VLE study plan
VLE · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Instructional Design and Curriculum Development
Map every objective in the instructional design domain to a Bloom's taxonomy level and flag objectives that sit below application level
Draft a 12-week course syllabus for a medical laboratory technician program that sequences prerequisite skills before advanced competencies
Write three terminal performance objectives that each contain a measurable condition, behavior, and criterion
Build a table that matches each objective to one assessment method and one instructional strategy
Your checkpoint
A 10-15 page curriculum design packet containing the objective-to-assessment alignment table, the 12-week syllabus, and three criterion-referenced terminal objectives, submitted for self-scoring against a rubric you write.
Instructional Design and Curriculum Development & Teaching, Facilitation, and Learner Assessment
Construct a lesson plan for a 90-minute hematology session that includes an anticipatory set, guided practice, and independent practice
Differentiate instruction for three learner profiles (visual, kinesthetic, English-language learner) within a single laboratory activity
Design a formative assessment checkpoint that yields actionable data mid-lesson rather than only at the end
Demonstrate two questioning techniques that probe reasoning rather than recall
Your checkpoint
A complete 90-minute lesson plan with attached formative assessment, differentiation matrix, and a written reflection on how you would adjust the plan if 40 percent of learners failed the checkpoint.
Laboratory Safety, Biosecurity, and Regulatory Compliance
Categorize the biosafety levels and list the engineering controls, PPE, and work practices required at each level
Write a spill response procedure for a Class II biological safety cabinet breach involving a bloodborne pathogen
Identify the regulatory bodies that govern laboratory practice and state what each one actually enforces
Construct a chemical hygiene plan outline that addresses labeling, storage segregation, and hazard communication
Evaluate a scenario involving sharps exposure and sequence the post-exposure steps correctly
Your checkpoint
A written laboratory safety manual section (spill response, chemical hygiene outline, and exposure protocol) plus a 20-item safety quiz with an answer key and rationale for each item.
Laboratory Safety, Biosecurity, and Regulatory Compliance & Laboratory Quality Management and Quality Control
Distinguish biosecurity from biosafety and give a concrete example of each in a teaching laboratory
Design a quality control rule set using Westgard multirule logic and explain when each rule signals random versus systematic error
Calculate mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation from a provided data set and interpret whether the run is in control
Construct a Levey-Jennings chart interpretation exercise for students that includes at least one rejection and one warning event
Your checkpoint
A quality control teaching module containing a worked Levey-Jennings example, a student practice data set with answer key, and a one-page Westgard rule reference card you authored.
Clinical Pathology and Hematology Instruction & Clinical Chemistry and Urinalysis Instruction
Sequence the content of a hematology unit so that cell morphology instruction precedes automated analyzer interpretation
Build a morphology identification exercise using written descriptions of red cell and white cell abnormalities
Explain the clinical significance of urinalysis findings and connect each to a plausible underlying condition
Design a wet-lab or simulation activity that teaches pipetting accuracy and precision with a measurable acceptance criterion
Write case-based questions that require learners to integrate chemistry and urinalysis results into a single interpretation
Your checkpoint
Two complete instructional units (hematology morphology and urinalysis/chemistry integration), each with learning objectives, a practice exercise, an answer key with rationale, and a grading rubric.
Microbiology, Parasitology, and Cytology Instruction & Instrumentation, Maintenance, and Troubleshooting
Organize microbiology, parasitology, and cytology content around specimen type and workflow rather than organism lists
Create a dichotomous key exercise that leads learners from a Gram stain result to a presumptive organism identification
Describe the daily, weekly, and periodic maintenance tasks for common laboratory instruments and state the consequence of skipping each
Diagnose three instrument malfunction scenarios from written symptom descriptions and propose a troubleshooting sequence
Explain how to verify instrument performance after repair before resuming patient testing
Your checkpoint
A troubleshooting case set of three instrument scenarios with model diagnostic pathways, plus a microbiology identification exercise with a completed dichotomous key and answer rationale.
Professionalism, Ethics, and Program Administration & Interprofessional Communication and Clinical Integration
Analyze an ethical dilemma in laboratory practice using a structured decision framework and defend a chosen course of action
Outline the components of a program self-study that would satisfy an accreditation review
Draft a communication script for reporting a critical value to a provider, including read-back verification
Identify the interprofessional roles that interface with the laboratory and specify what information each role needs from you
Evaluate a scenario in which a learner or colleague commits a documentation error and determine the appropriate response
Your checkpoint
A professional practice portfolio containing the ethical dilemma analysis, a critical value communication script with read-back, a program self-study outline, and a written reflection on one interprofessional interaction you observed or participated in.
Instructional Design and Curriculum Development & Teaching, Facilitation, and Learner Assessment & Laboratory Safety, Biosecurity, and Regulatory Compliance & Clinical Pathology and Hematology Instruction & Clinical Chemistry and Urinalysis Instruction & Microbiology, Parasitology, and Cytology Instruction & Laboratory Quality Management and Quality Control & Instrumentation, Maintenance, and Troubleshooting & Professionalism, Ethics, and Program Administration & Interprofessional Communication and Clinical Integration
Synthesize all domain materials into a single integrated teaching unit that spans pre-analytic, analytic, and post-analytic phases
Self-assess readiness by scoring your own performance against the deliverables produced in weeks 1 through 7
Remediate the two weakest domains by rewriting the corresponding deliverable to a higher standard
Assemble a complete instructor portfolio with a table of contents and a one-page teaching philosophy statement
Your checkpoint
A final integrated capstone unit plan plus a completed self-assessment scorecard across all ten domains, with the two remediated deliverables revised and attached.
Milestones
Week 2: You can write a measurable objective and a matching assessment without consulting notes, and your lesson plan includes differentiation for at least three learner profiles.
Week 4: You can interpret a Levey-Jennings chart, name the Westgard rule that applies, and state whether the error is random or systematic, scoring at least 80 percent on your own QC quiz.
Week 6: You can trace a specimen from Gram stain to presumptive identification using your own dichotomous key and correctly sequence troubleshooting steps for at least two of three instrument scenarios.
Week 8: All ten domains have a completed deliverable, your self-assessment scorecard shows no domain below 70 percent, and the two remediated deliverables have been revised and re-scored.