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 job. It is clear this is an issue that you are very concerned about and interested in at this moment (good choice for an IDA!). I'm quite impressed with how thoroughly you've thought through many of the issues. As I indicate below, this issue appears multi-faceted where instruction is only part of the solution to it. I've provided specific feedback below. (I'd like permission to share your IDA with the entire group. Please consider it and let me know via email.)
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:
Grayson HS
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:
· U.S. Department of Education
· Georgia Department of Education
· Gwinnett County Board of Education
o Grayson HS
§ Students
§ Parents/Guardians
§ Teachers
§ Support Staff
§ Administration
· Student Extra-curricular Activities
o Academic Clubs
o Community Service Clubs
o Sports
o Grayson Community
§ Businesses
§ City Government
§ Outreach programs
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:
a. Increased number of students who engage in cheating.
b. Ethical issues raised in the media.
c. Decreased number of interested parents.
d. ‘Soft’ consequences for unethical actions.
e. Discussions with students that cheating is rampant.
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:
a. Children are our future.
b. If young adults are consistently engaging in unethical behavior with
little repercussions, their interpretation of honesty and integrity will be
greatly jeopardized and the importance of learning will be lost.
The instructor's feedback to step 2:
Excellent! I can tell you've really thought about this issue!
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:
Grayson HS is doing a poor job enforcing and regulating rules pertaining to dishonesty and cheating.
The instructor's feedback to step 3:
Very good preliminary problem statement. However, "enforcement and regulation" don't sound like instructional problems to me. That's OK if it means that you don't think that instruction is the likely solution. If you do, however, you should rephrase with verbs such as "teach", "helping students understand", etc. to couch in an instructional tone. (It's OK to be a little fuzzy at this stage.)
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.
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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.Student discipline records.
b.Survey of parental concern.
c.Group meeting with teachers to discuss cheating and dishonesty.
d.Survey of students and their anonymous involvement in unethical behavior.
e.State and National Reports on post-secondary academic dishonesty statistics.
f.Survey of the community businesses to determine if other unethical behaviors were commonplace.
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Your final response:
a.Increase in the number of students who are caught cheating.
a.Increase in the frequency with which students are caught cheating.
b.Parents are aware that is probably occurs, but not to epidemic state it has reached.
c.Cheating is evident in at least 80% of assignments given.
c. Different methods in which high schoolers use to cheat.
c. When students are confronted with their dishonesty, most will not admit that they have done anything wrong or believe that copying someone else’s work is wrong.
d. Cheating is a common, daily occurrence in their school day.
d. Cheating is not seen as a bad thing – just an alternative way to complete an assignment.
d. Students are unaware what constitutes cheating.
e. Students caught in an academic dishonesty situation is on the rise.
f. An increase in stealing company products and ‘fudging’ hours is occurring with the younger age set.
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Your final response:
a, b, c, d, e, and f: Students and employees engaging in unethical behaviors such as stealing and cheating have increased over the last decade. (normative)
a, b, c, d, e, f: If there is a continued increase in unethical behaviors, our future will be laced with dishonesty and conceit. (future/felt)
a, b, c, e, f: Students need to be aware of and held accountable for their actions. (expressed)
a, c, f: Educators and employers believe young adults should stop these behaviors. (felt)
a, b, c, f: Parents need to become more involved in issues surrounding their children's education. (expressed)
a, d, e, f: There is a correlation in the number of students who cheat with the number of students who steal from their employers. (normative)
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*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:
Excellent! Very thorough, very logical reasoning. I'm also glad you categorized the needs according the types we discussed in class.
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 need to be aware of and held accountable for their actions. (expressed)
1. Parents need to become more involved in issues surrounding their children's education. (expressed)
2. Educators and employers believe young adults should stop these behaviors. (felt)
3. Students and employees engaging in unethical behaviors such as stealing and cheating have increased over the last decade. (normative)
4. There is a correlation in the number of students who cheat with the number of students who steal from their employers. (normative)
5. If there is a continued increase in unethical behaviors, our future will be laced with dishonesty and conceit. (future/felt)
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Your final response:
The first step to addressing and enforcing a cheating policy is to create one. The policy will then need to become an integral part of the rules and be made public by publishing rules and consequences in student/parent literature. Parents should support the policy and encourage its enforcement.
Those involved in education and the community notice a problem exists with dishonesty and want to address this issue. Students need to become educated in what is expected from an ethical citizen.
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The instructor's feedback to step 5:
Very well articulated!
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:
Grayson HS students need to become aware of and held accountable for their
unethical cheating behavior.
The instructor's feedback to step 6:
Good revision. It sounds to me that this problem is multi-faceted. Part of it is instructional and part of it isn't: a matter of setting policy. Of course, making students aware of the policy has an instructional side to it, but it's more about conveying information to them about the policy and its consequences. I think the instructional side deals with teaching about values, honesty, and respect for other people's intellectual property.
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. Create and make readily available a cheating policy and its consequence if not followed.
1. Establish a strict, consistent punishment for failure to following the established cheating policy.
2. Require parents to sign a 'cheating contract' with thier student and the school.
3. Publish cheating policy in school newsletters and the local newpaper to spread awareness of what is expected.
4. Create a unit of instruction that will address the issue of cheating. Have students conduct interviews and research the topic of dishonesty.
5. Involve parents and the community by having them speak to students on the effects of dishonesty on their lives and the lives of others.
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Your final response:
By creating a cheating policy, everyone involved is made aware of what is expected of them. Those who choose to disregard this policy will have to face the consequences of their actions. Parents need to be involved in this issue to emphasize its importance. Along with parents, the community needs to be aware of what is occurring in the school system and how the problem is being addressed.
Creating instructional units would help further the concept of ethics. However, this is always tricky because many parents are opposed to “teaching ethics”.
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The instructor's feedback to step 7:
Excellent -- very well written. Yes, it is very clear to me that the top goals are not instructional in nature. But, instruction is only necessary as indicated by goal #4.
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