Case Method

Complex learning aims at the integration of knowledge, skills, and attitudes; the coordination of qualitatively different constituent skills; and the transfer of what is learned to daily life or work settings. Recent instructional theories stress authentic learning tasks as the driving force for learning; but due to the complexity of those tasks, learning may be hampered by the limited processing capacity of the human mind. In this article we present a framework for scaffolding practice and just-in-time information presentation, aiming to control cognitive ...

The review focuses on the methods currently available for estimating muscle fibre conduction velocity (CV) from surface electromyographic (EMG) signals. The basic concepts behind the issue of estimating CV from EMG signals are discussed. As the action potentials detected at the skin surface along the muscle fibres are, in practice, not equal in shape, the estimation of the delay of

Narration, or storytelling, is an important aspect of language. Narrative skills have academic and social importance. This study evaluated the effects of a narrative intervention on story retelling and personal story generation skills of preschoolers with risk factors and narrative language delays. Narrative intervention was delivered in a small group arrangement, and materials, activities, and assistance were systematically adjusted within sessions to facilitate increasingly independent practice of oral narration. Participants were 5 preschoolers enrolled in a Head Start classroom who performed below average on two narrative language tasks. Participants made substantial gains in narrative retelling, demonstrated improved preintervention to postintervention scores for personal story generations, and maintained improvements when assessed following a 2-week break. These results have several implications for practice, including narrative intervention’s versatility with a range of child...

Paper presented at a regional conference covering course design, discussion and participant-centered learning, setting performance objectives, material sequencing, class preparation, good class ingredients, questioning/listening/responding, and the non-question process.

The thesis is that Civil Procedure teachers should give more attention to the subject's landmark cases. Law teachers' common sense and cognitive scientists' schema theory lend support to that thesis. The pedagogic implications of that thesis call for an enriched case method, the essence of which is teaching a slightly smaller number of cases and pausing on the key ones, thoroughly examining them in a rich context. The optimal sources of that context are written case studies, assigned as intermittent supplementation.

While the methods of instructing American law students have changed over the course of two-hundred years, the primary purpose of American law schools has stayed the same: providing the necessary education for enabling students to effectively practice law. Additionally, legal education should achieve three goals: to provide students a way to learn, organize, and apply the law. Forms of legal education take various forms, each having advocates and opponents. Casebooks—often accompanied by the Socratic method—provide an effective way for students to learn the law through historical rules and decisions, while treatises add organization to a body of law’s relationships among applications. A critique of the casebook method is that the student is presented with a presumably correct adjudication of a legal issue from the start. In response to this critique, problem books were developed to give students the opportunity to practice their developing legal skills by confronting hypothetical legal problems. From these three methods, a host of new variations have developed, which include but are not limited to: canned briefs; commercial outlines; and supplements like the Computer Assisted Legal Instruction (“CALI”) system. These variations present new opportunities for students to seek help outside of the classroom, though they are sometimes in conflict with a professor’s pedagogical design. In-class variations also exist, as many professors have begun to embrace new teaching methods such as team activities and client counseling based role-playing. Even though lecture halls have changed much, educational goals have not. Instructional education and training may still be achieved, despite the methods employed, if professors are active in guiding students in the right direction by synthesizing the three goals of legal education.

Introduction: The quality of care in patient's view lacks the optimal and desired level in hospital wards with respect to psychosocial dimension. Moreover, there is a direct relationship between the methods of the division labor of nurses and the quality of patient care.

It is estimated that autism spectrum disorders (ASD) affect 1 in 500 live births per year. However, due to varying techniques for diagnosis and treatment, the disability remains the subject of debate. African Americans tend to suffer disproportionate rates of disability and disease when compared to other racial and ethnic groups due to access to preventative and curative care. However, evidence demonstrates that although rates of diagnosis for autism occur at the same rates in all racial groups, diagnosis in African American children occurs later than in White children. As a result, African American children may require longer and more intensive intervention. This article examines the etiology of autism, diagnosis, and treatment strategies and its impact on African American families. A case method approach is utilized to describe the impact of autism on an African American family. Implications for future research and professional practice and policy are discussed. Understanding autism is important as it relates to the human genome.

Intrabiliary rupture (IBR) is a common and serious complication of hepatic hydatid cyst. The incidence varies from 1% to 25%. The treatment of IBR is still controversial. We aimed to design an algorithm for the treatment of hepatic hydatidosis with IBR by reviewing our cases. Eight cases of IBR were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were evaluated according to age, sex, clinical findings, cyst number and stage, abdominal ultrasonography and CT-scan, surgical methods, complications, results and coincidental diseases. Female/male ratio was 1/7. Mean age was 52.12+/-18.26 years (range 24-69 years). Right upper quadrant pain, flatulence, palpable hepatic mass were symptoms common in all patients. Cholestatic jaundice was found in four cases. In all patients, cyst evacuation and omentoplasty were performed, followed by either choledochoduodenostomy, T-tube drainage, intracavitary suturing of the orifice, two cases in each. Whereas in two patients diagnosed post-operatively percutaneous ...

