List Entry Behaviors
A sample of the learner target population should be tested to determine if their entry behavior Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) match the proposed level of instruction. To determine the entry behavior, test a small sample of the learners to establish if your assumption of their threshold knowledge and the starting point of the training program are correct. That is, do the proposed learners have the needed KSAs to master the terminal learning objective in the training program or must they be taught additional enabling objectives.
For example, an instructional program might instruct several advanced uses of a piece of diagnostic equipment. The instructional plan is initially based on the assumption that the learners have mastered the basic diagnostic procedures for the equipment from prior experience or training. These basic diagnostic procedures should be tested on the proposed learners to validate the instructional plan assumption. If they have not mastered one or more of the basic diagnostic procedures, then these unmastered procedures will have to be accounted for in the training plan.
Once you have tested their present KSAs, then the tasks to be taught should be tested on a small sample of personnel who have mastered the tasks previously to ensure the proposed test is correct. Finally, a sample of the proposed learners are tested to see if they can pass any portions of the test without any instruction.
References
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.
Next Steps
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