Lessons Learned from Designing a Comprehensive Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) Tool for Support of Complex Thinking

This research study focused on learning lessons from the experience of designing a comprehensive case-based reasoning (CBR) tool for support of complex thinking skills. Theorists have historically identified, analyzed, and classified different thinking processes and skills. Thinking skills have been increasingly emphasized in national standards, state testing, curricula, teaching and learning resources, and research agendas. Complex thinking is the core of higher-order thinking. Complex thinking is engaged when different types of thinking and action converge to resolve a real-world, ill-structured issue such as solving a problem, designing an artifact, or making a decision. By integrating reasoning, memory, and learning in a model of cognition for learning from concrete problem-solving experience, CBR can be used to engage complex thinking. In similar and different ways, CBR theory and the related theories of constructivism and constructionism promote learning from concrete, ill-structured problem-solving experience. Seven factors or characteristics, and by extension, design requirements, that should be incorporated in a comprehensive CBR tool were extracted from theory. These requirements were consistent with five theory-, research-based facilitators of learning from concrete experience. Subsequent application of the Dick, Carey, and Carey model to these design requirements generated twenty-nine specifications for design of the tool. This research study was carried out using developmental research methodology and a standard development model. The design process included front-end analysis, creating a prototype of the tool, and evaluating the prototype.