Needs Analysis,

Task Analysis and

Learner Analysis

By: Jake Gordon

Needs Analysis

• Instruction is motivated by a need for change• Externally motivated: i.e. the need to

meet a particular standard in education or train workers in a specific skill

• Internally motivated: i.e. address a problem or increase learners understanding of a subject area

Guiding Questions for a Needs Analysis

• Some important questions are:• What is the change being

requested/demanded/required?• Who is being asked to change (target

learners)?• What is currently being done?• Where will this change need to take place?• What is the timeline for change?

Formal vs. Informal

• Formal Needs Analysis involves gathering information from multiple sources and gathering information in multiple ways including: interviews, observations, reviewing materials, surveys, etc.

• Informal Need Analysis: first-hand experience of the learning needs

Mager’s Approach to Needs Analysis

• Heuristic to help instructional designers determine what someone is currently doing and what they need to be doing• Provides a flow chart for conducting

analysis and provides a guide to key questions

Mager’s Performance

Analysis

Morrison, Ross and Kemp’s

“Needs Assessment”

• A flow chart for conducting performance.• Provides a more technical plans for conducting

a needs assessment .

• 4 phases: Planning, Collecting Data, Analyzing the Data, Preparing final report.

• They also have two other Needs Analysis methods: Goal Analysis and Performance Assessment examines whether the performance can should be remedied for instruction

Task Analysis

• Systematic process used by instructional designers to determine what a learner needs to learn or accomplish by participating in instruction.

Different Models of Task Analysis

• Content analysis

• Subject matter analysis

• Learning task analysis

Morrison, Ross and Kemp on Task

Analysis• Defines the content requires to solve

the performance problem or alleviate a performance need

• Forces the educator to work through the individual students and identify subtle steps

• Forces the designer to view the content from the learners’ perspective

Dick & Carey on Task Analysis

• The process of identifying the skills and knowledge that should be included in instruction. • What exactly would learners be

doing if they were demonstrating that they already could perform the goal?

What Should Task Analysis Answer?

• What is the task that a learner needs to be able to accomplish or perform?

• What are they key components of this task (what are the skills and knowledge learner needs in order to complete or perform the task)?

• How will you determine whether a learner is able to complete the task?

Learner Analysis

• Learner analysis is understanding the target learners and determining in advance what they can and will do is an essential part of any instructional design. • Instructional designers and educators

must conduct evaluation for a group of learners

Different Approaches to Learner Analysis

• Mager

• Dick & Carey

• Smith and Ragan

Learner Analysis for Instructional Design

• Who are the intended learners for the instruction?

• What common traits do members in the learning group possess?

• What are the differences among the learners?

• What are the achievements and general ability levels of the learners?

• How do the learners feel about the organization/institution providing the training?