The purpose of this assessment is to engage students in a collaborative, case-based learning experience that strengthens diagnostic reasoning, communication, and evidence-based decision-making in an allied health track microbiology course. In this activity, students work in simulated healthcare teams to diagnose a patient case while navigating realistic constraints, including a limited budget, timed decision-making, and the need to justify each selected task or test to an attending provider.
The assessment is designed to help students move beyond memorization and instead apply information learned in a microbiology course in an authentic, simulated high-stakes context that mirrors the kinds of reasoning and communication expected in healthcare professions. By requiring students to interpret emerging evidence, revise their thinking, and defend their choices as a team, the activity promotes critical thinking and reinforces the importance of collaboration in professional settings.
This approach also supports the development of confidence in students’ ability to communicate with peers, explain their reasoning clearly, and make informed decisions based on data rather than assumptions. Because students must work with randomly assigned group members and take turns speaking for the team, the activity promotes broad participation while emphasizing the value of multiple perspectives in solving complex clinical problems. Ultimately, the assessment provides students with meaningful practice in applying course content to realistic scenarios while preparing them for the collaborative, evidence-driven environments they may encounter in future healthcare programs and careers.
The necessity for this assessment emerged from a need to better prepare students for the communication and reasoning demands they will encounter in healthcare-related fields. In BIO205 Microbiology, many students are pursuing or planning to pursue careers in nursing and other allied health professions, where effective communication with patients and colleagues is essential. Nursing faculty at our college had previously expressed concern that students were not consistently communicating effectively early in the nursing program. Because communication in healthcare often occurs in high-stakes environments where decisions must be made based on evidence, it became increasingly important to create an activity that would allow students to practice these skills before entering professional programs.
Traditional classroom and laboratory activities can support content knowledge, but they do not always provide students with sufficient opportunities to apply that knowledge collaboratively in a realistic setting. Individual “minicases” completed throughout the semester offer students valuable practice with microbiological research, but they do not fully replicate the interpersonal, time-sensitive, and team-based decision-making that often accompanies real clinical work. This assessment was developed to complement those individual activities by introducing a more complex, interactive experience that requires students to work through ambiguity, justify choices, and respond to new information as it becomes available.
The healthcare team case activity places students in randomly assigned groups and asks them to diagnose a patient using a limited budget and a selection of available tests and tasks. This structure requires students to collaborate with peers they do not normally work with, communicate clearly as they explain their rationale, and engage in evidence-based reasoning as they revise their plan in response to diagnostic results. In contrast to more passive or instructor-led approaches, this model positions students as active participants in the diagnostic process and encourages them to think critically about both scientific evidence and practical limitations such as cost.
This assessment helps students develop transferable skills that are valuable across healthcare and STEM disciplines. The ability to communicate effectively within a team, evaluate evidence, remain flexible when initial assumptions are challenged, and arrive at a well-supported conclusion is essential not only in microbiology, but also in clinical, laboratory, and interdisciplinary professional environments. By creating an engaging and authentic scenario in which all students are expected to contribute, this activity strengthens both conceptual understanding and the collaborative habits necessary for success in future academic and professional settings.
This activity has been used each semester since Fall ’23 and takes place during the last week of our BIO205 Microbiology course; it is completed during a single lab period. Students are placed into randomly assigned groups of four and are introduced to a clinical case in which they serve as members of a simulated healthcare team responsible for diagnosing a patient’s condition. Each group is provided with their case’s chief complaint, a list of available tasks and diagnostic tests with associated costs, and a budget of $300. Their responsibility is to determine how best to use the available resources to gather evidence, interpret results, and reach an accurate diagnosis.
To begin, students spend approximately 15 minutes strategizing with their team to create an initial diagnostic plan. During this time, they must consider how to use their budget efficiently, which tests or tasks are most likely to provide meaningful information, and how to remain flexible if early evidence suggests a need to change direction. Students present this outline to the instructor for review before they begin ordering tests. This step encourages thoughtful planning while also reinforcing the importance of anticipating multiple possibilities and a need for flexibility in a clinical setting.
