Mechanics that rehearse

What this lesson covers

1. 01

   Mechanics = practice rules

   Choose mechanics that force the observable action: drag-order for sequences, hotspot checks for inspection steps, timed choices for pressure — each mapped to Merrill’s application principle. If the mechanic does not change what the learner must do, it is scenery. Sweller’s extraneous load lens: one primary mechanic per beat.

2. 02

   One mechanic, then a debrief

   Merrill’s application principle means the learner does the job move, not watches it. Drag-order rehearses a sequence. A hotspot check rehearses an inspection. A timed choice rehearses pressure only when the job is actually timed. If you add confetti, a leaderboard, and a second quiz on the same beat, Sweller’s extraneous load goes up and the action gets harder to see. After the mission, debrief in one sentence that ties the steps to policy or workflow — Garris’s debrief, not a points total. Points without that sentence are decoration. A fail state that shows an audit consequence is still a mechanic; a leaderboard with no step scoring is not.

3. 03

   Debrief is part of the mechanic

   Ending on a score screen teaches the learner to chase the number. Name the step that matched policy and the step that did not. Then offer a retry on a new instance — same objective, different bin numbers — not a clone of the screen they just saw.