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Instructional Design Activity: Needs Analysis

 

Overall Instructor Rating: Exemplary

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:

Excellent work on this IDA Brent. Your Needs Assessment is well formulated and focuses on instructional goals to address the problem and opportunity. I had a concern as I was reading it that you were not focusing enough on the "why" part of using these services and too much on the lack of awareness. I was glad to see that you came to this conclusion at the end and made it your top insturctional goal. Your study is also designed well and very thorough. William had some good suggestions that you incoporated. Dr. Law.

 

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:

Athens and UGA-area transportation related websites, such as www.bikeathens.com.

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 BikeAthens website is the primary communication tool of the organization for relaying information related to transportation issues in Athens-Clarke County, GA. The website provides comprehensive information on Athens area transportation-related news, laws, events, and opportunities, focusing primarily on bicycling, pedestrian issues, and public transit.

The instructor's feedback to step 1:

No specific feedback given on this step.

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:

Less than .5% of the University of Georgia community takes advantage of the Alternative Transportation Plan, a program provided by UGA Parking Services whereby participants receive 24 free parking passes in return for a commitment to commute to campus by bicycle, on foot, or via car pools or public transit. In a city as relatively compact as Athens, and with as many transportation choices as there are available, it seems there is a lack of awareness regarding this tangible benefit of exploring transportation options.

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:

The low participation in the ATP program, which is especially generous in light of parking permit costs at UGA, is due to ignorance of its existence. Low participation potentially signals a widespread ignorance of the multiple transportation options in Athens, as well. Numerous articles in the local "Athens Banner-Herald" and "Red and Black" newspapers confirm the persistent and serious issue of traffic congestion in Athens, which is particularly acute during UGA's Fall and Spring semesters, i.e. while students are Athens. Recent efforts by the UGA administration to mitigate on-campus automobile traffic reflect a broad consensus that too many individual students rely on private automobiles for short trips in and around campus. An alternative approach to solving local traffic congestion involves the construction of wider roads and streets as well as numerous parking decks. While this approach seems sensible, historical trends indicate that this approach merely exacerbates traffic congestion, air pollution, and poor land use practices. UGA's efforts away from this approach underscore the move in favor of a diversity of transportation choices. UGA's Alternative Transportation Program incentives further demonstrate this shift in planning.

The instructor's feedback to step 2:

No specific feedback given on this step.

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:

The University of Georgia does not adequately inform new students, faculty, or staff of the availability of the Alternative Transportation Program.

The instructor's feedback to step 3:

No specific feedback given on this step.

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:

1. Determine an exact count of ATP participants through UGA Parking Services 2. Gather UGA ridership data from Athens Transit 3. Perform randomized survey of class regarding awareness of ATP 4a. Obtain traffic count data from Athens-Clarke County, broken down by month 4b. Compare traffic count data to UGA enrollment terms 5. Research similar university communities who have successfully implemented ATP-type initiatives

Your final response:

1. Number of ATP participants 2. Number of UGA-affiliated persons who use Athens Transit 3. Levels of awareness of ATP among UGA graduate students 4. Relative flow of traffic compared to student presence in Athens 5. Comparative data on like programs from similar communities

Your final response:

1. UGA community does not recognize available transportation options as well as other university communities [comparative] 2. The ATP experiences a very low participation rate [expressed] 3. Too many students rely on private automobiles [felt]

*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:

No specific feedback given on this step.

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. Too many students rely on private automobiles [felt] 2. The ATP experiences a very low participation rate [expressed] 3. UGA community does not utilize available transportation options as well as other university communities [comparative]

Your final response:

ATP enrollment figures are placed second because they represent a symptom of increased awareness of available transportation choices. Car reliance receives top priority because it reflects the fundamental, individual lack of awareness of the transportation choices and incentives available. In contrast to comparable university communities, UGA likewise does not collectively emphasize the importance of adopting multiple means of transportation.

The instructor's feedback to step 5:

No specific feedback given on this step.

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:

The University of Georgia does not adequately inform students, faculty, or staff of the variety or benefits of non-automobile transportation options available on campus and in Athens-Clarke County.

The instructor's feedback to step 6:

No specific feedback given on this step.

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. Learners will be able to describe the general benefits of using public transit, walking, or biking, as opposed to relying exclusively on an automobile. 2. Learners will be able to list the transportation opportunities available in Athens-Clarke County. 3. Learners can identify resources for obtaining further information related to walking, biking, and using public transit in Athens. 4a. Learners can describe the benefits of enrollment process of the ATP. 4b. Learners can describe the enrollment process of the ATP.

 

Your final response:

The top two instructional goals reflect the macro and micro-level knowledge necessary for reducing UGA-affiliated car traffic in Athens. An understanding of the general benefits of transportation diversity should lead to an embrace of the local benefits. Once the benefits of options are understood generally, learners should be directed to an awareness of the local options available. The final two goals reflect a further narrowing of the instructional focus so that learners can explore local options in more depth and realize tangible, personal benefits to adopting new behaviors.

The instructor's feedback to step 7:

No specific feedback given on this step.