Return to the list of Needs Assessment IDAs | Return to the IDA Library Home Page

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:

Good job overall on this IDA. There are just several points for you to look at: 1, 3, & 6. For your context (step 1), what we are trying to get you to do is to use a noun phrase, i.e., "The sixth grade language arts class at X Middle School" (see Lloyd's example). In this way, you can seamlessly use this as the subject of the sentence in your Problem Statement. This is actually important, because from an instructional design perspective, the learners are NOT the problem. The current instruction situation is the problem. Remember Lloyd's instructions (below): "Your context should be the subject of the statement." This means that "The sixth grade language arts class" or "the sixth grade language arts class at X Middle School" should be the subject of the sentence in your problem statement. It is this class where the solution is to be implemented; therefore, in terms of *instruction,* this class is where a problem is not being addressed. Thus something like, "The sixth grade language arts class at X Middle School does not adequately prepare ..." Got it? :) One other minor note: when you describe the bigger picture of the context (step 1b), it's ok to present it as a list like this for the IDA, but later, in your team project, this will need to be done as a narrative (probably a paragraph). For step 4, your extensive list of data sources is very impressive! I was a little puzzled that you listed some of the kinds of information in the form of questions, but I think I know what you meant. On the other hand, when you list the needs or gaps identified (step 5), you are asking questions again, and here that is not appropriate, so I would re-phrase these. And I think the last item in the list ("Sixth-grade students, from survey results, feel uncomfortable ...") is a felt need rather than normative. The rest of step 5 looks quite good. Step 7 is also looking great. I would just replace "know how to" in 2 to "be able to." Also, keep in mind that "gaining confidence" is an affective goal. Affective goals are often included as a secondary outcome for the instruction. You have appropriately placed it lower on the priority list. So - you've done some great work here, and at the same time there are a few things that you need to make sure you are up to speed on. If you allow your subsequent work to benefit from my feedback, I think you'll be in great shape. Greg

 

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:

The context within which this Instructional Design course takes place is a sixth-grade language arts class completing their first research project using the online database GALILEO in the school's media 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:

Middle School Media Center Sixth-grade students Research skills GALILEO

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:

Based upon media specialist complaints and personal observations, sixth-grade language arts students do not fully understand how to access and use GALILEO as a research tool. GALILEO has a "canned" tutorial that seems to have worked well with the eighth-grade students at this school, but when given to the sixth-graders, the results were atrocious. Sixth-grade students have shown their lack of GALILEO knowledge in the fact that they do not cite it as a source on any research papers completed thus far in the school year. They are confused on how to access GALILEO and how to locate the information they need.

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 observations and media specialist discussions pose a problem in that these students may continue their education not understanding or utilizing GALILEO at all. This could lead to failing grades in high school and college, which could lead to lower test scores on standardized tests. These students will not become true information literate adults if they don't understand basic research tools like GALILEO.

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 sixth-grade students at White County Middle School do not understand how to access and use the online research database GALILEO when completing research papers.

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:

a. Interview the sixth-grade language arts teachers to assess their opinion of the students' capabilities with GALILEO. b. Interview the media specialist on her success using the "canned" GALILEO tutroial with the eighth-grade students but not the sixth-grade students. c. Interview the media specialist on her observations of sixth-grade students' research habits when they enter the library. d. Personal observations of sixth-grade research papers and projects showing no GALILEO citations. e. Reports generated by GALILEO showing White County Middle School's GALILEO access use. f. Survey sixth-grade students on their knowledge of GALILEO. g. Survey the eighth-grade students on their knowledge of GALILEO. h. Media Speciialist's observations from the sixth-grade and eighth-grade students using the GALILEO tutorial (her opinion of how the tutorial went over with the students). i. Research paper lesson plans gathered from sixth-grade and eighth-grade teachers.

Your final response:

a. The teachers' opinions on student GALILEO use. b. The media specialist's opinion on where the "canned" tutorial was wrong for the sixth-grade students. c. The media specislit's opinion on student's research skills. d. Personal observation of research papers where GALILEO was not used as a source. e. Are White County Middle School students accessing GALILEO at all? How often are they accessing it? Are they using it during school hours? f. How comfortable sixth-grade students are with using GALILEO. g. How comfortable eighth-grade students are with using GALILEO (after having completed the "canned" tutorial). h. Any materials egenerated from when the media specialist completed the "canned" GALILEO tutorial with the eighth-grade and sixth-grade students. i. The actual lesson plans used to assign these research papers, are they too hard for the sixth-grade students? Are they too easy for the eighth-grade atudents?

Your final response:

Sixth-grade teachers believe students need more assistance in accessing and using GALILEO for research papers (felt). Sixth-grade students do not understand or react the same way eighth-grade students do toward the "canned" GALILEO tutorial (normative). If students don't understand how to access and use an inportant source like GALILEO, how will they successfully complete high school and college research papers (future)? Media specialist expresses the need for a more grade-appropriate tutorial of GALILEO for the sixth-grade students (expressed). Sixth-grade students, from survey results, feel uncomfortable navigating such a huge database as GALILEO to find one pertinent fact for their research paper(normative).

*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. Sixth-grade students, from survey results, feel uncomfortable navigating such a huge database as GALILEO to find one pertinent fact for their research paper(normative). 2. Media specialist expresses the need for a more grade-appropriate tutorial of GALILEO for the sixth-grade students (expressed). 3. Sixth-grade teachers believe students need more assistance in accessing and using GALILEO for research papers (felt). 4. If students don't understand how to access and use an inportant source like GALILEO, how will they successfully complete high school and college research papers (future)? 5. Sixth-grade students do not understand or react the same way eighth-grade students do toward the "canned" GALILEO tutorial (normative).

Your final response:

1. If the students feel uncomfortable using GALILEO they won't use it thus creating a need for a course, age appropriate, on accessing and using GALILEO. 2. The media specialist has a firt hand account of trying the "canned" tutorial with the sixth-grade students and having it fail. Her need to have a more appropriate teaching tool is high on the priority. 3. Teacher opinion is important because they work with these students everday and if the teachers feel they are unprepared how can they expected to complete larger research papers in high school and college? 4. Same reasoning as above. 5. Because the sixth-grade students reacted differently to the "canned" tutorial shows a need for a more grade-appropriate tool that will help them learn how to access and use GALILEO.

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:

White County Middle School sixth-grade students need a GALILEO tutorial activity that engages their learning at their level and instills an expert mentality when accessing and using GALILEO for research papers.

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. Sixth-grade students will be able to access the GALILEO database from home and school. 2. Sixth-grade students will know how to find and disseminate information on their topic fom a GALILEO database. 3. Sixth-grade students will be able to complete a citation for their bibliography page when using information from GALILEO. 4. Sixth-grade students will gain confidence in accessing and using GALILEO on their own for research papers.

 

Your final response:

Reasons 1-2 are the most important because they deal with information literacy. An information literate student should understand how to access and find information they need by using GALILEO.

The instructor's feedback to step 7:

No specific feedback given on this step.