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:
Hi Radcliff:
Your final draft meets the requirements of the assignment. You improved several sections from the first draft to the final draft. Your goal #2 is the best instructional goal. Goal # is about access to educational materials, but it is what the teachers will be able to do after completing the materials that should be the focus of the goal.
Nice work on this assignment.
Dr. Law
Hi Radcliff:
Your topic is very interesting and relevant to Instructional Technology. I noticed a few things that could be improved on the Needs Assessment:
You stated, "Since teachers want their students to be successful then it is obvious that they do not feel competent to keep their website updated."
- This indicates that you know that the problem relates to a lack of skill in website development. Not until later did you introduce the idea that it could be a lack of time (which is plausible considering how much teachers are asked to do already).
Your final selection of goals should only include instructional goals. Please update this section to indicate which specific instructional goals you are going to focus on. Please resubmit it once you have updated these 2 sections and I will review it again.
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:
Teacher websites on the website of an elementary school.
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 teacher websites
school website
the school district’s website
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:
Teacher websites are not always updated with current information about the classroom.
Few teacher websites have links that allow for the access to and the practice of the curriculum for parents and students respectively.
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:
These symptoms seem to indicate a possible problem in the ability of teachers to update and maintain their classroom web-page.
Teachers know that informed parents are more able to support their child's learning. The easy access to support material and practice on the internet would facilitate students gaining competency in thier subject matter.
Some of the websites are updated and maintained so it is possible that some teachers do not have access to the training on how to do this or maybe it is possible that some teachers may not have the time to access this instruction. Futher assessment may provide the answers.
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:
Teachers may not have the ability to or the knowledge of how to maintain their classroom website and offer dynamic links to information that will support student learning and effective communication.
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.
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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:
a.) Administer survey to teacher on their skills and level of comfort in maintaining their website.
b.) Teacher meeting to query teacher on their willingness to attend training on these skills.
c.) Survey parents on their ability to communicate effectively with their child's teacher using the website.
d.) Survey parents on their access to, and their willingness to use internet resources to help their child sustain improvement in their understanding of classroom material.
e.) Research the District’s Professional Development in the area of Technology.
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Your final response:
a. Some teachers are comfortable in using website tools
-Some teachers have the skills necessary to maintain their websites.
-Most have intermediate skills but are not aware of the tools available.
b. 40% of the teachers are willing to attend training, especially if they can get PLU credits or if given time for this during school hours.
c. At least 50 % of the parents surveyed say that they are not aware of the links on the teacher’s website and the presence of regularly updated information on the site.
d. most parents have access to internet tools and are willing to communicate with their child’s teacher by internet. They would use internet tools and resources if directed to it.
e. the district does offer professional development learning in technology.
It offers a few links to resources for making websites but no training in doing it.
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Your final response:
a.) Teachers need training in the tools available for web design. (normative)
b Teachers need time allocated for professional development. (expressed)
c) The district needs to give PLU credits for attending web design (comparative)
d) Parents need clear information on the availability of communication tools and internet resources on teacher's website and they need to inform teachers that they use the site regularly (expressed)
d Parents need awareness on the importance of regular practice in their child’s success in school and yearly state assessments. (felt)
e) The district need to provide on-site technology trainers. (felt)
f) Students will need more technology skills as technological advancement in society continues.
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*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:
e) The district needs to provide on-site technology trainers. (felt)
a.) Teachers need training in the tools available for web design. (normative)
b.) Teachers need school-time allocated for professional development. (expressed)
c) The district needs to give PLU credits for attending web design (comparative)
d) Parents need clear information on the availability of communication tools and internet resources on teacher's website and they need to inform teachers that they use the site regularly (expressed)
d) Parents need awareness on the importance of practice in their child’s success in school and yearly state assessments.
f) Students will need more technology skills as technological advancement in society continues. (Anticipated)
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Your final response:
I chose e) first because easy access to training will encourage teachers to seek help in this area. These trainers should provide training in web design. If the teachers receive credits for their time devoted to this, then this will encourage them to treat these courses in the same priority as training in other areas.
I then put the parents and teacher communication next because parents will encourage their children to use the teacher web site if they know their importance in driving success.
Next parents communicating that these sites are used and valued will drive teacher efforts to use them and keep them updated.
And lastly students do need to develop their technology skills but they will only do so at home if parents encourage and support the use of it.
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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:
Teachers do not have access to on-site/online technology training to show them how to maintain their classroom website so that it will offer dynamic and current links to information that support student learning.
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 Teachers will be able to access on-line training in the district’s program that is used for the web-page development.
2. Teachers will be able to create and upload a classroom website using the program for Teacher website administration.
3. Teachers will be be able to access useful internet educational resources and creates links to these websites from thier classroom website.
4. Teachers will be able to setup guestbooks to allow parents to communicate on their use of the teacher webpage.
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Your final response:
Completing goals 1 and 2 first will allow teachers the opportunity to become aware of the tools and training that are available to allow them get a web site up and running on thier own. In the past, they may not have felt close enough to the process as someone else may have input thier information for them.
Once that is done, then the teacher can become familiar with array of internet educational resouces that can be linked to from their website, and get feedback from their student's parents on the usefulness of the web-page.
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The instructor's feedback to step 7:
No specific feedback given on this step.
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