Creating Outcomes and Promotions Templates

Creating Outcomes and Promotions Templates

Aloha Data Collection allows for organizations to create organization-wide “Outcomes and Promotions” templates. This feature is used to summarize progress, evaluate goal mastery, and determine when a client should advance to the next level of a treatment goal/program. Some benefits of using an outcomes and promotions template include: ensures there is data-driven decision making, improves treatment quality and consistency, saves the clinician time, and it helps identify lack of progress early on.

These templates can be applied to any Skill Acquisition target so that the learner will automatically progress through different stages of teaching (e.g. baseline, acquisition, maintenance, generalization) based on the criteria outlined in the template. 

Notes
Note: Outcomes are Promotions are designed for Skill Acquisition targets only. They cannot be applied to Behavior Reduction targets. 

Overview


Creating A Template

In the lefthand menu, navigate to Organization Setup > Programs > Outcomes and Promotions.

Click in the top right corner of the screen.  A new window will open within the current window.

Type in the Template Name (e.g. Trial by Trial, 80% for 3 Sessions, 100% for 2 Sessions). The name should give a clear idea of the criteria within the template.

Use the drop-down menu to select the Target Type:
  1. Trial by Trial - Used to track correct and incorrect responses for each learning trial or opportunity

  1. Duration- Tracks how long a behavior lasts from start to finish. Best for behaviors that vary in length (e.g. Parallel play)

  1. Frequency- Measures how often a behavior occurs. Useful for behaviors with a clear start and end (e.g. Spontaneous tacts or mands, raising hand)

  1. Interval - Measures the percentage of intervals in which a behavior is observed (e.g. Attending, Staying in seat)

After entering “Target Name” and “Target Type” click .  This option will not be available until a “Target Type” is selected, as subsequent formatting varies based on Target Type.

A new field of information will populate in the current window. The visual depicts the template for Target Type: Trial by Trial. Other Target Types will vary in how the user is prompted to enter desired criteria.


Complete all fields. The template will build out new fields as it is being filled out until user selects that a target to be marked as Complete.

  1. Starting Phase. Refers to the current phase of teaching for which the user is entering parameters. This is initially determined by user. As the template is built out, additional Starting Phases will be determined by the prior Promotion Phase selected by the user.

    In Aloha Data Collection, there are two options for the initial Starting Phase:

    1. Baseline: Automated promotion and mastery criteria will begin at baseline. When a learner meets the set criteria to promote from baseline, the system will automatically move the target to "Completed" status. If the learner does not meet criteria, the system will automatically move the target into "Acquisition" status. 
    2. Acquisition: Some users wish to directly analyze baseline data before determining if a skill is already mastered or needs additional teaching. These users can begin their automated mastery templates in the Acquisition phase. Targets in "Baseline" will need to be manually updated by the user to either "Completed" or "Acquisition." Automated template will take effect upon updating a target into "Acquisition."

  1. Promotion Phase. Refers to the phase of teaching the learner will progress to after meeting the criteria for the current phase. Selecting this opens a new field of information for this next phase. This new field will have “Starting Phase” auto-populated based on this selection.

    Read the below section to learn more about the different Promotion Phase options when creating a mastery template in Aloha Data Collection.

  1. Demotion Phase. Dictates the phase of teaching a learner will move to if they do NOT meet the criteria in the outline phase. When "Baseline" is the starting phase, this is auto-set to "Acquisition." When "Acquisition" is the starting phase, this area as greyed out, as learners will simply continue working on the skill until it meets criteria. 

  1. Criteria: Enter the desired % of successful trials, total trials (this will be the trial minimum), and number of consecutive sessions desired for the mastery criteria (e.g. 80% of 5 trials across 3 consecutive sessions).

  1. Max Trials: If desired, enter a maximum number of trials. After this number has been reached in the App, the user will no longer be able to collect data on the target.

  1. First trial must be correct: If desired, add the parameter for the first trial to be correct in order for the criteria to be considered met.

  1. Enable phase line: If desired, select to have a phase line auto-generate on the learner’s graph when the learner moves between phases

Info
Some fields will auto-populate or be unavailable based on known learning progressions (e.g. Meeting Baseline promotes to Completion; no Demotion option for Baseline or Acquisition).

