studies into the Biomedical Engineering Design Experience

Grant:
Faculty Development Fund (FDF)
Academic Year:
2012 - 2013 (June 1, 2012 through May 31, 2013)
Funding Requested:
$5,850.00
Project Dates:
-
Applicant(s):
jpsteg
Overview of the Project:
The goal of this project is to enhance the design experience in biomedical engineering (BME) by integrating relevant and field-specific case studies into existing design courses. Two related approaches will be used: i) incorporation of existing publically- and commercially-available case studies into the BME curriculum, and ii) development of new cases studies that are tailored specifically for BME students. Case studies will be implemented first in the Graduate Innovative Design in Biomedical Engineering class (BME 599.002/004) and subsequently in the undergraduate capstone Biomedical Engineering Design classes (BME 450/451/452). It is well established that the case method enhances student skills in critical thinking, reasoning, and problem solving. Case teaching also creates a dynamic, interactive, and student-centered learning environment. This project therefore promises to directly address key priorities of the FDF program by implementing an innovative teaching methodology and tailoring it to the specific needs of engineering students.
Final Report Fields
Project Objectives:

The primary goal of this project was to incorporate relevant and appropriate aspects of case teaching into the undergraduate capstone and graduate design experiences in the Dept. of Biomedical Engineering (BME). It is well established that the case method can augment student learning in important ways. In particular, cases can be more effective than other teaching approaches in integrating theory and practice, building tolerance for open ended problems, and developing critical thinking skills. This project proposed two main objectives: i) find and evaluate existing case studies that are relevant and appropriate for BME students and select at least two of these for use in the existing BME Design curriculum, and ii) perform original research and compile the findings for new case studies that are directly targeted at the BME student population.

Project Achievements:

This project successfully incorporated case studies of relevance to biomedical engineers into the BME Design curriculum. The case studies chosen were “Circle Gastroenterology” and “Aspect Medical Systems”, both purchased through the Harvard Business Review case database. Each of these cases provides an overview of the medical device industry and as well as the general medical product development process (including regulatory and reimbursement path). The Circle Gastroenterology case focuses on the business model under which medical devices are developed, and encourages students to think more broadly about how marketing issues interface with product design decisions. The Aspect Medical Systems case deals with issues of clinician acceptance of new devices and strategies to increase adoption. Both cases were implemented in the existing Graduate Innovative Design in Biomedical Engineering class, which is a two-semester advanced design-build-test experience. Student feedback on the use of case studies to reinforce class content and think critically about product design decisions was very positive, and the discussion sessions were successful in engaging students. The students enjoyed the interactive format, though the timing of when the case was introduced (early or late in the course) affected the learning outcomes (see Advice to Colleagues, below). This project also included the vetting of a large panel of potential case studies from a variety of commercial and academic sources, and a list of cases relevant to BME Design is being compiled. The project has also allowed the gathering of information on a custom case in the area of cell-based therapies, which is being developed into a case study for several existing courses in the area of regenerative medicine. This new case is to be run for the first time in an MS-level course, and will then be refined for broader use.

Continuation:
Case studies will continue to be used in Graduate Innovative Design, and in future it is expected that case teaching will be expanded to undergraduate-level design courses. Implementation in the undergraduate curriculum was not practical in the timeframe of this project because the class schedule is very full. We hope to expand the number of BME Design courses with case content, so that undergraduates will also have exposure to this teaching mode. Importantly, this project has been part of further discussions on a broader international collaboration in BME Design and Medical Technology with the University of Tübingen, Germany. Prof. Stegemann is currently on a research sabbatical in Tübingen and has initiated discussions on creating interactions between the MS track in Medical Product Development at UM with the Medical Technology Master’s Program at the U. Tübingen. It is expected that these efforts will lead to an Internationalizing the Curriculum (ITC) grant application to CRLT, which will include a component of case teaching in biomedical engineering.
Dissemination:
The cases explored in this project are now part of the curriculum in the Graduate Innovative Design in Biomedical Engineering course, and will be used by future instructors. In addition, this project allowed vetting of cases from several commercial and academic databases, and several were identified for possible use in biomedical engineering classes. An active list of relevant cases will be maintained and used by instructors in the BME Design curriculum. In addition, a new case study on the application of cell-based therapies is being developed and will be piloted in the MS in Medical Technology program at the U. of Tübingen in June 2015. This new case will be made broadly available through the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science (NCCSTS, http://sciencecases.lib.buffalo.edu/cs/). In addition, Prof. Stegemann has contributed an article titled “Case Studies as a Mechanism to Teach Biomaterials Science” in the Biomaterials Forum, a quarterly newsletter published by the Society for Biomaterials.
Advice to your Colleagues:
Case teaching can be very effective, but the instructor needs to be careful about selecting cases that convey relevant and properly-targeted content. The aim of this project was to find and implement cases suitable for senior undergraduate and beginning graduate students. Most commercially-available cases are not written for this audience and therefore judicious review of cases and their learning objectives is necessary. The cases chosen for the implementation of this project worked well, but the instructor was important for framing the case in the context of the course, and in guiding the discussion session to ensure the students could engage. The timing of when the case was offered was also important. In the first iteration, the case study was integrated at the beginning of the first term, while the following year the same case was integrated at the end of the second term. Both sessions were successful, but by the end of the second term the students had a much better grasp of the overall medical product development process, and therefore the learning outcomes were different. The instructor needs to decide on what content is to be the focus of the case study, based on the level of the class, and choose both the case and the content emphasis accordingly. CRLT has offered workshops on case study teaching, which provide guidance from peers on how to incorporate case teaching into a variety of course types.
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