PretectalStart here
Open the case map. Write the learner's decision and its preferred explanation, then fill in feedback for each possible answer before building any branching interface.
Your finished output: The case includes a source-linked answer map, tested routes for every response and return, facilitator notes, a static equivalent, and a separate reviewed transfer question.
Pause and revise when: Two choices are defensible without enough information to distinguish them, a branch lacks feedback, or the fallback changes the reasoning task. Fix the answer map before extending the interaction.
Before you start
An interaction earns its place when it helps someone reason. Start with a decision and the explanation you want learners to produce, then choose the lightest format that supports it.
For: Faculty, workshop facilitators, and clinical education teams.
The deliverable: A case segment, reviewed answer map, and facilitator notes.
Gather these inputs
- An approved learning objective and an original fictional case or authorized material
- The source-supported reasoning behind the answer and alternatives
- Delivery constraints: live room, remote session, individual learning, or offline slides
The workflow
01Choose the reasoning task
Select one task: predict an outcome, prioritize information, compare interpretations, or explain a limitation. Decide what an incorrect response would reveal about understanding.
- AI can help
- Propose question formats and likely misunderstandings from supplied teaching material.
- You decide
- Choose a task that fits the learner's knowledge and the available evidence. Avoid testing a detail you have not taught or established.
- Keep
- One decision with an explicit learning purpose.
02Write the answer map
Draft the preferred answer, acceptable alternatives, and explanation for each distractor before building the interface. Mark cases as fictional. Attach sources to clinical reasoning and resolve ambiguous choices.
- AI can help
- Suggest alternative wording and candidate distractors, each accompanied by its proposed rationale.
- You decide
- Check that distractors are plausible but clearly distinguishable in the information provided. Reject invented clinical claims and trick wording.
- Keep
- A complete question-and-feedback map.
03Prototype the interaction
Use a prediction followed by an evidence reveal, or a short branch with a defined ending. Keep all learner-facing clinical text fixed and reviewed for this first workflow. Allow learners to change their mind after feedback.
- AI can help
- Build the interface from the approved answer map and help implement keyboard and screen-reader support.
- You decide
- Try every answer and every return path. Confirm the code shows the matching explanation and does not expose answers prematurely.
- Keep
- A working interaction with complete states.
04Prepare the room
Provide an equivalent slide or printable handout for weak connectivity. Put facilitator notes beside the interaction: what to ask, when to reveal, and what misunderstanding to discuss.
- AI can help
- Adapt the approved interaction into a static question-and-answer sequence.
- You decide
- Rehearse on the presentation hardware. Check text size at distance, focus visibility, and whether the fallback preserves the lesson.
- Keep
- Live and offline delivery versions.
05Check transfer
Ask a new question that tests the same concept with different surface details. Collect the explanation as well as the selected answer. Use the result to revise the teaching sequence.
- AI can help
- Draft candidate transfer questions and organize anonymous feedback you are authorized to use.
- You decide
- Review the new question independently. Participation and enjoyment are useful signals, but do not establish learning effectiveness.
- Keep
- A transfer question and an iteration record.
A useful starting prompt
This prompt scaffolds a task. It does not verify its own output or replace the review described above.
Use material you are authorized to share. Replace the bracketed inputs and review the result against the original sources.
What changes in practice
The speaker asks whether everyone understands and advances to the next slide.
Learners choose an interpretation, explain their choice, inspect the evidence, and answer a new application question.
The response exposes reasoning that a passive reveal would leave invisible. The facilitator can address the specific misunderstanding.
Explore progressive clues in WhatsTheDx ↗Ready for handoff
- Every branch ends in reviewed feedback and has a clear next step.
- Fictional and synthetic content is labeled at the point of use.
- Keyboard, touch, and static fallback paths preserve the learning task.
- The transfer question checks understanding rather than recall of wording.
Sources and further reading
Source links checked October 2, 2026. Our production workflows are editorial recommendations; provider requirements apply to their own activities.
PhET · University of Colorado Boulder
A design reference for inquiry, multiple representations, and feedback; not evidence that Pretectal improves learning.
ACCME · September 22, 2026
Distinguishes reviewed educational materials from dynamically generated clinical answers.