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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:

Great job, Gloria! I found few mistakes and what I did find was minor. It seems you have a solid grasp on the Needs Assessment process. 1a. You context tells me that there is a need for instruction in middle school Language Arts clsses but it does not tell me which aspect of LA classes needs the instruction. From your problem statement, I would suggest that the context be something like "Research Methods." Notice from Lloyd's example, the context is 'Instructional Design Course,' which is more specific than just college students, for example. Your problem statement as written in #3 and then revised in #6 were great. Although, in my opinion, #3 did not need to be changed, you added a few words in #6 which made it a little more descriptive. In #4, would you consider using student surveys to gather information? I am thinking about one in which you asked questions such as "Where would be the first place you would go to do research on ___?" or "Why would you choose to use one Internet site over another?" or "If you did not have access to a computer, where would you go to do research?" This is very minor: For your instructional goals, you used Lloyd's "student will be able to" (SWBAT) for the first goal and did not finish it in the second goal. I would suggest getting into a habit of using SWBAT for future IDAs. 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:

Middle school Language Arts classes.

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:

8th grade is the highest level of middle school students as a part of the Gwinnett County k-12 educational structure. Language Arts is one of the 4 core academic subjects taught in middle school, which includes grades 6-8. Understanding and applying research strategies is a recursive unit that is taught and built on through each year of middle school. Within the unit are direct classroom instruction and media center resources that include a diverse collection of print and AV materials, 30 computers with access to county-provided databases as well as the Internet, and one media specialist.

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:

When creating research projects, students prefer to begin with sources from the Worldwide Web. When doing so, they include sources that may be biased or unreliable. They use this information to support their stand on an issue.

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:

In order to prove a point or persuade an audience, students should use the most reliable evidence available to support their opinions. Research and experience shows that students will choose the first sources on a list of search engine returns whether they are reliable or not. CRCT score for 8th grade Language Arts skills shows that Research is one of the group's weakest strands.

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:

Middle school Language Arts classes do not adequately prepare students to analyze the reliability of their sources as they complete research projects.

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:

Data sources could include teacher surveys and interviews, CRCT test scores for the Research strand of the Language Arts section, past research projects completed by students or student pretest.

Your final response:

-teacher surveys -individual teacher interviews -CRCT test scores -student pretest

Your final response:

-Teachers report that students often choose unreliable sources (expressed need) -Teachers know that research skills are important for future (future need) -Students believe that using print and database sources is too hard (felt need) -CRCT test scores show a weakness in research skills (expressed need) -Students don't realize the importance of evaluating their sources (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. Teachers know that students will need research skills in the future (future need) 2. Teachers report that students often choose unreliable sources (expressed need) 3. Students don't realize the importance of evaluating sources (felt need) 4. Students believe that using print and database sources is too hard (felt need) 5. CRCT test scores show a weakness in research skills (expressed need)

Your final response:

-Teachers know that good research skills are vital in high school, college, and adult life. They realize that information is often used to manipulate behavior and that to be discriminating consumers and good citizens, students must be able to view sources critically. -Middle school students do not yet have the maturity to see the long-term benefits of being able to evaluate sources with a critical eye. -Improvement in the Research strand of Language Arts test scores will raise test scores, which will help schools meet AYP.

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:

Middle school Language Arts classes do not adequately prepare students to choose information for its validity and reliability when they are researching information to solve a problem or answer a question.

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.Students enrolled in an 8th grade Language Arts class will be able to create a research project using information from sources that are unbiased, up to date, and provided by trustworthy entities. 2. Students will explain why each of their sources is unbiased, up to date, and trustworthy.

 

Your final response:

These goals are important because determining bias, currency, and trustworthiness of the authors, publishers, or sponsors of information are three skills that can help students evaluate the quality of their sources. Putting their reasons for choosing sources into their own words helps students reinforce the concepts they are learning.

The instructor's feedback to step 7:

No specific feedback given on this step.