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Instructional Design Activity: Needs Analysis

 

Overall Instructor Rating: Satisfactory

Ratings explanation:

  • Exemplary - A model answer in almost every way (this is given out very rarely).
  • Satisfactory - Very well done; you've met the expectations of the assignment. There are some minor problems, so read my feedback well.
  • Marginal Pass - You pass, but there are lots of issues to consider. Read my feedback very carefully and be sure you understand the points/issues I raise.
  • Not satisfactory, redo and resubmit - The assignment was not completed appropriately. I am concerned that you do not understand the process well enough yet. To get credit for the assignment, you need to redo it, most probably on another topic. Read and consider my feedback very carefully before redoing.

Instructor's Overall Feedback:

You did a good job here. You seem to understand the process well. Take a look at my feedback below, though.

 

1. Preliminary: Describe the context within which this potential instructional problem takes place. This will pinpoint where the problem is located. If instruction is deemed necessary, this will be the place where it will be designed and implemented.

a. List the context, also known as the "system of interest".

Your final response:

Gwinnett County Public Schools Media Centers

b. Describe or show how the context relates to the bigger environment. Show how this context relates to other levels of the system within which it works.

Your final response:

The local school environment; Gwinnett County Public Schools; K-12 public education

The instructor's feedback to step 1:

OK, but your answer here is a bit too short. What is the context of the teaching environment, media centers? What media and resources are going to be at your disposal given this setting. There are many, I know, but this is where you set the context

2. Symptoms of a problem. Write a brief description of some symptoms that make you stop and wonder if something is wrong.

Your final response:

Media specialists who are new to Gwinnett County are unable to complete yearly startup procedures and begin routine tasks without significant telephone support. Although training materials are provided in the form of manuals and handbooks, some of which are electronic, new media specialists are often confused about where to look for answers and so call the central office for "telephone training." Central office staff is not sufficient to meet this demand as well as the other duties assigned.

Using the evidence cited above, describe why you believe that these symptoms signal a problem. Keeping these questions in mind, describe the reasons for identifying these symptoms as problematic.

Your final response:

Due to limited staff, new media specialists may wait hours or even days for a complete response to their problem. Meanwhile, services to their students and teachers may be limited as they attempt to solve problems on their own without sufficient training. The expectation for local schools is that all media center services and instructional support be available from the first day of school. Often the new media specialist is dealing with impatient users as she is trying to learn new software and new policies and procedures.

The instructor's feedback to step 2:

I think I know what the instructional problem is, but you did not really state it. Is there lack of knowledge and skills on the part of media specialists in regard to services and instructional support? The problem is that teachers and students are unable to make use of services of the media center. It is manfest in their impatience. It would not be a problem if all media specialists knew their stuff.

3. Preliminary Problem Statement. Based on 1 and 2, write a preliminary draft problem statement. Your context should be the subject of the statement. This is just the initial pass -- the statement will be revised in subsequent steps.

Your final response:

New media specialists are not adequately prepared to perform the routine duties and yearly startup procedures required by their job. As a result, students and staff are not provided with sufficient services in a timely fashion.

The instructor's feedback to step 3:

Good.

4. Verify the problem and determine specific needs. Two things will now happen concurrently. First, you need a systematic procedure to identify and collect data in order to verify that a problem exists. Second, you must identify information that the data sources may help uncover.

 

Data sources (who, what)

Information gathered

What did you find? (Needs)*

Example: Interview participants in course; administer class survey; administer test of understanding.

Example: Participant opinions on IDAs and course; Participant score on test.

Example: Participants believe there is too much jargon (felt need); Participants don't understand ID vocabulary as compared to other classes (comparative need); Participants don't score above national average (comparative need); Participants don't/couldn't see the relation between their work and the ID process)

Your final response:

Telephone calls are logged at the central office in the Department of Media and Information Services. New media specialists were surveyed after one semester and again at the end of one year in the county to determine their perception of why those first months were so difficult.

Your final response:

Telephone logs for support calls received from local school media specialists. New media specialist surveys were conducted after the completion of the first semester and again at the end of the first school year. Data from surveys was compiled and some phone follow up was done. An informal survey was done prior to the school year to determine the level of familiarity each of the new hires had with the automation software used in our district.

Your final response:

Over 70% of the support calls logged at Media Services were from new media specialists. Of support calls that came from new media specialists, 34% could have been resolved independently if the media specialist had a better understanding of the tools she has at her disposal. 52% of the new media specialist calls were related to using the automation software. New media specialist surveys indicated that these professionals felt overwhelmed with the amount of information provided in paper and electronic format and simply "did not know where to start," in looking for help. The telephone was the easiest method. New media specialists did not feel adequately prepared to answer questions independently even though they had the tools necessary to do so. (felt need) The automation software was new to 90% of the new media specialists in spite of the fact that over 62% of them had previous media experience. New automation software was more complex and less familiar than the system with which they had prior experience. (comparative and felt need.)

*Note: You are not required to gather data; you can draw on your experience or imagination to list the data you might gather.

The instructor's feedback to step 4:

Good

5. Prioritize your list of needs.Which are most important? Why are they most important?

Prioritized needs

Reasons/evidence for priority

Your final response:

1. Training in routine functions of new automation software. 2. Training in the use of standard communication and training tools to allow efficient and timely independent help.

Your final response:

1. Staff and students have a reasonable expectation of using the media center on the first day of school. The new media specialist should be prepared to meet that need. 2. Often answers are literally at the fingertips of the new media specialist, but she did not know where to look. Her problems could be resolved more quickly if she knew where the needed information was stored.

The instructor's feedback to step 5:

Part of the needs were related to the new automation system, but I thought there was also problems with new Media Specialists? Is that true? Where does that get solved?

6. Rewrite your problem statement. Take a moment to look carefully at the initial problem statement that you wrote. Revisit your prioritized needs and check if your problem statement is still accurate and appropriate.

Rewrite the problem statement here:

Your final response:

Current methods of delivering new media specialist training are not sufficient for completion of routine functions involving library automation software. Communication regarding the availability of training tools is not adequate for media specialists to make independent decisions on policies and procedures.

The instructor's feedback to step 6:

Good

7. Identify the instructional goals. The last step in Needs Assessment is to list a few goals of instruction. Remember, not all goals can be solved through instruction. The instructional goals you identify will be the starting information for the next steps in the instructional design process. List the instructional goals in order of priority.

 

Instructional goals by priority

Reasons for importance

Your final response:

1. New media specialists will be able to complete the routine, basic functions of importing patron data, circulating materials and entering item data using the Mandarin M3 library automation software. 2. Media specialists will be able to choose the Media Handbook or the Tech Team Resources database as the appropriate reference for solving a problem. 3. Media Specialists will use the search function in the online Media Handbook and in the Tech Team Resources database to locate instructions and/or information relevant to the problem/issue they are facing.

 

Your final response:

1. Teachers and students should be able to check out materials beginning the first day of school. The media specialist needs these basic skills to provide access to materials for staff and students. 2. Because the beginning of the school year is so busy for central office staff, media specialists could often answer their own questions more quickly if they knew where to look. These two tools could answer most of their questions in a timely fashion while boosting their confidence in being able to handle the challenges of a new job.

The instructor's feedback to step 7:

Good.