FAA Fundamentals of Instructing (FOI)Assessment and CritiqueMedium
An instructor tells a student, 'Your landing was too fast; add a bit more flare input and target 65 knots on short final next time,' rather than simply saying 'work on your landings.' This illustrates which characteristic of effective critique?
- AFlexibility
- BObjectivity
- CComprehensiveness
- DSpecificity
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Specificity
An effective critique should be specific, giving the student clear, actionable, and measurable feedback rather than vague generalities, so the student knows exactly what to correct.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Flexibility refers to adapting the critique method to the situation, not the precision of wording.
- B. Objectivity means basing critique on observed facts rather than personal opinion, which is a separate quality.
- C. Comprehensiveness means covering all relevant areas of performance, not the precision of a single comment.
Specificity in Critique
An effective critique gives precise, actionable feedback that clearly identifies what was wrong and how to improve, rather than vague general statements.
- Vague feedback like 'do better' is not actionable
- Specific feedback includes measurable targets (e.g., airspeed, altitude)
- Improves student's ability to correct errors quickly
Memory trick: 'OFACOS' — Objective, Flexible, Acceptable, Comprehensive, Organized, Specific