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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:

Hi Jin: Your Needs Assessment is much improved. Your data sources are more specific and lead toward understanding your problem. Your instructional goals are specific and relate to instructional problems. Good work on the resubmission of this IDA. Dr. Law Hi, Jin This is a good start on the Needs Assessment. The rating just means that it's not ready yet. I think it could be improved in some places. Please see my comments and resubmit it for my review. 1. 4a (data sources) should be more specific. Please add more information on each data source, such as a questionnaire on employees’ difficulties and needs with? this new training. 4b should address what kinds of information you actually gathered from each data source. What you stated sounds like the purposes or contents of your data sources, not your findings. Please restate what your findings are from the data sources that you listed. 2. In 5b, you should prioritize your list of needs that you have in 5a. What you need to do is “copy the needs you just wrote, paste them here and then re-order them in order of importance”. Also, some reasons you mentioned in 5c are not clear to me. For example, you mentioned that “the design and development of learning materials will take a while to be accomplished.” Both creating a training program and learning material take quite a long time. In addition, usually designing a training program involves developing learning and teaching materials. I think what you mean by learning materials is either a job-aid or reference materials. Am I getting this right? 3. In 7a and 7b, your instructional goals are not actually goals for the instruction. Instructional goals are what learners will achieve or be able to do/perform as a result of the instruction. Will your learners provide a short training session according to the difference between employees’ previous skills and desired skills? Since you did not address your instructional goals correctly, the reasons why your top 1-2 goals are the most important should also be readdressed. For the information regarding instructional goals, please revisit the Impatica presentation for needs assessment. Finally, I would like to recommend that you take a writing tutorial service for international students provided on campus before you submit your assignments. There are two centers to provide writing help service for international students: one in Parker hall and the other in Mileage hall. As an international student, I found it very helpful and take advantage of the service whenever I write papers. Hope this helps! Thank you! Eun Jung

 

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:

Cc Company Office Outlook Training

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:

This training is offered to help new employees to master Office Outlook software required by Cc Company. Employees are required to use it to communicate with coworkers, clients and manage one’s own tasks and calendar.

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:

A concern has been raised that employees are unable to manage emails and calendar effectively. There are couples of common problems, which include spending plenty of time finding the important emails and keep up with meeting calendar. Employees feel hard to communicate with team members when they are engaged in a collaborative project, like using Office Outlook to check the work arrangements, to check ones’ own schedule, and to make an appointment.

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 difficulties will result in the decrease in work efficiency and affect the development of the company eventually.

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 new employees lack the required capabilities in using Office Outlook.

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.The literature review. 2.Questionnaire 3.Interview employees. 4.Pre-test.

Your final response:

The literature review focuses on the new employees’ job responsibility and the required skills related to Office Outlook. The questionnaire and interview focus on the employees’ difficulties and their needs. The pre-test focuses on employees’ current skills of using outlook.

Your final response:

The employees said that they were able to compose, send and receive e-mails. But they had a little experience of using advanced functions, such as using task list and contact list, collaborating with others by sharing calendar and folders, categorizing e-mails. The new employee said it was hard to find learning materials existed on the Intranet. The new employee said it was hard and uncomfortable to ask people to solve the Outlook problems. There is no special learning material to guild you how to operate this software. The new employees are lack of the ability of using advanced functions in outlook required for their work. The company doesn’t offer suitable support, materials and instructor.

*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.Provide a short training according to the difference between employees’ previous skills and desired skills. 2.Provide technical support and material support.

Your final response:

According to the cost-effectiveness principle, it’s very important to help new employees be eligible for their works as soon as possible. Providing Outlook training is a useful way to improve their skills in a short period. In addition, the company can provide the technical support and material support to help employees to solve problems when requested by new employees. The design and development of learning materials will take a while to be accomplished. In short, these strategies can improve the employees’ performance and benefit the company a lot.

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 new employees lack the required capabilities in using Office Outlook. The company didn't provide suitable material and technical support to new employees.

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.Provide a short training according to the difference between employees’ previous skills and desired skills. The goals of this training include use and share outlook calendar, organize meetings with outlook, categorize and manage emails,etc.. 2.Provide technical support and material support.

 

Your final response:

Mastering outlook is the required skill for employees’ daily work. Employees can learn what they need and apply them into their works by the systematic training. Then, they can improve their skills by reading the online learning materials and ask technician for help.

The instructor's feedback to step 7:

No specific feedback given on this step.