Developing a Reusable Resource for Teaching Task Analysis

Abstract

Many of the skills required in the practice of human factors are “process-oriented” rather than “product-oriented”; this is challenging for human factors educators because it is often more difficult to teach process-oriented skills and concepts than product-oriented skills and concepts. The Centre for Learning and Teaching Through Technology [LT3] at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada is involved in developing learning objects (also known as “learnware”) to help faculty overcome instructional challenges associated with teaching processes. The learnware development model used by LT3, which enables learner-centered resources to be developed, for students, and by students, to teach about processes in various disciplines will be discussed. The Task Analysis learning object developed to overcome instructional challenges experienced by human factors professors in the department of Systems Design Engineering, will illustrate LT3's learnware development model. The development of Task Analysis learnware emphasizes how the application of iterative learner-centred design can aid in teaching fundamental concepts in human factors.