As the activity progresses, groups submit tasks and tests one at a time to an attending provider, who is played by the instructor and faculty volunteers. Results are released in response to the students’ decisions and timing, allowing the case to unfold dynamically as the teams work through it. A required waiting period between test orders loosely simulates the pacing of real diagnostic work and prevents students from rushing through the activity without reflection. Each time a group orders a test or task, they must explain their reasoning to an attending provider. A different student is required to provide this explanation each time, ensuring that every member of the team speaks and remains engaged in the group’s thinking.
Additional support is provided during the activity by tutors from the EMCC Academic Success Center, especially those who are currently enrolled in allied health programs. Their presence gives students the opportunity to interact with peers who are already participating in professional programs and helps strengthen the connection between microbiology coursework and future healthcare pathways. Students are encouraged to use course materials, notes, journals, and online resources as they justify their choices and interpret the evidence they receive.
At the end of the activity, each group completes a final report form documenting the process they used, the evidence they gathered, and the conclusions they reached. In this report, students explain their final diagnosis and identify the specific pieces of evidence that supported their conclusion. Students are assessed on both the accuracy of their diagnostic reasoning and their participation within the group. Over time, the activity has expanded to include multiple cases so that different groups can work through different patient scenarios, increasing the depth, replay value, and adaptability of the practice.
The healthcare team case activity has produced valuable results over the four semesters in which it has been implemented. These results are based on instructor observation, student performance during the activity, and student feedback gathered through course surveys. The key outcomes are as follows:
Increased Engagement:
The activity has consistently resulted in full participation, with 100% student engagement observed during implementation. Students remain on task, are highly motivated to solve their case, and demonstrate strong investment in reaching the correct diagnosis. Although students contribute in different ways depending on their personalities and strengths, all students participate meaningfully because the structure of the activity requires shared responsibility, rotating speaking roles, and collaborative decision-making. The result is an energetic, focused classroom environment in which students are actively working toward a common goal.
Enhanced Diagnostic Reasoning and Critical Thinking:
The case-based structure requires students to move beyond recall and instead engage in evidence-based reasoning. Groups must identify what information is missing, determine which tests are likely to yield useful evidence, interpret results, and revise their thinking when new data emerges. One of the most notable outcomes is that students frequently adjust their plans based on newly acquired evidence, demonstrating intellectual flexibility and a growing ability to reason through uncertainty. A common challenge students face is the tendency to rely too heavily on initial superficial evidence or early observations rather than gathering the required, additional evidence. However, this tendency becomes an important learning opportunity, as the activity highlights the necessity of supporting conclusions with sufficient data rather than assumptions alone. For some students, it also highlights the limitations of internet research and AI usage when working to address complex, real-world situations.
Student survey responses further indicate that the course experience, including activities such as the healthcare team case, contributed to increased confidence in applying microbiological knowledge in critical-thinking contexts. Across 99 student survey responses, nearly 79.8% of students expressed greater confidence after completing BIO205, while only 6.1% did not indicate increased confidence. In addition, approximately 63.6% of student responses included a positive reference to real-world application or practical relevance, suggesting that many students perceived clear connections between course concepts and professional or everyday contexts. These findings support the conclusion that students are not only engaging with the content, but also developing confidence in their ability to use that knowledge meaningfully.
Students shared the following reflections in these surveys:
- “I think the course allowed me to think outside the box in order to apply it to real world scenarios. Because of this, I do feel more confident in my ability to think through challenges.”
- “I really felt pushed to think critically about what we covered in this microbiology class and how to use it in real life. The different assignments and lab work made me focus on understanding concepts instead of just memorizing stuff. This way of learning helped me grasp how microbiology applies to everyday things, like public health and environmental issues.”
- “Yes, I think the practice we did in class definitely helped in my thinking skills. It was super helpful when it came to difficult questions and I always think of the info we learned in my everyday life.”
- “This course challenged me to use critical thinking and relate the material to real world scenarios. This made it easier to engage and made me more interested in mastering my understanding of the concepts being taught. I feel way more confident in my ability to think through challenging problems and concepts. I think if we got to do more case studies like the cat scratch disease one it would be more beneficial to practice our critical thinking and real world application of the material discussed.”
These comments suggest that students recognize the value of repeated practice applying course concepts to authentic scenarios and that this type of work contributes to their confidence in approaching complex problems.
