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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:

Overall you did an excellent job. It is clear that you understand the analysis phase of the Dick, Carey, and Carey model of Instructional Design. The notes that follow are a few suggestions corresponding to the numbered sections in your IDA.

1. Excellent context description. I love the detail.

2. Great job. You describe a lot of symptoms and reasons why they signal a problem.

3 & 6. Good. However, when writing a problem statement, always put the organization or group that has responsibility for the instruction as the subject of this sentence (as in the example listed below). So, in your case, your problem statement needs to include the answer to the question "Who has the responsibility to provide the training to the teachers?".

4. Excellent! You present a very compelling (hypothetical) case for how the data support the problem you've identified.

5. A word of caution here. Needs should be written in terms of a performance gap. Don't speak of "need more training" or "should be taught". Instead, write the needs in terms of what they ought to know/do vs.what they currently know/do.

7. Your goals are generally very well written and your priorities all make sense with what I have read. I like the way you stated the goals in terms of performance. Of course, phrases such as "become comfortable" are vague, so be sure to clarify and make these more precise as you move on into the next phase of ID.

 

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:

Gwinnett County Public High Schools

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:

Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) is a large school district composed of 59 elementary schools (k-5), 16 middle schools (6-8) and 15 high schools (9-12). Additionally, it is composed of 8 specialty schools designed to meet the needs of a particular group of students (Buchanan HS of Technology, Online Campus, Give Center, Maxwell HS of Technology, Buice Center, Oakland Center, Hooper Renwick, and the Gwinnett Newcomer Center). Approximately 135,000 students are enrolled in GCPS. As the largest employer in Gwinnett County, GCPS currently employs more than 7000 classroom teachers (www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us). Gwinnett County Public joins 181 county and city school districts to compose the Georgia Department of Education (gadoe.org. The schools also receive support from the business community, churches, and parents.

The instructor's feedback to step 1:

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:

Parents of high school students report they do not receive enough contact from teachers. Parents desire more information regarding specific classroom assignments. Parents indicate they had no idea their student was failing until they received a copy of the report card in the mail. Parents are frustrated because they want to be more informed regarding their child’s assignments, progress, and achievement in school, yet the teachers are sometimes difficult to reach. Parents state teachers do not return their phone calls.
Teachers indicate they have little access to a phone during the school day. Teachers feels that they don’t have time to answer all of the phone calls and keep up with their class load. Teachers inconveniently receive calls at home from parents and students. Most phone contacts initiated by the teacher are the result of several phone calls (and much wasted time) trying to reach the appropriate individual. Some teachers who try to use communicative techonology report communication problems and/or fear because of the writing format.

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 that teachers are not effectively and efficiently communicating with parents. Lack of effective communication with parents will lead to substandard achievement and poor student success rates. The following is from the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards found at http://www.ncptsc.org/EveryTeacher5.htm. They state: “Teachers are respected members of the community who play key roles in helping improve communication and collaboration between the members of the community and educators in the school and the school system.” This speaks to the importance of effective and efficient communication by teachers with parents and students, their primary clients, as members of the school community.

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:

Gwinnett County High School teachers are doing a poor job communicating with parents regarding teacher expectations and student progress.

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. Teacher contact records b. Parent Survey c. Teacher Survey d. Interview teachers from comparable school systems e. Administrative logs of parental concerns regarding a lack of communication f. SACS Survey g. Educational Research

Your final response:

a. Teachers indicate contacting every student and/or their parent less than twice a year. b. A large percentage of parents are not being contacted by their child’s teacher regarding their child’s progress within a given school year. b. A large percentage of parents are being contacted by child’s teacher only when behavior problems were present. c. 90% of teachers report not having ready access to a telephone during the school day. c. 90% of teachers cite a lack of time as an inhibitor to effective communication c. Of those teachers with some exposure to communicative technologies, 50% feel like their communication is ineffective and/or worsens parent-teacher interaction. d. Other school communities have comparable issues with communication and include it as part of their SACS initiatives e. 75% of problems that involve administrators have, at their root, a lack of communication f. 65% of the parents indicated that they had received no communication from individual teachers. 95% indicated they would like more updates on student progress and achievement. 80% of teachers reported that they only communicated with parents when there was an academic or behavior problem. 40% of teachers reported that phone calls are they primary form of communication. 100% of teachers reported that the lack of time prevented more communication. g. statistical data regarding educational communication

Your final response:

Schools need to develop a communication policy. (expressed)
Parents feel that teachers do not communicate with them as often as they should. (normative)
Parents regard receiving updates on student progress as very important. (felt)
Research articles support the position that parental support increases student academic success. (normative)
Both teachers and parents regard communication between each other as essential to student achievement. However, teachers cite lack of time, lack of access to a phone, and lack of writing skills as a hindrance to communicating. (felt/expressed)
Schools need to provide instruction regarding effective and efficient communication methods. (expressed)
Other school systems have phones in the classroom, but we don't. (comparative)

*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. Teachers need more training using the features of Lotus Notes(e-mail), IgPro(gradebook), and web page design in order to feel more comfortable using the tools at their disposal. 2. Teachers need to communicate with parents at many times during the semester in order to increase student success and parental involvement and morale. 3. Teachers should be taught how to use technology to make communication more efficient. 4. Teachers need practice in using language and writing styles that are effective in this type of communication medium.

Your final response:

1. Understanding technology is key for implementing it into daily life. It's natural to be afraid of things we don't understand. 2. Studies show that one of the keys to academic success is parental involvement. Parents can't be involved unless they know what is happening in the classroom. 3. For teachers, time is such a precious commodity; we never have enough of it. Technology can streamline communication and make it more time efficient and effective. 4. This type of technology can only be effective if a teacher's words are. The words, grammar, and style that a teacher uses in this format are key to successful communication. Teachers must feel comfortable and confident in their writing abilities.

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:

Gwinnett County High School teachers are not using a variety of communicative technologies effectively, thereby decreasing the opportunities for student success and parental involvement.

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. Teachers will identify the need for communicative technology in high school education, and will demonstrate knowledge of communicative technologies available to them in Gwinnett County Schools.
2. Through practice in a safe environment, teachers will become comfortable with these technologies and will develop a writing style conducive to these types of communication.
3. Teachers will learn to establish and publicize the communication policy to the community.

 

Your final response:

1. Much of the failure to use communicative technology comes from "felt" problems and lack of knowledge. Goal #1 addresses these two things through information and education.
2. Writing style is important and aspect of communicative technology that should not be left out, as the technology is only effective if teachers write in a friendly and caring way.

The instructor's feedback to step 7:

No specific feedback given on this step.