One knowledge component at a time
Maestro decomposes a course into mastery nodes. Each node teaches exactly one thing a learner must genuinely master — which is what makes precise, per-learner adaptation possible.
What a node is
A course in Maestro is not a linear list of lessons. It is a graph of mastery nodes. Each node teaches exactly one Knowledge Component (KC) — the unit of analysis cognitive science uses to model learning: one idea, skill, or distinction the learner must truly master.
In Journey, each node is a lesson, grouped into subtopics along a course road. Every lesson ends with a check, and the evidence from that check decides what the learner is offered next — another way in, a worked example, or simply the next lesson. The learner always sees why, and chooses.
What every node carries
- A single KC. The one thing the node teaches — nothing bundled, nothing muddled.
- Misconception bindings. The tempting errors the lesson's check can catch, each drawn from a shared, reviewed registry.
- Evidence requirements. What actually counts as proof that the KC is mastered.
- Its recovery pieces. A mix-up message, a second way in, a worked example, and a look back — produced before the lesson can be released.
Why one KC per node
Bundling many ideas into one lesson hides where a learner actually struggles. When a node teaches a single knowledge component — the grain size at which learning is actually measurable — diagnosis becomes precise and support becomes targeted: you know exactly what a learner has and has not grasped.
The path is designed, the route is personal
Authors design the map of nodes; each learner's route through it is decided by their own evidence.