By the Learner, For the Learner, Of the Learner

Analyzing the design process for learners

Analysis Phase:

The analysis phase of the design process is essentially an upfront investment in truly determining the direction in which a course should take. It is important that careful attention be paid to this phase, as this phase develops the bones and heart of a course. This phase consists of gathering data and developing a design for learning that supports the needs of the learners. Tending to the details of the analysis phase allows for the delivery of “instructional materials that teach what is really critical, in a way that the materials can be used by the intended learners in their learning environment” (Smith & Ragan, 1999).

Needs Assessment:

Needs assessments can be formal or informal assessments that determine the needs for instructional purposes within learning. They can assess the need to tie curriculum to learning goals or determine weaknesses that must be addressed. When needs assessments are created, the desired instructional goals are set at the forefront of the process. Data is used to determine weaknesses for learning goals. Once the goals are in place, the current progress towards those goals is evaluated to best determine if learning is taking place with the current methods or decide if new methods need to be implemented. Next, gaps in learning are identified as assessors determine what learners should be able to do and what they are actually doing. The gaps are then made top priority within the learning design. The next step is very important. The gaps found need to be analyzed with data and criterion to better understand the connections between the gaps and the learning goals. This is an important step that is often misunderstood or looked over. By conducting a needs assessment in the proper order, learner needs can be identified before instruction is ever designed.

Understanding Learners:

Understanding the needs of the clientele is part of any good business model, and knowing the needs of the learner in instructional design is no different. “It is critical that designers consider their target audiences, as this knowledge will be important in designing instruction that is effective and interesting to learners” (Smith & Ragan, 1999). Analyzing and understanding the similarities and differences in learners is a very important component to instructional design. While thinking about servicing all learners in general can be overwhelming, it is very interesting to note that there are actually combinations of characteristics of learners that can help instructional designers streamline instruction. Relevant learner characteristics can be characterized into four categories: stable similarities, stable differences, changing similarities, and changing differences. Each of these categories have to do with the cognitive processing characteristics, learning conditions, schema, gender, race, development process and more. Together, these four categories fuel best practices in which learning is designed.

Analyzing the Learning Tasks:

At the concussion of the needs assessment and learner analysis, it is important to develop goals that are representative of the data expressed within the needs assessment, as well as the learner. By conducting goal analysis, it can be determined what instructional materials need to be implemented into learning to achieve the goals. Learning goals state what learners should be able to accomplish by the end of instruction. In creating these goals, it is important that they be specific and that the definition of accomplished is clear. While there is much variation in creating these goals, it can be helpful to use Robert Gagné’s domains of learning outcomes: declarative knowledge l, intellectual skills, cognitive strategies, attitudes, and psychomotor skills (Smith & Ragan, 1999). In short, each of these domains connect the act of process and the act of achieving learning.

Purpose of Analyzing the Learning Environment:

Aside from the fact of it just being sound practice, thoroughly and properly analyzing the learning environment is purposeful in creating and establishing instructional design that is effective and beneficial to learners. Because learning is such a diverse and complex process, it is important that careful attention be paid to science and theories that support human intelligence. While technology has drastically altered how we learn, the ways in which we absorb information has remained rather consistent over the years. By incorporating the new era of technology with the research that supports properly analyzing the learning environment, we can better serve the learners of today who will be the leaders of tomorrow because education should always be FOR the learner.

Works Cited

Smith, P. L., & Ragan, T. J. (1999). Instructional Design (2nd ed.) [Review of Instructional Design]. Prentice-Hall Inc.

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