Massage Medical Applications Project (MMAP)

Notes on Training Outcomes & Goal Analysis

Links

• Mager's Tips on Instructional Objectives — Georgia State University, Instructional Technology
• Life in the Pinball Machine: Looking Back with Bob Mager — Interview by Ray Taylor
• Short Statement on Training Outcomes — University of Minnesota, Duluth, ITS&S
• The New Mager Six-Pack — Set of six books by Robert F. Mager

Five Steps for Brainstorming and Clarifying Goals
(adapted from Goal Analysis by Robert F. Mager for Life in the Pinball Machine)

1. Write down each goal on a separate piece of paper. Keep the end in mind—the goal is the outcome, not the process. Don’t worry if the goal is abstract or not observable, you'll clarify that in the next step.
2. Write a list of activities and characteristics that would cause you to agree that the goal has been achieved. Remember, these statements have to be observable. Combine or delete duplicates and cross off items that aren't necessary.
3. Here you might see that some of your items actually describe outcomes. Write each one down as a new goal on a separate piece of paper and repeat Step 2 until you have only one goal with a corresponding list of observable activities and characteristics on each page. Now look at these goals and decide which ones best describe the issue you are trying to address. Can you combine or eliminate any goals?
4. Write a complete statement for each of the observable activities and characteristics of each goal. These statements should describe observables (quality and/or quantity) that you will consider acceptable. These can be positive (must be present) or negative (not present).
5. Test each statement from Step 4 with the question, “If someone performed this activity or characteristic, is the goal achieved?” If you can answer yes to each item on the list, then you are finished. If not, you have left something out.

Work in Progress

I have started to play around with defining the fields for capturing outcome definitions. This XML file on entry-level outcomes is both very. very rough and preliminary and will require you to look at field-tags (i.e. no style-sheet yet), but it does capture some thoughts in progress. This is a follow-up to a post I made to the Bodywork_Politics email-list. The essence of that post is:

If there is core knowledge that the state deems essential, it should either be stipulated as outcomes or left to the regulatory agency to stipulate. This could be phrased like, "The regulatory agency may stipulate inclusion of specific training outcomes based on evidence of significant public benefit". That provides for better flexibility and leaves specific implementation up to those teaching. Potential examples of outcome specifications are:

• Curricula shall address competence in working within universal precautions and include knowledge of means of transmission and prevention of transmission of blood borne pathogens (biannual refresher required).
• Curricula shall address competence in recognition of symptoms of stroke and heart attack (biannual refresher required).
• Curricula shall address competence in recognition of symptoms consistent with deep vein thrombosis (biannual refresher required).
• Curricula shall address understanding of the potential for triggering a cervical arterial dissection from normal activities and/or movements and the recognition of potential subsequent symptoms (biannual refresher required).
• Curricula shall include understanding of grounds for referral for diagnosis and/or immediate accessing of the emergency medical system.
• Curricula shall address competence in basic basic anatomy and physiology of muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints sufficient for a practitioner to position joints and access these tissues effectively and safely.

Note that I've also addressed implicitly the issue of CEs above. They should be designed to ensure that critical specific information is periodically refreshed. For example, as a first aid volunteer at work, I have requirements for biannual refreshers in CPR and in blood borne pathogens. The latter course is a 30-minute (or so) web-based course (Yea for distance education!).

Implementation Principles

• If you don't know enough to define observable outcomes, you don't know enough to define a meaningful training requirement.
• High standards require the specification of observable changes into practice, not the specification of gluteal (i.e. seat-bound) classroom hours in a vaguely/broadly defined subject area.
• If the requirement doesn't guarantee a uniform outcome specification based on a clear public benefit, it should not be defined in law or regulation.