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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:

Anna, You did an excellent job on this IDA. It's clear that you spent a lot of time here. Your problem statement in #6 works well, but to me it's a little wordy. This may be a matter of opinion, but I prefer the statement in #3 because it is more simple. The only big issue you have is with step #7. For your instructional goals, it is best to get in the habit of using the "student will be able to..." (SWBAT) format that Lloyd suggests. You'll be doing this in future IDAs. Your goals should be written in terms of what students will be able to do 'after' they complete instruction, which was provided by diabetes workshop. So, an appropriate instructional goal is that "Students will be able to correctly count carbohydrates and read food nutrition labels." You can take all of the goals that you have written and easily put them into this format. Great job! Email me if you have any questions. Lindsay

 

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:

A diabetes management workshop at a regional medical center.

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:

Patients that have been previously diagnosed with diabetes are members of the community and the workforce. Within the Diabetes Management workshop there are referral systems from inpatient services and affiliated physician's offices, one instructor(Dietitian), tools(videos,individualized nutrition plans,food models) and patients who are motivated to control their blood sugar.

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:

Patients who have previously attended the diabetes workshop and are experiencing uncontrolled blood sugars. Patients have uncontrolled blood sugar levels because they are unsure of what foods to eat and how much to eat. Patients are overweight due to lack of physical activity and poor nutrition choices. Patients inability to understand and interpret nutrition information available on food packages.

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:

If the patients are unable to control blood sugar levels within acceptable ranges, complications such as heart disease, nephropathy(kidney failure), retinopathy(blindness), peripheral neuropathy(circulation problems/amputation) and possible diabetic coma could occur. All of the listed complications may increase the patients health care costs and may lead to death.

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 Diabetes Management workshop is not adequately preparing the patients to control blood sugars with proper nutrition choices.

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:

Conduct a focus group with patients who have been successful controlling blood sugars after completing the workshop. Interview patients who have not been successful and determine what they would like to know. Determine how many patients have been hospitalized due to diabetes related complications.

Your final response:

Successful patients opinions on what caused their success. Patients who have a strong support system are more successful. Patients opinions on what information is most important to them such as carbohydrate counting and reading nutrition facts labels. Patients feel bombarded with too much information at one time. Information on how non-compliance can affect future hospitalization and medical costs.

Your final response:

-Patients feel that the workshop should be spread out over a period of two months.(felt need) -Patients are not making proper nutrition choices and are not participating in physical activity (normative) -Patients feel that the there is not enough practical information provided such as carbohydrate counting and reading nutrition fact labels (felt need) -Patients need to control blood sugars adequately to prevent or reduce complications (expressed) -Patients require a support system in order to be successful at controlling blood sugars (expressed) -Patients request food demonstration to see what foods are appropriate and what portion sizes look like (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:

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. Patients are not making proper nutrition choices and are not participating in physical activity (normative) 2. Patients feel that the there is not enough practical information provided such as carbohydrate counting and reading nutrition fact labels (felt need) 3. Patients request food demonstration to see what foods are appropriate and what portion sizes look like (felt need) 4. Patients feel that the workshop should be spread out over a period of two months.(felt need) 5. Patients require a support system in order to be successful at controlling blood sugars (expressed) 6. Patients need to control blood sugars adequately to prevent or reduce complications (expressed)

Your final response:

Need 1-4 are needs that the diabetes management workshop can address through changes in instruction and scheduling. Need 4 can be encouraged and could be met with a buddy system set up among patients to encourage each other. Need 5 may be met with a change in needs 1-3, it is more of a residual effect than a need that can be directly addressed.

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 Diabetes Management Workshop has overwhelmed the participants with too much information in a compact time frame and does not address the patient's immediate concerns(such as carbohydrate counting and interpreting nutrition facts labels), does not provide hands-on cooking lessons, and does not provide the support needed for success.

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 instruction on carbohydrate counting and interpreting the nutrition facts label. 2. Provide cooking demonstrations of appropriate foods in order to show patients that healthy foods can taste good and also show appropriate portion sizes. 3. Extend the diabetes management courses to include three sessions that are spread out over a one month period in order to not overwhelm patients with information.

 

Your final response:

The patients will be more willing to follow a nutrition plan after trying foods that are within the plan. They will also be more interested in the workshop when information on carbohydrate counting and interpretation of nutrition labels are is presented.

The instructor's feedback to step 7:

No specific feedback given on this step.