Study on public health teaching case writing

Abstract

Case-based teaching is an important educational method, which focuses on cultivating problem-solving capacities of students. It was first applied at Harvard Law School, and is now widely used across various schools. Through analyzing Harvard public health cases, we summarized the case structures and the unique writing characteristics within each type of the case structure. Harvard public health cases can be categorized into: problem discussions, story narration and negotiation simulations. Problem discussion illustrates various background information and focus on problem-solving; story narration depicts dialogues between different characters, demonstrating characters’positions and major debates; negotiation simulation describes the process of a meeting or a conference, inviting students to role play parties in the negotiation. Generally, Harvard public health cases select a wide range of issues in different public health domains, with an emphasis on multi-disciplinary approach. The cases depict events in an attractive and lively way, which easily stimulate students’study potentials. Key words: Harvard university; Public health; Case-based teaching; Case writing