1996 Annual Report for ENC96-014
Decision Cases for Sustainable Agriculture: A Video Training Project for Professional Development
Summary
A decision case is a discussion tool that uses a real-life person who must make a decision. Often the decision is not clear and may have many possible alternatives. Participants of the discussion are placed in the decision maker role to identify the key issues of the situation, what the outcomes might be, and options in dealing with the dilemma. The discussion is beneficial because participants are exposed to many perspectives while at the same time are empowered to think for themselves about the issues.
The University of Minnesota developed three decision cases for water quality and feedlot issues. The Minnesota River Basin cases look at the installation of vegetative buffer strips along a county ditch; the adoption of no-till as part of a Conservation Compliance plan; and the siting of a hog confinement unit. Decision cases in this series include a description of the dilemma, a teaching note containing possible uses of the case, an outline of the dilemma, potential discussion questions, and a slide narrative.
The University of Minnesota also produced two videotapes on decision cases. "Orchestrate Active Learning: An Introduction to Decision Case Teaching" gives a 21-minute overview on how to teach a decision case. While the idea of using decision cases to facilitate discussion can seem daunting to those new to the method, this video provides a comprehensive overview of decision cases and gives all the information needed to begin using the tool.
"Anybody’s Dream: A Decision Case on Marketing Alternative Crops" is a decision case portraying the dilemmas of the Buckwheat Growers Association in central Minnesota. The farmers need to decide how they will organize themselves to be profitable. The question is will they stay an association or become a cooperative. The also need to determine how they will market the buckwheat — will it be on a local, national, or international level.
North Central Region SARE 1998 Annual Report.