## 5 Case Studies
### DBL in a Course on Basic Database Concepts  
DBL can be applied to a scenario where the core problem to be addressed is the management of data itself and its structure, a common occurrence in many STEM subjects. One example of such application scenarios is the creation of database models in the basic database concepts course of a computer science degree. This course only requires studentsto have access to a computer and the necessary software, provided by the university. Thus, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the course was taught as an e-learning course.  
This exercise aimed to explain how to model a database based on the characteristics of the dataset that will populate it. Studying real data collections allows students to understand data characteristics, relationships, redundancies, and limitations in a more practical way than a direct explanation of theoretical database concepts.  
The scripting phase involved finding and selecting a suitable dataset with characteristics that made it suitable for analysis by students to create a dataset model. An example of such a dataset source is the website of the United States (US) Bureau of Transportation Statistics. It provides several datasets with thousands of records and dozens of fields related to earth, sea, and air transport operations. For instance, it includes the history of US flights, with information such as origin, destination, company, plane model, and weather incidents; all these are concepts easy to understand for students because they are near the students' own experience of travelling by plane. The teacher reviewed the dataset to identify relevant characteristics and the target model that students needed to define from the data, allowing them to identify which learning objectives could be fulfilled. Additional datasets with different characteristics may be required to meet other learning objectives. In such cases, separate activities should be prepared for each dataset, focusing on the specific learning objectives they fulfil.  
The activity lasted 2 h and took place in a computer room. The following steps were followed during the lesson:  
1. Description of the learning activity: The teacher explained the objective of the activity, which was to review the dataset and its documentation to identify the structure and content.
2. Description of the process and expected results: The students proposed a database model that accurately represented the dataset. This required understanding the dataset's characteristics and restrictions and inferring concepts from the dataset.
3. Within the remaining time of the lesson (approximately 1 h and 45 min), the students worked on the datasets to obtain results. The teacher supervised their work, providing guidance and feedback. The students defined the database model and created a document describing it.  
Additionally, the activity included the following asynchronous work, requiring ten hours of independent work by students:  
1. After the lesson (asynchronous learning), the students completed the process of creating and populating the database in a selected database management system. This allowed them to understand the impact of their decisions on the database model during the construction phase. The teacher was available to answer the students' questions via email or during office hours.  
After completing the activity, in the same way as in the previous example, students were asked to complete a questionnaire for the evaluation and optimization of the learning process.