Decades of research have demonstrated that student retention, engagement, and learning are enhanced through implementation of active learning strategies in the classroom. There are an increasing number of studies that have tested various active learning interventions in atmospheric science courses, but little data exists on the implementation of active learning across all courses or classrooms, which has already been systematically explored in other STEM disciplines. Handlos et al. (2022) represents the only multi-institutional evaluation of classroom practices in the field of atmospheric science. One of their key results was that the instructional strategy of case studies was used by a majority of participants at all course levels, though the degree to which they were implemented in an active manner was unclear.

Accordingly, the goal of this study is to characterize the spectrum of pedagogical considerations and approaches used to implement case studies across undergraduate atmospheric science courses. To understand case study implementation in classrooms, atmospheric science instructors across the U.S. were invited to participate in an online survey. The survey asked instructors to provide information on courses in which case studies are used as an instructional strategy. Specifically, the survey asked about characteristics such as specific courses in which they are used, frequency of use, length of time spent in class or lab, expected learning outcomes or student skills, and classroom implementation approach, including the role of instructor versus students. This presentation will provide an overview of case study use across the undergraduate atmospheric science curriculum, including types of activities that leverage case studies as well as inferences regarding active versus passive instructional methods. Comparisons among lower-level versus lower-level courses will be shown, as well as sensitivities to instructor and institutional demographics. Information regarding instructor motivations and intended outcomes will also be described as context for the survey results.