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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 I-Yung: Excellent work in revising your IDA. I updated your rating to satisfactory. Dr. Law Hi I-Yung: You did a nice job on this activity. I made a few suggestions for how to improve it. You wrote, "How students use cameras in their daily life; what they look for in a picture to tell if it's professional." I would make this more about the elements of good composition, the focus of your problem. You wrote: 1. Students believe as long as the picture has everything they needed in it, that's already enough. 2. Students take picture mostly for documenting their daily life. Shouldn't you be asking them if they can describe the elements of good composition or at least be able to identify pictures with good composition vs. bad composition? This would lead you to the problem that students cannot identify the elements of good composition. You wrote, 1. To help students understand the differences between applying composition in pictures and not. 2. To help students understand the basics of composition. 3. To help students learn how to apply composition in their daily pictures. 4. Help students explore more advanced picture taking through different types of composition. These goals need to be revised to be more specific about what the student will be able to do when they complete your instruction. For example, 1. Students will be able to identify the elements of good composition, 2. Students will be able to take pictures that apply the elements of good composition., etc. Please update your IDA with after reviewing my suggestions and send me an e-mail notification. I'll take another look and provide more feedback. 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:

Photography course.

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 course is designed for college freshmen as part of their art electives. The course is to help students learn the basics of photography in order to explore their interest in the field for more advanced courses in the future.

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:

Students in the class are able to understand the use of colors in a picture, but having trouble to take nice pictures with proper composition.

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:

Composition is a basic but important element in a good picture. It is often the composition that brings a picture to live. If the students are having trouble taking pictures based on composition, it is likely that they will have trouble appreciating the beauty of photography and will refuse to explore more in the field.

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 students do not understand the very basics of composition, and they have been using cameras only for blogging in their lives. Taking pictures are nothing more then using the camera to write their diaries, never for professional use.

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:

Interview students in the class, ask them: what are their primary uses of cameras, and how do they analyze a picture if it's professional.

Your final response:

How students use cameras in their daily life; what they look for in a picture to tell if it's professional.

Your final response:

Students believe as long as the picture has everything they needed in it, that's already enough (felt need); Students take picture mostly for documenting their daily life (expressed 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. Students believe as long as the picture has everything they needed in it, that's already enough. 2. Students take picture mostly for documenting their daily life.

Your final response:

1. The most important step is to first introduce how different it can be if the elements within a picture can be re-arranged based on composition. 2. After the students understand how composition can help a picture stand out, they will consider applying it into their daily life documentary or even exploring their interest in the field.

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:

Because of the convenient of using digital cameras today, the students' primly use of cameras is for documenting daily life. They do not understand the difference between using pictures to tell a story from allowing the picture to tell its own stories through composition.

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. To help students understand the differences between applying composition in pictures and not. 2. To help students understand the basics of composition. 3. To help students learn how to apply composition in their daily pictures. 4. Help students explore more advanced picture taking through different types of composition.

 

Your final response:

The first goal can raise the student's awareness of how composition can improve the pictures, and increase their interest in learning. The second goal will deliver the most important content to students so that even of they find themselves not interested in learning; they can still learn some applicable techniques for their future use.

The instructor's feedback to step 7:

No specific feedback given on this step.