Building Performance Measures in Instructional Design
This step is often included in the task analysis and was briefly touched upon in that section.
Performance measures are the standards for how well a task must be performed, thus they are often called Performance Standards or Standards of Performance. This step is important as it informs those involved the level of proficiency that the learners must obtain:
- Instructional Designers: It enables them to plan the activities so that the learners will acquire the needed experience to perform at an acceptable level.
- Instructors or Trainers: The criteria to look for to ensure the learners will be able to perform as specified when they return to the job.
- Learners: They know the standards that must be met to be considered acceptable.
- Managers: What they can expect from the resources they spent on the learning platform.
Performance Measures list each critical step for achieving the performance measures. There are four basic analysis techniques used to ensure that all performance measures associated with a task are recorded (Wiggs, 1984):
- Observation Task Analysis: Observe the task under actual working conditions and record each step for performing the task and the standards of performance.
- Simulated Task Analysis: Observe skilled individuals or groups performing the task under simulated working conditions. The working conditions should match the job environment as closely as possible. Record each step and standards of performance with input from the performers.
- Content Analysis: Analyze the technical manual and other documents to determine the steps and standards of performance.
- Interview Analysis: Consult with a SME to determine the required steps and standards of performance. This is normally used to validate the data gathered by other techniques. This method should not be used alone. Experts often leave out vital steps as they have performed the task so often that some of the steps become so internalized that they fail to acknowledge doing so!
In addition, the above four analysis techniques may be looked at from four different viewpoints (van Merriënboer, 1997):
- Behavioral Analysis: analyzing tasks that are mainly composed of overt steps, thus you observe and record
- Information Processing Analysis: analyzing tasks that are composed of overt and covert or mental steps, thus you observe experts and read content and/or interview experts
- Factor-transfer Analysis: identifying the rules that underlie expert's task performance when the task is composed mostly of covert or mental steps, thus you read content and/or interview experts
- GOMS Analysis: Identifying the following elements in complex tasks composed of mostly covert or mental steps — Goals, Operations, Methods, and Selection rules; thus you read content and/or interview experts
The customer or client must approve the task performance measures. If possible, the client supervisors and SME should write them with the training organization's guidance. This does not relieve the trainers' accountability for this function since they are the masters of this technology.
Next Steps
Go to the next section: Choose Instructional Setting
Return to the Table of Contents
Read:
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Task Analysis Tools: Various Approaches for Analyzing Tasks and Needs
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Analysis Templates (contains several analysis templates)
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Return to the Table of Contents
Pages in the Analysis Phase:
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Build Performance Measures
References
van Merriënboer, J.J.G. (1997). Training Complex Cognitive Skills: A Four-Component Instructional Design Model for Technical Training. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Educational Technology Publications.
U.S. Army Field Artillery School (1984). A System Approach To Training (Course Student textbook). ST-5K061FD92
U.S. Department of Defense Training Document (1975). Pamphlet 350-30. August, 1975.
Wiggs, G. (1984). Designing Learning Programs. The Handbook of Human Resource Development. Nadler, L. (Ed). New York: John Wiley & Sons.