Term-Long Case Report
Daniel DeBonis
New York City College of Technology
PSY 1101
Activity Description: Provide a brief description of the activity
A case study is an in-depth, detailed investigation into a single person, small group, or specific event. Choose ONE of the following options:
1. Create a FICTIONAL person and tell me a bit about them — their age, where they are from, what some of their family and friends are like, and what their general vibe is.
2. Find a small group (3–10 people) from history that you find interesting. Tell me a bit about the group members and what this group does. This group can be anything: a music group, a small sports team, a cult, etc.
3. Choose a specific event from history and tell me about the event. What happened? Who was involved? Who was impacted? Is this event seen as positive, negative, or are there shades of gray? Examples include: the COVID-19 pandemic, a music festival, the Great Depression, Woodstock, etc.
Each week of the term, students will apply the concept discussed in that week's chapter to their topic of choice. At the end of the term, the students will combine the writings from each week to create one, comprehensive case study.
Learning Goals: What do you aim to achieve with this activity?
Creative Thinking. By tying the case study to a topic that the student finds interesting, my hope is that creativity can take center stage. Half of the assignments are informal, allowing students to use their voice in connecting their topic with course content.
Timing: At what point in the lesson or semester do you use this activity? How much classroom time do you devote to it? How much out-of-class time is expected?
This project spans the entire semester and 1-3 hours each week will likely be dedicated to this project outside of class.
Logistics: What preparation is needed for this activity? What instructions do you give students? Is the activity low-stakes, high-stakes, or something else?
Each weekly writing assignment is worth 6% of their total grade, and the final case study is worth 16%. This makes each assignment low-stakes, while allowing room for experimentation and creativity. The final case study is ultimately the high-stakes assignment. Each week, detailed instructions are given regarding what is to be written and the style in which to do so.
Assessment: How do you assess this activity? What assessment measures do you use? Do you use a VALUE rubric? If not, how did you develop your rubric? Is your course part of the college-wide general education assessment initiative?
Each activity is graded on a rubric, with 2 points being dedicated to quality of course information, 2 points being dedicated to the intersection of course information and the student's topic, and 2 points dedicated to meeting the requirements of the assignment (word count, formatting, etc.). The specifics of this vary from assignment to assignment, and each has it's own specific rubric.
Reflection: How well did this activity work in your classroom? Would you repeat it? Why or why not? What challenges did you encounter, and how did you address them? What, if anything, would you change? What did students seem to enjoy about the activity?
I didn't implement this activity in Spring 2026, but spent the term preparing it. I look forward to implementing it in the Fall 2026. The main challenge I predict is student's relating the prompts to their specific topic. My plan to remedy this challenge is through open and frequent communication. My hope is that students enjoy the creative and iterative nature of the activity.
Additional Information: Please share any additional comments and further documentation of the activity – e.g. assignment instructions, rubrics, examples of student work, etc. These can be links to pages or posts on the OpenLab.
Final Case Study Assignment Prompt:
Write a 6–10 page case study on the subject you have been investigating all term. Your paper should be organized as follows:
Introduction: Briefly introduce your subject and explain why it is worth studying. (Revised and expanded from Week 1)
Background & Context: Developmental, historical, and situational context. (Drawing from Weeks 8, 9)
Biological Factors: Neurological, genetic, and physiological dimensions. (From Week 3)
Psychological Factors: Learning, cognition, memory, emotion, motivation, and personality. (From Weeks 5, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Social & Environmental Influences: Social psychology, organizational context, and health. (From Weeks 11, 12, 13)
Clinical Picture: Psychological disorders, DSM-5 criteria, and diagnostic considerations. (From Week 14)
Treatment & Interventions: What evidence-based treatments or interventions are relevant? What would you recommend, and why?
Conclusion: What did you learn? What questions remain? What was most surprising or meaningful?
References: Minimum 6 peer-reviewed sources, APA format.
Please share a helpful link to a pages or post on the OpenLab