Instructional Design

Analysis

Needs Analysis

Needs Analysis is to identify the problem, then the causes of the problem, and then identifies an array of solutions that could be implemented to solve the problem. The result of this process is one or more well-defined goals. Goals are usually stated in terms of new skills, knowledge, or attitudes that you want the learners to acquire. This includes what learners will be able to do when they complete the instruction, and the real-world context in which they will have to use these new skills.

Learner Analysis

If there is an instructional problem, the instructional designer wants to know learners characteristics including discrepancies between what they already know and what they need to know. The data can be collected by interviewing/surveying learners and document recovery (e.g. reviewing existing performance data, test scores).

· What are the general characteristics of your target population? Examples include age, grade level, topic area, etc.

· Are there any general entry behaviors that are not specific to your goal, and yet you feel are required for your intended learners to possess? (Entry Behaviors)

· Do the learners already know something about the topic? (Prior Knowledge)

· Do they have a positive attitude towards the content and the delivery system? (Attitudes Toward Content and Potential Delivery System)

· Is it reasonable to expect them to want to learn what needs to be learned? Is the topic likely to interest them? (Academic Motivation)

· Is it reasonable to expect that they can learn what needs to be learned? (Educational and Ability Levels)

· Do they have any general learning preferences? (General Learning Preferences)

· Do they have a positive attitude regarding the organization providing the instruction? (Attitudes Toward Training Organization)

· Are there any important group characteristics? How similar or diverse are they? (Group Characteristics)

· How did you obtain this information regarding the learner characteristics?

Instructional Analysis

Once the parameter of the problem and its solution have been analyzed, the designer defines the job or topic to be learned and describes the job or content in detail. It asks “What must be learned?” When determining a goal, the description of what the learners will be able to do is not complete without a description of who the learners are, the context in which the learners will use the skills (performance context), and the tools that will be available to the learners. In the end a complete goal statement should describe the following:

· The learners

· What the learners will be able to do in the performance context.

· The performance context in which the skills will be applied.

· The tools that will be available to the learners in the performance context.