The Concept, Design, Implementation, and Assessment of Case-Based Learning in an Information Literacy Class

Abstract

Case-Based Learning (CBL) is a popular and successful teaching method used for a long time in disciplines such as medicine, business, law, and computer science. In the past decade, there has been a trend to introduce CBL into library instructions as an active teaching approach in the field of library and information science. Although a few studies have been conducted to investigate the advantages of this teaching technique in the library and information science literature, there remains a substantial absence of first-hand instructional experiences and observations from academic librarians who are actively teaching information literacy. This article presents a personal account of the concept, design, implementation, and assessment of CBL in an information literacy classroom. It discusses the advantages and limitations of CBL, offers suggestions for the future, and points out potential concerns related to the evaluation of workload, librarians’ responsibilities, and the workplace culture. Based on experiences and assessments of CBL classes, the article outlines foreseeable challenges for teaching librarians planning to implement CBL program in information literacy education.