VISION User Guide

Standards

1.Objectives are hierarchically arranged in an order that best facilitates learning.

2.Terminal objectives are directly linked to tasks and rewritten to convey exactly what the learner needs to be able to do at the end of that segment of instruction (usually a verbatim restatement or rewording of the task).

3.Terminal objectives (under organizers if applicable) are arranged to reflect training/qualification sequence.

4.Terminal objectives contain the consolidated elements from the task analysis that will be taught as teaching points when the terminal is taught.

5.Elements needing to be taught separately are linked to enabling objectives sequentially arranged under the terminal objective.

6.Enabling objectives linked from SKs are underneath terminals and represent the direct prerequisite knowledge and skills of the terminal.

7.Enabling objectives linked to SKs that are grouped under the job, responsibility areas, or functions, are sequentially arranged under organizers in the Objectives Hierarchy without a terminal objective.

8.Organizers are used to arrange objectives by logical groups.

9.Test questions are not shared with other (different) objects unless in unique circumstances (rare).

10.All approved tasks are connected to Performance Objectives – always one-to-one and designated as Terminal Performance Objectives (TPO).

Best Practices

•Enabling objectives derived from and linked to SKs typically represent prerequisite knowledge or skills that are taught prior to the terminal. SKs can have a one-to-one direct link to enabling objectives where appropriate or may be consolidated (combined) into one enabling objective.  Consolidated SKs become teaching points covered when the enabling objective is taught.

•Enabling objectives representing fundamental knowledge can be grouped under an organizer without a terminal. Fundamental objectives would likely be at the top of the hierarchy or branch. Common objectives, such as those representing fundamental content, are not "back linked" to tasks.

•Enabling objectives are arranged according to prerequisite relationships whenever applicable. Prerequisite skills and knowledge directly tied to a task should be linked to enabling objectives underneath the terminal objective.  

•Sharing within a hierarchy or with other projects is appropriate only if those items are truly intended to be the same. A change to one item means the same change will be made to all shared items.

•Learning Objects: The core of the VISION Developer database is the learning object.  A learning object in VISION is a digital object which contains the following:

oThe learning objective statement

oContent including

▪Document Links

▪The content necessary to master the learning objective

oTest and practice questions or exercises

oAssociated metadata—setting, time to train, etc.

•A learning object can be terminal or enabling and can be performance or cognitive.  A cognitive learning object (academic) is knowledge typically tested on an exam or some written assignment.  A performance learning object is performed as part of a task or skill.  Cognitive learning objects are never psychomotor.  Performance learning objects can be either cognitive or psychomotor.

•Learning objects need to be right-sized, neither too large nor too small.  By classifying a learning object, the scope is protected against including multiple content types.  To that end, learning objects should be classified as one of the following:

oConcept

oRule

oProcedure

oProcess

oStructure

oFact

•When developing content for each learning object, follow the template of the chosen category and provide the necessary content for achieving the behavior.  Nothing more, nothing less.  The templates break the presentation up into five sections which when used can make learning easier.

oIntroduction

oMain Idea

oExplanation or Memory Aids

oExamples or Learning Activity

oPractice

•Learning Objects in VISION are independent of one another.  For that reason, the objective statement and the content should be written to stand on its own without relying on the context of other objects around it.  Reusable Learning Objects (RLO) can thus be linked to multiple courses or even other projects in VISION.

•Cognitive learning objects that will be tested via an examination should have at least two test questions in the bank.  Two questions allow for separate versions of an exam—an A and a B test.  If the learning object requires more than one test question to fully evaluate it, then an appropriate number of questions should be in the bank including those needed for alternate exams.

•A learning object that requires too many questions (3 or more) to evaluate fully is likely scoped too broadly and should be broken into more manageable, narrowly scoped objects.

•Test questions with graphics should be linked to the graphic if the graphic will be used by many test questions.  That way, if the graphic ever needs to be updated; replacing the graphic in the Graphics folder will replace the graphic for all questions.  Remember—linked graphics are not versioned.  If versioning of graphics is desired, then the graphic should be embedded.  Embedding is not recommended for graphics that need to be linked to multiple test questions for reasons stated above.

•Write the learning objective statement to the learner so that the statement clearly conveys what the learner must be able to do at the conclusion of instruction.  Include conditions and standards that clearly describe the conditions under which the behavior will be performed and the standards to determine success.  Clearly implied conditions such as “from memory” or standards such as “correctly” may be implied and not stated.  Otherwise, learning objectives should state all three parts—conditions, action, standards.  Conditions and standards can be placed in the conditions and standards fields in VISION or written in the behavior field as one complete statement.  See further information about conditions and standards in the task analysis section of this document.