Development of Communication Skills and Teamwork:
Because each test order must be justified verbally to the attending provider by a different group member, students are required to communicate clearly, remain informed about their team’s strategy, and support one another’s understanding throughout the case. This structure promotes accountability while also helping students practice the type of professional communication that is necessary in healthcare settings. Instructor observations indicate that the majority of groups collaborate effectively and demonstrate strong buy-in to working as a team. Students learn that diagnostic reasoning is not simply an individual cognitive task, but a shared process that depends on listening, discussion, and the ability to explain one’s rationale to colleagues. They also get exposure to minor disagreements throughout the exercise and see that these are not failures. Even though groups are not always in agreement, they ultimately reach a successful conclusion after discussion, reflection, and collaboration.
Thoughtful Consideration of Clinical Costs and Decision-Making:
The budget component adds a meaningful layer of realism to the activity and encourages students to think critically about resource use. Students are generally very thoughtful with their budget, weighing the value of each possible test against its cost and diagnostic utility. This simulation helps reinforce the idea that clinical decisions often involve not only scientific reasoning, but also practical considerations. As a result, students are prompted to think more strategically and to prioritize evidence that will most efficiently narrow the diagnostic possibilities.
Supportive and Authentic Participation:
The random assignment of students to groups, the requirement that all students speak, and the use of differentiated team roles contribute to a supportive learning environment in which all students are expected to contribute. Students have autonomy in determining how they will function as a team, allowing them to draw on different strengths while still maintaining shared accountability. This promotes a sense of belonging and ensures that participation is not dominated by only a few voices. In contrast to activities that may allow some students to remain passive, this structure creates a collaborative environment where each student has a visible and necessary role in the group’s success.
Comparison to Traditional and Individual Case-Based Practice:
This activity differs from more traditional approaches by requiring students to apply knowledge collaboratively in real time rather than simply recall information or complete an individual worksheet. It is also distinct from the minicase assignments students complete independently throughout the semester. While those individual cases are valuable for building foundational reasoning skills, the healthcare team case extends that work into a more authentic setting that requires communication, negotiation, and adaptive decision-making. As a result, the activity complements existing coursework while adding a level of complexity and realism that better reflects professional practice.
Broad and Deep Impact on Student Learning:
The activity’s greatest strength lies in its ability to synthesize microbiological content knowledge with the interpersonal and analytical skills students need in future healthcare settings. It gives students a chance to think like members of a healthcare team, engage with evidence under realistic constraints, and build confidence in their ability to justify decisions. As the activity continues to develop, it has the potential to generate even stronger evidence of student growth through a future pre- and post-assessment model focused on critical thinking and evidence-based decision-making. Based on repeated implementation, the healthcare team case appears to be a highly effective way to foster engagement, teamwork, and diagnostic reasoning in a community college microbiology course.
Described is the use of a team-based healthcare case activity in BIO205 Microbiology to strengthen student diagnostic reasoning, communication, collaboration, and evidence-based decision-making. Working in randomly assigned groups, students were tasked with diagnosing a patient case while operating within a fixed budget and justifying each selected task or test to a simulated attending provider. The activity required students to interpret emerging evidence, revise their plans, and submit a final diagnosis supported by specific findings. Across four semesters of implementation, the activity demonstrated consistently high engagement, with all students participating and most groups collaborating effectively throughout the lab period. Student feedback further suggests that this approach increased confidence in applying microbiological knowledge to challenging problems and helped students move beyond memorization toward deeper conceptual understanding; nearly 80% of surveyed students indicated increased confidence after completing this activity and others in the course, and 63.6% referenced real-world or practical application in their responses. The structure of this activity promoted authentic communication, strategic thinking, and careful consideration of clinical costs while reinforcing the importance of gathering sufficient evidence before reaching conclusions. By complementing individual minicase assignments completed throughout the semester, this collaborative diagnostic simulation helps students apply microbiological concepts in a realistic team setting and builds confidence in skills essential for future healthcare professions. The findings suggest that case-based, team-centered diagnostic activities can create highly engaging and student-centered learning environments that prepare students for the collaborative and evidence-driven nature of clinical practice.
| Attachment | Size |
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| An example case used in the activity. | 539.95 KB |