Case Study Implementation Guide

There are nine water-soluble vitamins and four fat-soluble vitamins.  Learning and retaining the details of each vitamin is often a challenge for students, as they share a lot of similarities in properties and functions. Various brief case study scenarios related to fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamin deficiencies are presented with associated questions.  These case studies are intended to be carried out in the classroom after students learn about the vitamins.  The scenarios challenge students to apply their learned knowledge to discern some of the differences between the vitamins, to diagnose nutritional deficiencies in patients.

The cases would be appropriate for use in undergraduate courses in nutrition and nutritional science.  The cases could also be modified for use in human anatomy and physiology or general biology, depending on the angle and depth of coverage of relevant concepts.  Prior to the use of these cases, students should have covered the topics of fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins, including physical properties, biochemical mechanisms in which they're involved, food sources, dietary recommendations, consequences of deficiency and/or toxicity.

Upon successful completion of the case studies, students will:

The case studies on fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins are intended to challenge students to analyze scenarios, discuss collaboratively with peers, synthesize information, and apply learned knowledge for broader understanding.  

Upon successful completion of these case studies, students will: 

• Identify the fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins
• Understand the biochemical and physiological roles that fat-soluble vitamins play in the body
• Understand the biochemical and physiological roles that water-soluble vitamins play in the body
• Understand the effects of deficiencies and/or toxicities of fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins
• Interpret patient symptoms to diagnose a disorder

The Nutritional Science class at Millersville University for which these cases were developed uses various active learning strategies each week.  Students are first exposed to new content in a lecture-based format with supplemental videos and readings outside of class, when relevant.  Case studies are used at least one day per week from the first week of the course, so students have time to become familiar with the format and expectations.  The instructor provides active support to students as they work through the scenarios.  The case study learning activities are not graded, but serve as guided practice for the types of questions students can expect on their exams.  Furthermore, students are expected to write their own case studies during the last few weeks of the course, so the instructor-guided scenarios help students become acclimated to case studies and inform their own writing.

During two class periods, students will learn about the fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins. The face-to-face time in the classroom that is then dedicated to case studies involves students completing the activities in small groups of 3-5 students, depending on the course roster size and space limitations. Students are directed to move their chairs and desks, break into small groups, and read through the scenarios individually before discussing and answering the questions as a group. Students are directed to refer to their notes and slides while completing the case study. If a case study includes information about something not covered in class, students are able to use the internet as a supplement. Students are strongly encouraged to interact with one another and the instructor as they work through the case. Ideally, everyone in a group is contributing to a discussion about each question associated with the case study. Once all groups have completed the questions, the scenarios are then reviewed as a whole class, either at the end of the class period or at the start of the following period. During that review, students participate in a whole class discussion and the instructor guides students with additional questions and further details to deepen understanding of the concepts. The instructor uses this time to highlight any main points that need to be emphasized.

The cases are brief, as they were originally intended for small group discussion in a 50-minute class of approximately 24 students.  However, the cases have been successfully implemented in larger class sizes.  They have also been taught in a 75-minute format, which allows for a whole class review to be included in the same class period.  The cases would also be applicable for individual students to complete, as has been executed in an asynchronous online version of the course.  Cases could be used as ungraded or graded activities, though are ultimately designed to allow students to integrate information in a collaborative manner.