Module 1: Foundational Questions - Understanding Your Learning Landscape

Welcome to Revolutionary Learning

The Revolutionary Promise
Instead of us teaching you about RM Compare, we'll teach you to become an expert questioner who can learn anything about any system, anytime.

Why This Works:

Today's Mission: Transform you into a strategic questioner

Lessons

Lesson 1: Your LLM as Learning Partner

Reframe Your Relationship with AI:

LLM as Teacher (Limited):

LLM as Learning Partner (Powerful):

The Key Skill: Learning to ask questions that unlock your LLM's full potential for personalized education.

Pro Tip: Think of your LLM as having access to all RM Compare documentation, case studies, and best practices - but you need to ask the right questions to access that knowledge effectively.

Lesson 2: The Five Types of Foundation Questions

  1. Context-Setting Questions
    "Explain [concept] for someone in my specific situation"
  2. Comparison Questions
    "What's the difference between [X] and [Y] and why does it matter for [my context]?"
  3. Relevance Questions
    "How does [concept] apply to [my specific challenge/goal]?"
  4. Implication Questions
    "If I implement [approach], what are the consequences for [my situation]?"
  5. Next-Step Questions
    "Based on what I now understand about [topic], what should I learn next?"

Master These Five: You can learn anything about any complex system

Question Framework #1 - Context-Setting Questions

The Template:
"Explain [RM Compare concept] as if I'm a [your role] at a [your institution type] who needs to [your main goal]."

Poor Question:
❌ "What is Adaptive Comparative Judgement?"

Powerful Question:
✅ "Explain Adaptive Comparative Judgement as if I'm an assessor at a Professional Qualifications organisation who needs to understand how it could transform assessment reliability."

Even Better Question:
✅ "I'm a Licence Centre Administrator at a university. Explain ACJ focusing on what I need to know to convince faculty that this approach will save them time while improving assessment quality."

Your Turn: Craft a context-setting question about ACJ specific to your situation.

Validation Resource: Check responses against RM Compare Blog: Introduction to ACJ

Question Framework #2 - Comparison Questions

The Template:
"Compare [RM Compare feature] with [current approach] specifically regarding [your key concern]."

Examples:

For Assessment Quality:
✅ "Compare ACJ reliability with traditional rubric-based marking, specifically addressing concerns about consistency across multiple assessors."

For Efficiency:
✅ "Compare the time investment required for ACJ versus standard moderation processes in a multi-school context."

For User Experience:
✅ "Compare the learning curve for ACJ judging versus traditional marking from a faculty adoption perspective."

The Power: Comparison questions help you understand not just what something is, but why it matters for your specific situation.

Practice Exercise: Create a comparison question about something you currently do versus how RM Compare might do it.

Validation Resource: Cross-reference with Case Studies for real-world comparisons

Question Framework #3 - Relevance Questions

The Template:
"How does [RM Compare capability] specifically address [your current challenge]?"

Situation-Specific Examples:

If you struggle with moderation:
✅ "How does RM Compare's comparative judgement approach address the challenge of achieving consistent standards across different assessors in our department?"

If you need evidence for decisions:
✅ "How can RM Compare's reliability data support evidence-based arguments for changing our current assessment approach?"

If you manage multiple sites:
✅ "How does the Licence Centre model address the challenge of maintaining consistent assessment standards across multiple campuses?"

The Key: Always connect general features to your specific pain points or goals.

Practice Exercise: Identify your top 3 assessment challenges and create relevance questions for each.

Question Framework #4 - Implication Questions

The Template:
"If I implement [RM Compare approach] in [my context], what are the implications for [specific stakeholders/processes]?"

Strategic Examples:

For Implementation Planning:
✅ "If I implement RM Compare for our end-of-year assessments, what are the implications for faculty training, timeline, and student communication?"

For Change Management:
✅ "If we adopt ACJ, what resistance might we face from traditional assessors and how can the system's features help address these concerns?"

For Scaling:
✅ "If our pilot with RM Compare succeeds, what are the implications for rolling it out across our entire institution?"

The Power: Implication questions help you think systemically and plan for success.

Practice Exercise: Choose one RM Compare feature and explore its implications for your organization.

Validation Resource: Learn from others' experiences in Case Studies

Question Framework #5 - Next-Step Questions

The Template:
"Based on [what I now understand], what should I learn next to [achieve specific goal]?"

