Authoring Shell for Case-Based Instruction

Cognitive Psychology research in the late twentieth century presented findings in the area of analogical reasoning, which could serve as a foundation for new pedagogical methods, especially case-based learning (CBL). Two things are needed to capitalize onanalogical thinking's impact on knowledge transfer in an advanced distributed learning environment: 1) an effective CBL platform which integrates analogical reasoning and 2) a scalable, rapid process of case content development by subject matter experts(SMEs).Medantic Technology (MT) proposes to leverage its considerable experience in the areas of instructional design, Web-based CBL, and case authoring to continue development and testing of the CBL system designed in Phase I under this SBIR topic. The caseauthoring system is intelligently assistive to non-tech-savvy SMEs and the integrated learning management system provides a dynamic, data-driven, and individualistic learning experience to student users. Phase II work will result in a production version,scientifically tested, and commercial-ready, set of case authoring tools and processes for SMEs to remotely develop libraries of cases that incorporate analogical reasoning concepts and methods. MT will then extend its proven commercialization strategy toinclude this software, coupled with core Disaster Medicine course content and effective learning platform, as an added commercial offering. This innovative set of learning tools will be embraced by healthcare providers in both federal and private sectors as the events of our era dictate an increasing need for rapid, effective disaster training. MT's award-winning technology has alreadypenetrated the multi-billion-dollar healthcare education market. The new product line resulting from Phase II efforts will only enhance existing products. By adding the ability of remote educators to edit existing case content and add new case content,courseware can be customized to meet local needs. The intelligent, intuitive, and distributed nature of the software will allow content developers, regardless of technical expertise, to create just-in-time, highly interactive multimedia teaching material,delivered over the Internet, as rapidly as educational needs change. Of special importance to the military is the ability to efficiently train personnel without the need for repetitive re-training. Incorporation of analogical reasoning as a new, morepowerful instructional method will make this new technology even more appealing as a way to promote deeper, more long-term knowledge retention with minimal time and effort required on the part of the student user.