Teaching Phases in Aloha Data Collection

Aloha Data Collection offers the following teaching phases to help users track and categorize learner progress with a skill

  1. Baseline:
    1. Used when clinicians wish to measure a learner's starting accuracy for a skill prior to any teaching or intervention. It helps clinicians decide whether or not interventions/teaching are needed in order to help the learner with the skill
    2. Note: When Baseline is selected as the Starting Phase for a template, the system will auto-fill "Acquisition" as the Demotion Phase and "Completed" as the Promotion Phase
  2. Acquisition:
    1. Used when interventions are being used to help a help a learner improve a skill
    2. Note: Users will notice that when Acquisition is the Starting Phase, the Demotion Phase selection is greyed out. This is because if the learner is not meeting criteria, that target will stay in Acquisition so it can continue being taught. 
  3. Generalization:
    1. Used when a skill has been mastered in one context (e.g. in the clinic with the RBT) and clinicians wish to ensure the skill can be performed in other contexts as well (e.g. at home with mom). 
    2. Note: The system cannot yet program how a skill is generalized. However, in the App, any target in this phase will have a clear visual badge indicating its phase. RBTs can use this visual cue to guide how they implement the target. For example, when an RBT sees this badge, it is their cue to test the skill in a different setting or with a different person. 
  4. Daily Maintenance:
    1. Used to assess if a learner remembers a skill they have previously learned. This phase tests retention of the skill at the Daily level (e.g. tested once per Day).
    2. Note: Users can choose to skip this frequency of Maintenance testing if they wish to start at a longer interval of time (e.g. Weekly).
  5. Weekly Maintenance:
    1. Used to assess if a learner remembers a skill they have previously learned. This phase tests retention of the skill at the Weekly level (e.g. tested once per Week)
  6. Bi-Weekly Maintenance:
    1. Used to assess if a learner remembers a skill they have previously learned. This phase tests retention of the skill at the Bi-Weekly level (e.g. tested once every 2 weeks)
  7. Monthly Maintenance 
    1. Used to assess if a learner remembers a skill they have previously learned. This phase tests retention of the skill at the Monthly level (e.g. tested once per Month)
  8. Completed 
    1. Used to categorize a skill that has been learned as well as tested for Generalization and/or Maintenance as desired by the clinician. 

Applying an Outcomes and Promotions Template to a Target


To apply a created template to a target, navigate to the “Mastery Settings” field when adding/editing a target and select “Automatic”


A new dropdown menu will populate from which users can select the desired template to be applied. 

Notes
The templates available will depend on the “Measurement Tool” selected for the target (e.g. if “Frequency” is the selected Measurement Tool, then only Frequency Outcomes and Promotions templates will be available)


FAQs

How do I create a template for a behavior reduction target?

The Outcomes and Promotions templates are intended to be used for Skill Acquisition programs only, as monitoring and fading a Behavior Intervention Plan for a given behavior reduction target requires close monitoring and decision-making, and would not benefit from an automated process.

How do I set a minimum number of trials?

The minimum number of trials is the number input into this portion of the template. 

This means that this number must be met in order for data to count towards mastery criteria.

For example, if the minimum is set at 10 trials, but the learner only completes 8 trials in the session, this data (even if 100% correct) would not count towards the mastery criteria, as the minimum of 10 trials was not met. The data will still be recorded and reported when viewing analytics, but will not move a learner closer to the next stage of learning.

Does “consecutive sessions” refer to individual sessions, or data collected across a day?

The automation process currently tracks individual sessions, rather than days. For instance, if a learner has two sessions each day, each of these sessions would be an opportunity to meet the criteria and potentially move to another phase of learning.

Is there an option to create criteria across days, rather than individual sessions?

This feature is currently being built out. In the meantime, users can increase the number of sessions in their mastery criteria to reflect the number of sessions that will likely occur within the desired span of days for mastery criteria. For example, for the criteria of “3 consecutive days” the enter “9 consecutive sessions” if the client has 3 sessions per day.

Can automated phase lines be removed? Some learners move back and forth between phases frequency, leading to a messy graph full of phase lines.

Yes, when automated phased lines can be removed when viewing targeted in Analytics or through Program Management.

Are Outcomes and Promotions template required?

No, users also have the option to monitor progress and manually move targets between phases.

How do I enter parameters for Generalization?

This feature is currently being built out. In the meantime, consider using the Lesson Builder feature to assign any desired Generalization targets to specific staff or settings (e.g. adding a Clinic target to a Home session). As a target moves into Generalization, also consider updating the target-specific teaching instructions for this target so that staff know how to probe for generalization (e.g. prompt Mom to ask client to find “red”).