Definition
Training objectives that develop a student's higher-level thinking skills, including judgment, risk management, and decision-making, rather than only teaching procedural or motor skills. They are written so the student must evaluate a situation, weigh options, and choose a course of action, often in scenarios that have more than one acceptable outcome.
Plain English
Lesson goals that teach a student how to think and make good choices in the cockpit, not just how to perform a maneuver. Success is measured by the quality of the student's decisions, not only by whether they followed a set procedure.
Context Anchor
Seen in instructor lesson planning, especially when a lesson is meant to build judgment, risk awareness, and real-world decision-making.
Derivation
From 'decision' (the act of choosing between options) and 'objective' (a goal to be reached). Together: a training goal aimed at building the student's ability to choose well.
Why Pilots Care
Builds the judgment pilots need to handle unexpected situations safely beyond rote procedures.
Intuition Check
Decision-based does not mean the student is just asked for an opinion. It means the student must make a reasoned aviation choice using the situation, the available information, and a clear standard for what counts as a safe or acceptable decision.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor wrote a decision-based objective requiring the student to choose a suitable diversion airport when weather along the planned route deteriorated.
Example Sentence 2
Decision-based objectives helped the student learn to weigh options when weather changed during a cross-country flight.