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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:

Excellent work! You really seem to get it! Please consider letting me show your IDA to other students as a model example (email me to let me know).

 

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:

Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic - the Georgia Unit

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:

Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic - Headquarters, Princeton, NJ runs 32 recording studios across the country. Each studio records text books requested by headquarters. Blind and Dyslexic individuals become members at the national level and then have access to headquarters library and may also request text books not already in the library. The library contains recordings of over 90,000 text books which are recorded by the individual recording studios, the Georgia Unit being one. Within the local unit the organization depends financially on grants, endowments and donations from local and state resources. Volunteers at the local unit fall into 4 categories: readers, directors, bookmarkers and checkers. Perhaps most importantly to the local system the Georgia unit's volunteers come entirely from the Athens area community and a majority have some association to the University of Georgia.

The instructor's feedback to step 1:

Excellent.

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:

* All occurred after the Georgia Unit switched from analog to digital equipment. 1) The older, long-term volunteers quit at a much increased rate. 2) More mistakes were being made not in reading but in operating the equipment. 3) Efficiency dropped, therefore book production dropped. 4) Noticeable change in attitude among older volunteers, timid and hesitant around equipment. 5) Older (age-wise) volunteers less likely to stay in program after being trained on digital equipment.

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:

These symptoms indicate an error because they only began happening after the organization "went digital". Decreased book production means that organization is not using funding to its fullest extent. Older volunteers often have the most experience with the text material and are a huge asset to the RFB&D community.

The instructor's feedback to step 2:

Excellent -- makes sense.

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:

Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic does not properly train those volunteers who are not experienced computer users.

The instructor's feedback to step 3:

Excellent first draft -- succinct and well stated. You have appropriately put the context as the subject of this statement.

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:

1) Volunteer interviews. 2) RFB&D staff interviews. 3) Administer test of computer skills. 4) Discussion with other RFB&D units across the country. 5) National polls about older adults and computer operation.

Your final response:

1) Uncomfortable with interface. 1) Difficulty with mouse operation. 1) Have a hard time grasping linear (analog) vs. non-linear (digital) 1) General fear of equipment. 2) Software not fail-proof. 2) Older volunteers afraid to break digital equipment by pressing the wrong button; also afraid that any mistake will erase what has already been recorded. 2) Younger volunteers more likely to be "hard-wired" with computer savvy. 3) Test shows that reaction time is slower in older adults. 3) Test reveals that older adults have the ability to learn just have not been given the proper tools. 3) Repetition and explaination of procedure increased older adult's scores on re-test of computer skills. 4) Discussions with other RFB&D units reveals that situation is universal among the RFB&D community. 5) Polls indicate that older adults like email & internet but do not feel as comfortable manipulating files, folders and documents or interacting with complicated or multi-functioning software. 5) Polls indicate older adults want to learn but feel intimidated the technology.

Your final response:

1) Older adults are scared and intimidated (felt need). 2) Older adults are less likely to use and understand computer programs. (normative need) 3) Older adults don't understand computers as compared to younger generations. (comparative need) 4) Older adults want to learn. (expressed need) 5) Older adults need computer training wherein the processes and procedures are repeated for increased comprehension. (expressed and anticipated 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:

Great! Very logical progression from data sources to data to needs.

5. Prioritize your list of needs.Which are most important? Why are they most important?

Prioritized needs

Reasons/evidence for priority

Your final response:

Older adults want to learn. Older adults are scared and intimidated. Older adults need computer training wherein the processes and procedures are repeated for increased comprehension.

Your final response:

These three needs best describe the current situation for older adults and computers. Adults want to learn therefore this need is support for a proper training procedure to be implemented. The reason older adults fall behind in the computer training is that they are scared and intimidated by the equipment. This is the reason that they become discouraged and less likely to continue as volunteers. The final need listed is important because it expresses the need to implement a proper training program to facilitate older adults' learning while being sensitive to their fears and hesitations.

The instructor's feedback to step 5:

Excellent.

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 Georgia Unit for Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic's equipment training program does not consider the specific fears and hesitations of the older adult volunteer by including detailed explainations and multiple repetitions of processes and procedures.

The instructor's feedback to step 6:

Excellent -- good revisions.

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) Seperate training program for inexperienced computer users. 2) New program will consist of more repetitions of procedures. 3) One-on-one training by staff member or more experienced volunteer to ensure understanding. 4) Written material, including steps of what to do, to take home. 5) Extra training sessions and computer "free-time" setup outside of regular scheduled volunteer session.

 

Your final response:

1) This will allow learners to move at a slower more deliberate pace. They will be more likely to ask questions within a group who is just as inexperienced as they are. 2) It was shown that repetition is an effective way to help older adults learn. 3) One-on-one training will allow learner to ask as many questions as needed. Gives staff opportunity to assess training deficencies more accurately. Builds sense of community and increases older adult likliness to ask for help. 4) Gives older adults who are used to absorbing knowledge through conventional means, like written directions, a hard copy of directions to study. Meets them in their comfort zone. 5) Lets older adults become familiar with computer without the stress of being in volunteer situation. Gives them opportunity to learn how to interact with the computer...learning through doing.

The instructor's feedback to step 7:

Very good general goals. The next step -- on the next IDA -- is to turn these goals into ones that can be evaluated in terms of student learning outcomes.