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Instructional Design Activity: Needs Analysis

 

Overall Instructor Rating: Exemplary

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:

An excellent Needs Assessment IDA. You seem to understand this process very well. Here are several notes for you: First, you have done a great job fleshing out the context in step 1. I think most of our instructional design students don't have ready access to information on the broader job market trends such as what you have identified. It's great to see that kind of broad systems view of things. One minor change I would suggest is in your discussion of why these symptoms show a problem in step 2: The expression "however, they have experienced situations inside our outside school where they’ve participated in projects and activities in which they’ve demonstrated appropriate transferable skills" is relevant to the IDA but it's extraneous to this item and can be taken out. I really like the way you allowed your Problem statement to evolve. At first you framed the problem in terms of a specific tool - the S/TAR method, but by step 6 you appropriately changed this to refer to preparing students for successful interviewing. And your context is the subject of the sentence, which is as it should be. (I do like the sound of the S/TAR method, though - it's simple, logical, and apparently very effective. I was not familiar with it.) You've done a nice job in steps 4 & 5 describing how data would be collected and then identifying & prioritizing the needs. But in 5c - what is the reason for this particular order of priority? Your responses don't seem to answer that question about the first and second priority. Again, in step 7 you have identified appropriate instructional goals and stated them well. But why this particular order of priority? You have commented about why individual items are important, but not, for example, why you selected #1 as the top priority. The above criticisms are also relatively minor points for you to keep in mind. And in fact, though I hope you'll take note of the points I've made, I can't seem to bring myself to give you anything less than an "Exemplary" rating. Well done! 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 high school Business Administration 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 Business Administration course is taught in a Metro Atlanta area public high school. Per U.S. census projections, Atlanta is one of the fastest growing metro areas in the U.S.; Atlanta will have one of the largest populations of 18-34 year olds by 2010; Atlanta metro population will be one of the most highly educated populations in the U.S. by 2012. Compound these factors with the average job tenure of Generation Xers and Generation Yers being 18-24 months. These all point to a highly volatile and competitive job market in the coming years. The delivery platform available in this business course is face to face; with one teacher and one student teacher.

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 business course are unable to answer mock interview questions effectively. They are unable to articulate examples of their experiences demonstrating certain job skills.

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:

Most have no prior job experience; however, they have experienced situations inside our outside school where they’ve participated in projects and activities in which they’ve demonstrated appropriate transferable skills. This is a problem because an interviewer will assume the job candidate either lacks the necessary skill, or lacks the ability to communicate professionally.

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 Business Administration class does not prepare its students to utilize the STAR method for answering interview questions.

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 from practice mock interviews

Your final response:

Mock interview responses will show which elements (if any) the students actually include in their responses. Therefore, data will help assess the completeness of their responses as well as which of the "S/TAR" elements needs the most attention in the learning plan.

Your final response:

1) The following data indicate the students don't provide complete behavioral respones in practice interviews (a-d indicate actual status): a)100% of students include an “Action” in at least 80% of their responses b)50% of students include a Situation/Task (on context) in at least 80% of their responses c)20% of students include a result in their response at least 80% of the time d)None of the students provide all S/TAR elements in any of their interview responses 2)Students have never been taught a systematic process for formulating interview responses 3)Students don’t know how to prepare for an interview

*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 don’t know how to prepare for an interview 2)Students have never been taught a systematic process for formulating interview responses 3)None of the students provided all S/TAR elements in any of their interview responses 4)20% of students include a result in their response at least 80% of the time 5)50% of students include a Situation/Task (on context) in at least 80% of their responses 6)100% of students include an “Action” in at least 80% of their responses

Your final response:

Absence or lack of knowledge or skill is a reason to justify training or indicates a learning need. 1)The fact that students don’t know how to prepare for an interview indicates a learning need. 2)The fact that they have never been taught a process for responding presents a learning need 3-6) Are just the data in severity order, showing that they are providing incomplete responses based on their level of knowledge of what should be included in their responses

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 business administration course does not prepare its students to interview successfully.

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) Business Administration students will be able to list at least five personal experiences in which they’ve demonstrated skills that can be transferred to a work setting. 2) Business Administration students will be able to match their personal experiences to the interview questions. They will be able to listen to the question, identify the skill the question is referring to, and use the appropriately matching personal experience to respond to the question. 3) Business Administration students will be able to respond to mock interview questions: a) using each of the five personal experiences b) using the S/TAR technique – Telling the situation, their action, and the result of their actions in their responses 100% of the time

 

Your final response:

1) Students need to know how the non-work related things they’ve done in the past can relate to a work setting. For example, leading a school project team that resulted in an award winning project or an “A” grade can demonstrate leadership skills. Or working on a school project team in which you helped resolve a conflict between team mates who didn’t want to work together, can demonstrate conflict resolution skills. 2) Students need to understand what the interviewee is asking to be able to appropriately answer the question.

The instructor's feedback to step 7:

No specific feedback given on this step.