ArticleCBE life sciences education2020
Value of Case-Based Learning within STEM Courses: Is It the Method or Is It the Student?
Article in CBE life sciences education, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The effectiveness of problem-based learning compared with lecture-based learning in surgical education: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC medical education · 2023Pooled it
- AI wrote the case…but students made it accurate: a new approach to case study assignments.Journal of microbiology & biology education · 2026Article
- Environmental load in biology classrooms: attention, technology, and cognitive access in science education.Journal of microbiology & biology education · 2026Article
- The application of problem-based learning (PBL) guided by ChatGPT in clinical education in the Department of Nephrology.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Integrated Case-Based Learning Session for Breast and Upper Limb Anatomy.MedEdPORTAL : the journal of teaching and learning resources · 2024Article
- Reading Primary Scientific Literature: Approaches for Teaching Students in the Undergraduate STEM Classroom.CBE life sciences education · 2023Review
- Comparison of case-based learning combined with Rain Classroom teaching and traditional method in complete denture course for undergraduate interns.BMC medical education · 2022Article
- The Value of CBL-Based Teaching Mode in Training Medical Students' Achievement Rate, Practical Ability, and Psychological Quality.Contrast media & molecular imaging · 2022Article
- Application of online case-based learning in the teaching of clinical anesthesia for residents during the COVID-19 epidemic.BMC medical education · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Undergraduate attrition from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is well documented and generally intensifies during intermediate years of college. Many contributing factors exist; however, a mismatch between timing of certain pedagogical approaches, such as case-based learning, and the level of students' cognitive abilities plays a crucial role. Using cognitive load theory as a foundation, we examined relationships between case-based learning versus a traditional lecture and learning gains of undergraduates within an intermediate physiology course. We hypothesized instruction via a case study would provide greater learning benefits over a traditional lecture, with gains possibly tempered by student characteristics like academic preparation, as measured by ACT scores, and academic age, as measured by credit hours completed. Results were surprising. Case-based learning did not guarantee improved learning gains compared with a traditional lecture for all equally. Students with lower ACT scores or fewer credit hours completed had lower learning gains with a case study compared with a traditional lecture. As suggested by cognitive load theory, the amount of extraneous load potentially presented by case-based learning might overwhelm the cognitive abilities of inexperienced students.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.