Progressive Learning Examples:

After understanding ACJ basics:
✅ "Now that I understand ACJ principles, what should I learn about RM Compare's specific features to design an effective pilot program?"

After grasping user roles:
✅ "Given my understanding of Licence Centre Administrator responsibilities, what specific skills should I develop first to be most effective?"

After reviewing case studies:
✅ "Based on successful implementations I've studied, what questions should I be asking about our organization's readiness for RM Compare?"

The Magic: Next-step questions create personalized learning pathways that adapt as your understanding grows.

Continuous Learning Loop:
Question → Learn → Reflect → Next Question → Repeat

Lesson 3: Hands-On Practice - The Question Workshop

Exercise 1: Personal Context Setting (5 minutes)
Write one context-setting question about RM Compare that's specific to your role and organization.

Exercise 2: Strategic Comparison (5 minutes)
Create a comparison question between your current assessment approach and RM Compare.

Exercise 3: Relevance Mapping (5 minutes)
Formulate a relevance question connecting RM Compare capabilities to your biggest current challenge.

Exercise 4: Implication Thinking (5 minutes)
Develop an implication question about implementing RM Compare in your context.

Exercise 5: Next-Step Planning (5 minutes)
Based on your workshop answers, create a next-step question for continued learning.

Share and Improve: We'll review examples and refine questioning techniques together.

Lesson 4: Question Quality Assessment

How to Recognize a Good Question:

Good Questions Are:
✅ Specific: Include your context and constraints
✅ Actionable: Lead to information you can use
✅ Layered: Can be followed up with deeper questions
✅ Relevant: Connect to your actual needs
✅ Open-ended: Allow for comprehensive responses

Question Quality Checklist:
□ Does this question include my specific context?
□ Will the answer help me make a decision or take action?
□ Can I build on this answer with follow-up questions?
□ Am I asking what I actually need to know?
□ Am I leaving room for comprehensive responses?

Red Flags:
❌ Generic questions that could apply to anyone
❌ Yes/no questions that limit responses
❌ Questions seeking information you won't use

Lesson 5: Validating LLM Responses

Critical Skill: Verify and Validate

Cross-Reference Sources:

Validation Questions to Ask Your LLM:
✅ "Can you point me to specific sources where I can verify this information?"
✅ "What aspects of your response should I double-check with official RM Compare documentation?"
✅ "Are there any parts of this explanation that might vary based on my specific licence plan?"

Best Practice: Use LLMs for understanding and interpretation, official sources for verification and specifics.

Lesson 6: Building Your Personal Question Library

Create Your Question Toolkit:

Starter Templates:

Personalization Strategy:

  1. Adapt templates to your specific role and context
  2. Build a collection of your most effective questions
  3. Refine questions based on response quality
  4. Share successful questions with colleagues

Pro Tip: Good questions are reusable assets - build your library systematically.

Lesson 7: Advanced Questioning Techniques

Level Up Your Questions:

The Follow-Up Strategy:
Start broad → Get specific → Explore implications → Plan next steps

Example Sequence:

  1. "Explain RM Compare's Licence Centre model for a university context"
  2. "How does this model handle data privacy between different departments?"
  3. "What are the implications for our current data governance policies?"
  4. "What questions should I ask our legal team before implementation?"

The Perspective Shift:
Ask the same question from different viewpoints:

The Scenario Generator:
"Create 3 scenarios where [RM Compare feature] would be most/least effective for [your context]"

Lesson 8: Integration and Next Steps

What You've Mastered:
✅ Five foundational question types for learning complex systems
✅ Context-specific questioning for personalized learning
✅ Validation techniques for LLM responses
✅ Quality assessment for your questions
✅ Building a personal question library

Your Learning Toolkit:
📝 Question templates adapted to your role
🔍 Validation strategy using official resources
🎯 Personalized learning approach
📚 Foundation for continued questioning mastery

Next Module Preview:
Module 2: Operational Questions - Mastering the How-To

Your Assignment:
Use your new questioning skills with your LLM this week. Come back with:

Extend Your Learning:
💡 Master Prompt: "I'm developing expertise in RM Compare through strategic questioning. Help me create a personalized learning plan based on my role as [X] and my goals of [Y]. What sequence of questions should I ask to build comprehensive understanding most effectively?"

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