Task 0: Preparation
Getting to Work

There are three deliverables for this task.

1. Learning Objectives
2. A scenario
3. Prerequisite student skills

Deliverable 1: Identifying Learning Objectives

A learning objective, as we use the term, is a performance-based outcome, i.e., what a learner must be able to do at the conclusion of instruction. Such outcomes should be observable and measurable. Clearly defined objectives will become the basis for:

1. Formulating your scenarios
2. Identifying prerequisite skills
3. Creating assessments for determining if the learning has been accomplished
4. Providing learners with means to organize their effort towards accomplishing their objectives.

A well defined objective has the following attributes

1. Identifies what the learner will be able to do (not what the learner will “know” in some abstract sense)
2. Identifies the conditions under which the learner will demonstrate the mastery of the skill
3. Identifies the level of performance that is acceptable
4. (Optional) Identifies common shortcomings in exercising the associated skills and knowledge.

To write a well formed objective, follow these guidelines:

1. Write a statement that conveys the intended learning outcome.
2. Rewrite the statement in step 1 to convey what actions the learner would have to do to exhibit the learning outcome
3. Identify the pre-conditions that will be required for students to do the task.
4. Define how you will measure their performance.

An example created using the above process:

Using the Project Initiation Processes defined in PMBOK Theory, the learner will be able to prepare a feasibility study to assess if a project can be achieved with given time and resources. A well written feasibility study establishes the viability of the achieving the project based on an established success criteria.

Intended Learning Outcome: “Assess if a project can be achieved with given time and resources”

Student Action: “Creating a feasibility study”

Conditions: “Using Project Initiation Process defined in PMBOK Theory”

Performance Measure: “A well written feasibility study establishes the viability of the achieving the project based on an established success criteria.”Performance-Based Learning Objectives are driven by required skills for a given domain.

Skills for a course can be:

1. Traditionally defined by a Subject Matter Expert (SME).
2. Provided by regulatory agencies in areas that are driven by standards.
3. Acquired from Industrial Resources for newly developing domains through interviews of industry managers, job postings, and similar sources.

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Deliverable 2: Formulating a scenario

Scenario is a term used to describe a story that is deliberately crafted to require the application of the knowledge and skills embodied in a set of learning objectives. The learners will play roles in such a scenario and to complete it successfully, they must either possess knowledge and skills at the onset or acquire them just in time as they must be applied. Scenarios should be created with plausibility and probability; they should contain both opportunities and threats.

To write a coherent scenario follows these guidelines:

1. Write your scenario in an uninterrupted block of time.
2. Review the learning objectives of Deliverable
3. Review Example SCC Scenario Overview 1 and Example SCC Scenario Overview 2, as models for your own work.
4. Keeping the objectives in mind, devise a plot outline for your scenario that is realistic but does not add complexity for its own sake; the plot should center around situations in which the targeted knowledge and skills must be applied.
5. Using the plot outline created in step 3, identify the actors and the setting of the scenario. A setting describes the context, including any events that may precede the tasks you set out for students. The actors, setting, and plot, taken together, are the framework in which the student’s task deliverables are produced.
6. Building on the setting and plot outline, document a sequence of tasks that frame application of targeted knowledge and skills. Clearly identify any dependencies and information flows between tasks.
7. Take a first shot at documenting the expected deliverables for each task. (This will be revised in later tasks). Do this being mindful of learning objectives and the scenario. (Do they meet the learning objectives, and would they be reasonably called for in the scenario?)

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Deliverable 3: Identifying prerequisite student skills

Identifying prerequisite skills helps in defining what students must already know and be able to do, before attempting each of the tasks in your scenario. Typically the student will be expected to have gained these skills via previous course work or other experience. This ensures that

1. Students will have the basic skills required to take on a task
2. Possible background deficiencies can be identified and addressed
3. Addresses student overconfidence.

To identify prerequisite student skills:

1. Consider the learning objectives and tasks defined earlier
2. Being mindful of the scenario, determine what skills are required for successful task completion that will not be taught within the course.
3. Document the prerequisite skills by both objective and task (perhaps as multi-level bulleted lists).

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Updated: July 12, 2005