Laryngotracheal trauma is a rare but clinically important injury. Complications are frequent. Early recognition, accurate evaluation and proper treatment is vital. In order to learn from our past experience and refine our management, we reviewed our cases Fifteen patients with external laryngotracheal injuries were analyzed retrospectively. The outcome was assessed both in terms of voice and airway, on short term and long term basis. Commonest cause of injury was cut throat injuries followed by road traffic accidents. The main presenting symptoms and signs were hoarseness, haemoptysis, odynophagia and stridor. Major laryngeal injuries (10 cases) outnumbered minor injuries (5 cases). A good association exists between the symptoms of haemoptysis and stridor at presentation and severity of the injury. Sites of laryngeal injury included; thyroid cartilage, mixed soft tissue and cartilaginous injuries, thyrohyoid membrane, aryepiglottic fold and cricothyroid membrane. Ten patients presen...

Purpose: To describe the clinical features of complicated retinal detachment secondary to acute retinal necrosis (ARN) and to present the long-term results of vitreous surgery in these cases. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 16 immunocompetent patients (18 eyes). The average follow-up period was 60 months. Results: Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) grade C, with the predominance of anterior PVR, and

Information on prevalence of genital Chlamydia trachomatis in young men attending Australian general practices is scarce. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of chlamydia in this group; establish behaviours associated with infection, and evaluate general practitioner follow up of positive cases. Sexually active men (aged 15-29 years) attending 10 general practices in Perth, Western Australia, were tested for chlamydia and completed a self report questionnaire concerning sexual practices and symptoms. Prevalence of chlamydia was 3.7% (95% CI: 2-6%, n=14/383). High rates of risky sexual practices were observed in both chlamydia positive and negative participants. The association between chlamydia status and risky sexual practices however, was not statistically significant. Treatment and notification of positive cases were usually undertaken, but GPs did not always check that patients had contacted sexual partners. We found little relationship between reported sexual behaviour and chla...

Background: Biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) by Scopinaro's method is an operation advocated by some surgeons as an effective treatment for morbid obesity. Methods: Between February 1995 and April 1997 we performed BPD by Scopinaro's method on 50 patients with morbid obesity (23 males), average age 41.4 years (range 20-63 years), average body weight 135.08 kg (range 89-256 kg), mean body mass index (BMI) 50.65 kg/m2 (range 37.01-81.56 kg/m2). Results: In all cases a gradual decrease in weight was obtained [mean BMI at 1 month: 44.8 kg/m2, at 6 months (31 patients): 35.09 kg/m2, at 1 year (23 patients): 31.36 kg/m2, at 18 months (14 patients): 29.89 kg/m2 and at 2 years (5 patients): 29.27 kg/m2]. At the same time a significant improvement in the pathological conditions associated with morbid obesity was observed. The patients were able to suspend oral antihypertensive and antidiabetic therapy as these parameters spontaneously returned to normal values by the sixth postoperative month; all cases showed a marked reduction in hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia. Postoperative complications were: one death (2%) on the third day due to heart failure; two late intestinal occlusions (4%); one acute dilatation of the stomach (2%); one peritonitis caused by early dehiscence of the anastomosis (2%); five anastomotic ulcers (10%); two cases of protein malnutrition (4%). Conclusions: BPD by Scopinaro's method is a bariatric procedure which is technically complex. However is it safe and reproducible and it induces a substantial weight loss.

Background Recently there is a growing concern about stress during undergraduate medical training. However, studies about the same are lacking from Pakistani medical schools. The objectives of our study were to assess perceived stress, sources of stress and their severity and to assess the determinants of stressed cases. Methods A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was carried out among undergraduate medical students of CMH Lahore Medical College, Pakistan during January to March 2009. Perceived stress was assessed using the perceived stress scale. A 33-item questionnaire was used to assess sources of stress and their severity. Results The overall response rate was 80.5% (161 out of 200 students). The overall mean perceived stress was 30.84 (SD = 7.01) and was significantly higher among female students. By logistic regression analysis, stressed cases were associated with occurrence of psychosocial (OR 5.01, 95% CI 2.44-10.29) and academic related stressors (OR 3.17 95% CI 1.52-6.68). The most common sources of stress were related to academic and psychosocial concerns. 'High parental expectations', 'frequency of examinations', 'vastness of academic curriculum', 'sleeping difficulties', 'worrying about the future', 'loneliness', 'becoming a doctor', 'performance in periodic examinations' were the most frequently and severely occurring sources of stress. There was a negative but insignificant correlation between perceived stress and academic performance (r = - 0.099, p > 0.05). Conclusion A higher level of perceived stress was reported by the students. The main stressors were related to academic and psychosocial domains. Further studies are required to test the association between stressed cases and gender, academic stressors and psychosocial stressors.