Module II - Front Analysis: Needs Assessment and Problem Identifcation

The required readings for this week were very informative and highlighted the vital importance for instructional designers to conduct front-end analysis.

Front-end analysis - Blueprint for success

What is front-end analysis?  Simply stated, it is a careful analysis, processing and review of "the instructional context, the prospective learners, and the learning tasks" (Smith & Ragan, 2005, p. 42).


Why are the above three elements essential?  At the K-12 level, the accountability and standards movement, led to an increase call for improved learning measurements and validity; high stakes testing; and educational management (Cross & Joftus, 1997; Klien, 1999; Lewis, 1997). Some teachers and administrators were resistant to this new policy focus (Bushnell, 2003); however, if one wanted to stay employed in the public school system, one had to accept the announced change due to it becoming an educational mandate, under the NCLB legislation which became the law of the land (Rush & Scherff, 2012). In regards to context, learners, and tasks, front-end analysis minimizes the risk of problems, mistakes, and negativity with the above elements. Specifically, researchers note, "Investing time and thought early in the design process saves time, cost, and frustration in the end. This investment allows one to design and develop instructional materials that support learning what is truly critical, in a way that the material can be used by the intended learners in their learning environment" (Smith & Ragan, 2005, p. 42).

Model - FEA, IDD, and HPT

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Important Concepts

Need (Dick, Carey, & Carey, 2009)

• Desired status - establishing a standard or goal 
• Actual status – existing level of performance 
• Gap – one must identify gap between the desired status and actual status 
• Equation: Desired status – actual status = need (Gap or need is defined as a comparison of the two) 

Needs Assessment (Discrepancy Analysis)

• Needs assessment is one of the tools used in performance analysis aka front end analysis. 
• It is a discrepancy analysis. 
•  It identifies the two polar positions:

• Where are we now? (i.e., “What is?”)
• Where are we to be? (i.e., “What should be?”)

• Thus, specifies measurable discrepancy (distance) between these two poles. In educational design, the two poles must be valid and representative.

• A needs assessment has three defining characteristics:
• The data must represent the actual world of learners and related people, both as it exists now and as it will could, and should exist in the future.
• No needs determination is final and complete; we must realize any statement of needs is in fact tentative, and we should constantly question the validity of our needs statements.
• The discrepancies (gaps) should be identified in terms of product or actual behaviors (ends), not in terms of processes (or means).

Final Thoughts

I found the readings very useful for thinking about and moving forward with my ISD Process Model assignment. I have three key objectives: analyzing/determining potential problems; identifying possible causes; and generating potential solutions. I learned that there are a variety of models available. I will pick a specific model to suit the needs of my context, learner/partners, and tasks.

There is a lot of detailed planning and thinking involved with front-end analysis. Some organizational and processing questions I have include the following:

• Who are the specific educational partners (i.e., learners; parents/community members; and educators/colleagues) that I need to be aware of to achieve success?
•  What are the gaps/discrepancies?
• Since this is a hypothetical scenario, what methods might I use if a collection of data was really required? (i.e., Questionnaire; observation; interview (face-to-face or phone); Group data collection/DACUM/Delphi)

Check this out -  The ADDIE Analysis Phase

URL Address - http://youtu.be/JZdv5lrJs4U

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References

Bushnell, M. (2003, May). Teachers in the schoolhouse panopticon - Complicity and resistance. Education and Urban Society, 35(3), 251-272. doi: 10.1177/0013124503035003001. Retrieved from http://eus.sagepub.com/content/35/3/251.full.pdf+html

Cross, C.T. & Joftus, S. (1997, September). Are academic standards a threat or opportunity? National Association of Secondary School Principles. NAASP Bulletin, 81(590), 12-20. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/216025449?accountid=14214

 Dick, W., Carey, L., & Carey, J.O. (2009). The systematic design of instruction .(7th Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education,Inc Klein, M. (1999, May). The debate around standards. Voices from the Middle, 6(3), 27-29. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/213933649?accountid=14214

Lewis, A.C. (1997, October). Standards for new administrators. Phi Delta Kappan, 79(2), 99-100. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/218504586?accountid=14214

Images

(n.d.). Blueprint for success. [Web Graphic]. Retrieved from http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/images/articles/main/id_714_608.jpg

(2013). Concerns. [Web Graphic]. Retrieved from http://www.appsaucerules.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/16515446-a-thinking-man-or-person-thinks-beside-the-words-questions-comments-concerns-problems-and-complaints.jpg

(n.d.). Reflections. [Web Graphics]. Retrieved from http://www.musicspecialties.com/Relaxation/Reflections.jpg

Video

Gardner, J. C. (2011, September 25) The ADDIE analysis phase. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/JZdv5lrJs4U