Logical Content Breakdown

I was just discussing something with some of the P2PU guys when I realized that it would make a good blog post. Breaking up 10-12 week courses into 6 week courses could have a positive effect on some topics. My inspiration for the idea is skill tree design in games. A skill is only required to be at a certain proficiency.

Two ways come to mind to logically break up content. The first is general and specific skills, like general programming and programming languages. The second is conceptual and applied concepts in courses like calculus.

General & Specific

Let's say a person is learning a sword style. First they need to learn about safety and moving the sword. That's a general skill for the type of sword. The style comes afterward as a set of specific skills. While this can be broader, or narrower, it still holds.

In programming I've found that the first class on a language spends a bunch of time on the general and pre-requisite skills. If you are trying to learn about several languages this comes up several times.

I bring this up because this kind of content can hinder the recipient. In game design this is avoided, or used as, a means of lessening difficulty. Balancing the tension and difficulty is how it is addressed in game design. There are times where it helps, and times where it hinders.

Let's take a look at when repeating the general skill lessons might help. The new player/student is a great example for helping because they might need to learn about the skills, or they might just need to learn how you deal with them. Sometimes the general/basic skills need to be reviewed so they aren't forgotten, or to solve a deficiency. Other times they need to be brought to mind to mix with other ideas.

Then there are times where it doesn't help. Experienced individuals who have been using the skills might have trouble maintaining focus and critical thinking when there is little to nothing new. In other words they have mastery of the general skills and need to work on the specific skills.

To deal with this in games there are a few practices widely used. Repeatable practice and references are used to allow the player to fix their own deficiencies. The other one I see fairly often is feedback and tips that help the player understand their deficiencies and failures.

The first of those is basically the same as a practice ground. Shooting ranges, batting cages, pitching machines and more are used in everyday life for the same purpose. While this isn't always as easy to do in real life, well made simulations can be a lot of help. Just ask pilots and astronauts.

The second is seeing how well you did. As a batter, did you hit the ball? Was it a foul? How far did it go? Would somebody easily get to the ball to catch it? This information is the same as the basic corrections on a piece of homework, test or results after a mission.

The third is guidance. A reliable source informs you how you can improve. I'm not talking about the places where you could improve, results show that. No this is how you can achieve improvement. If you aren't hitting the ball, you need to find the problem to fix it. Somebody watching could tell you that your form looks like it's causing you to miss. That's the kind of help I'm talking about. To increase your chances of hitting the ball you should correct your stance. That tells you what to focus on to improve. Good teachers will usually give feedback like this, when they can figure out what went wrong. It's also why students are asked to show their work.

Conceptual & Applied

In calculus classes derivatives are usually called easier, but rarely easy. While you learn about the rules and when to apply what in what order, you are also mixing those skills with algebra. If you are having trouble with when a rule is to be used, mixing in more complication rarely helps. Then you are told to switch back and forth between algebra and calculus.

So, I think derivatives is a great example of when to split up conceptual and applied. Show me what the rules are and how they work to start with. This will fill out my understanding of derivatives. Once I understand the rules and what a derivative is, I am then better prepared to mix derivation and algebra. That's when the applied calculus starts.

It the same as learning to ride a bike. First thing you do is learn about the bike. Peddles, handle bars and the other parts of the bike are observed and understood. Then you experience some of the aspects of riding a bike like balancing, steering, moving forward and using the breaks. Lastly you try to do it together, with or without training wheels.

Learning about the parts of the bike is the same as learning about the rules and definition of derivatives. It serves as your basic understanding to build other ideas. To expand my understanding of the pieces, using some of them individually, or a couple at a time, gives experiences to work with. At that point I can understand what I'm working with.

Once I understand the bike, or derivatives, I'm ready for a test drive out in the world. Experiencing the real thing is different, and takes some getting used to for most people. More than the one set of concepts is used. Navigation, planning and using the knowledge of surroundings all work together with the newly learned set of concepts to become applied in a real world setting.

Have fun, spread the word and tell me what you think,
Igen Oukan

Logical Content Breakdown

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