When defining learning objectives, think carefully about what it means to use your solution effectively by doing the following:
- Identify what your audience should know and be able to do after they have read the documentation.
- Use that information to create a list of learning objectives.
Just as stories are used to define software, learning objectives can be written using a standard template.
As a [user] of the [solution] I [know a specific piece of information] or can [perform a specific task]
Often, existing stories can be converted into learning objectives with little or no alteration:
- As a first time user of Presidium I can easily download, install, and run the latest version.
- As a Presidium user, I know the value of defining learning objectives for developing comprehensive content.
Clearly worded learning objectives enable you to focus the content on comprehensive and coherent goals. Learning objectives should be evident in the title and content of articles. Often, one learning objective corresponds to one content article.
Discussion
Define the knowledge and skill set of your target audience before starting your documentation. Use this information to avoid wasting time explaining information your audience already knows.
- As a user of Presidium I already know how to use Github as a version control system.
- As a user of Presidium, I know what Markdown is, I have used it before, and I know how to look up details about
Markdown syntax I may not know.