Where and by whom will the module be used?
What course will use the module? What kind of learning environment -- in lecture, in homework by students working alone, in a studio classroom working in groups with faculty assistance, etc? What kind of background must a student have to use the developed materials?What is the goal?
Try to describe in a few clear sentences what you want the module to accomplish.
If the learners must be able to perform a complex sequence of tasks, then write a description of each step, and what the learner will see or read, and what the learner will be required to do.
When you complete the Task Analysis, go back over the steps, and write an Instructional Objective for each one. A well written Instructional Objective should answer the following questions:
What is the desired performance?
What do you expect the learner to be able to do. Try to use action verbs that describe an observable performance.
Under what CONDITIONS will the learner be expected to demonstrate acceptable performance?
What CRITERIA will determine the acceptable level of performance?
How well do you expect the learner to perform the task.
Consider such factors as audience size, cost- effectiveness, available development time, and the timeliness of the instruction. A printed manual, in three-ring binder format, which can be cheaply and quickly updated, might be the best choice, especially, if the alternative is a text-filled computer screen.
Once these first four steps have been completed, (and reviewed and revised,
if necessary), you are ready to begin developing the actual application.
It is much easier (and cheaper) to follow a blue print or a road map, then
to try and make it up as you go along.
Does the instruction achieve the desired results or target performance?
In many real world training applications, the evaluation is demonstrated in successful user performance: after completing this instruction, can the learners successfully ...?
However, some situations require that the learner demonstrate mastery of a task or subject in an objective, quantifiable format. In these cases, make sure that the tests or evaluations only address the performance objectives used to develop the instructional content. Test for observable evidence of mastery of the instructional content, and avoid testing for trivia or minutia.
In either case, learner performance should be observed and recorded in as thorough a beta test as time and resources allow.
If possible, this process should continue after delivery, so that future
revisions can reflect "real world" learner performance, and tasks
and instructional objectives and be modified, added, or deleted, as necessary,
until the Instructional Goal is achieved at the required level of performance.
This checklist was based on Thomas Pike's industrial training checklist. He recommends two excellent books by Robert F. Mager, a leading authority on criterion referenced instruction. They are published by Lake Publishing Company of Belmont, CA:
"Preparing Instructional Objectives" and "Goal Analysis"
Both are short and very readable, with a minimum of "educator" jargon.