- [Instructor] The best way to assess
how well a student can perform
the work task we're teaching them
is to have them perform it on the job.
This is commonly done through on-the-job checklists.
There are different ways you can form a checklist
but for this discussion,
we'll look at yes/no checklists,
meaning the person you're testing
either performed the task or they didn't.
So, how do you create one?
Well, the first thing is to consult
with at least two subject matter experts,
meaning people that do that actual job.
That's really important.
Have the subject matter experts
break the main task you're testing for,
say a customer service technician
properly greeting a customer, into sub-tasks:
smiling, introducing yourself as a representative
of the company, and so on.
Once the subject matter experts have agreed
on the sub-tasks,
you as the instructional designer
have a number of decisions to make.
How many sub-tasks will you place in the checklist?
All of them or maybe just the core ones
that make up the main task?
Of course, shorter checklists are easier to administer.
What's a passing score?
Does the learner need to complete all of the tasks
or can they miss a few?
How will the checklists be administered?
Paper and pen or perhaps access
through the learning management system on a mobile device.
How will students' performance on the checklist be tracked?
On a spreadsheet of some kind?
I know that's a lot to think about
but if you have a clear understanding of the tasks
and what'll work at your company,
I'm confident that it won't take a ton of effort
to create a quality checklist.
On-the-job checklists
are usually administered by supervisors.
So after you determine what's on the checklist
and how it will be administered,
you'll need to gain the support of supervisors.
Meet with them well before you plan
to have the checklists administered.
Tell the supervisors why you're doing what you're doing.
Explain why their support is crucial.
Tell them what they need to do to administer the checklist
and whom to contact if they have questions.
Follow up your meeting with written instructions.
If you don't win over the supervisors,
the ones who are doing the actual assessing,
your checklists will fail.
Either they'll be ignored
or supervisors will just go through the motions
and check yes, yes, yes all the way down.
A student's performance on a checklist
can have weighty consequences,
so you'll need to have a plan for tracking.
If you house the checklists in a learning management system,
the tracking will be done for you.
If you use printable checklists,
you might have the supervisor take a picture
of the checklist after it's been administered
and upload it to an appropriate place.
Checklists are a wonderful way
to assess the real world skills you're teaching
in your digital program.