1

Needs Analysis

“Analysed opportunities and constraints in using C&IT”

i.e. analysed the needs or requirementsPut simply, the goal is to describe the gap between where the students are and where we want them to be, before we can design the bridge they can cross.

2Sources of needs analysis(more of later?)

Learning technology integratione.g. Stoner, Laurillard, Conole & Oliver

Instructional design e.g. Gagné , Shuell Curriculum design e.g. Taba Action research e.g. Kemmis &

McTaggart Training needs analysis e.g. Peterson Learning needs analysis Systems analysis for software

development e.g. Yourdon

3

A needs analysis

Tasks – some or all of1. Review the current course, if any2. Analyze the stakeholders especially

students3. Analyze the subject domain 4. Analyze the learning outcomes 5. Analyze the teaching/learning activities6. Analyze the constraints and resources7. Analyze the evaluation methods needed

4

Stakeholder analysis Who are they? Who cares? What will they want from the intervention? Are we prepared to give it them?They include The tutor, programme assessment Students Colleagues The department The QA office, the QAA ‘The university’

5

The students What relevant knowledge and skills? How varied are they in knowledge and

learning styles? How well can they learn? What study skills? What motivation and interests, attitudes to

teaching/learning methods? What obstacles to their learning, such as

anxiety, colour blindness, lack of concentration, computer access?

6

The subject domain

In commercial training needs analysis only task performance counts

In higher education emphasis is on the knowledge underpinning performance, and generic cognitive skills

We may need to represent the knowledge domain, the context of learning activities and outcomes

So we might use knowledge elicitation and knowledge representation techniques

7

Knowledge elicitation

Informal interviews with experts.This reveals their view of the domain.

Observation of actual performance of expertise done in a natural context.

Verbal protocols in an assessment situation.A protocol provides a framework for capturing the knowledge in a skilled performance.

8

Knowledge represented as …

living things

mammals

animals

humans dogs

female humans

Julia

movement

respiration

growth

plants

movement

have

have

have

not have

ako

ako

akoako

ako

isa ako = class is A Kind Ofisa = individual Is A

orchids

ako

Danny

whippets

ako

isa

Semantic net

9

Pyramid of learning outcomes

to beable to

to beable to

to beable to

to beable to

to beable to

to beable to

to beable to

to beable to

to beable to

to beable to

to beable to

to beable to

Pre-requisites

to beable to

to beable to

to beable to

to beable to

10

TLAs: traditional

Acquisition – reading, lectures Practice - exercises, problems Discussion – seminars, tutorials Discovery – field trips, practicals Assessment – essays, exams

11TLAs Laurillard’s teaching strategy

Four aspects of TLAs Discursive

discussion of goals and conceptions Adaptive

students relate feedback on their work to their conceptions

Interactiveacting to achieve a goal and receive feedback

Reflectivereflect on their actions in the light of conceptions

12TLAs: Laurillard’s Conversational Framework

In more detail, 12 activities of which 10 are: Receiving information Describing own conceptions (verbally, writing..) Correcting misconceptions from feedback Re-describing improved conceptions Performing tasks Receiving feedback on tasks Improving performance of tasks Reflecting on performance to improve

conceptions Reflecting on conceptions to improve

performance

13

concrete experience

abstract conceptualization

reflective observationactive experimentation

four stages of learning from experience:

TLAs: Kolb’s cycle

14

TLAs: Robert Gagné The nine instructional eventsUse LT to support 1. Gain attention2. Tell learners the learning objective3. Stimulate recall4. Present the stimulus, content5. Provide guidance, relevance, organization6. Elicit the learning by demonstrating it7. Provide feedback on performance8. Assess performance, give feedback and

reinforcement9. Enhance retention and transfer to other

contexts

15TLAs: Shuell’s Learning Functions

1. Expectations must be set2. Motivation must be gained and

maintained3. Prior knowledge needs activation4. Draw attention to important items5. Encoding: help remembering, give

personal meaning with diagrams, examples

6. Comparisons: encourage with diagrams, charts, questions

16Shuell’s Learning Functions - 2

7. Hypothesis generation, encourage thinking of alternative actions

8. Repetition: guided practice or reflection, multiple examples or perspectives

9. Relevant feedback and correction10. Evaluation of feedback as basis of next

activity11. Monitoring - check for understanding12. Integration: provide ways to combine,

integrate, synthesize, with graphics, multimedia

17

Constraints & resources

Learning technology availability When: deadlines, time available Who is available to do what How tools and resources available Other costs

18

Summative evaluation, what will count as success? (from Kirkpatrick, four ripples)

1. What happened in use? Did learners, teachers use it? Like it?

2. Were learning outcomes achieved?Was student performance improved?

3. Were the outcomes transferable to real situations?

4. What were the wider effects? On students, staff departments, institution…

The evaluation in outline

19

Criticisms of needs analysis The unit of analysis is too small.

Decomposition emphasizes elements but not their integration or application - does not encourage constructivist learning, synthesis, generic skills.

Hierarchies of objectives (or content) are too simple for the richer interrelations of real domains.

Instructional strategies can become just the integration of small items of learning.

…?

20

References 1Bostock S.J. 1996 A critical review of Laurillard’s

classification of educational media Journal of Instructional Science 24,71-88

Gagné R M and Medsker K L, The conditions of learning: training applications 1996, Harcourt Brace

Harmon, P. and King, D. 1985 Representing knowledge New York: Wiley

Kirkpatrick D L Evaluating Training ProgramsKemmis S & McTaggart R 1988 (eds) The Action

Research Planner 3rd ed. Deakin University PressLaurillard D. Rethinking University Education, 1994

Routledge and second edition 2002Marshall, I.M., Samson, W.B., Dugard, P.I. & Scott, WA

Predicting the development effort of multimedia courseware Information and Software Technology 1994 36 (5) 251-258

Oliver, M. and Conole, G. 1998 A pedagogical framework for embedding C&IT into the curriculum ALT-J 6 (2)

21References 2Pederson, K. Expert systems programming: practical techniques

for rule-based systems 1989 London: John WileyPeterson, R. 1992 Training needs analysis in the workplace

London: Kogan Page Shuell, T. 1992, Designing Instructional Computing Systems for

Meaningful Learning, in P. Winne & M.Jones (eds) Adaptive Learning Environments: foundations and Frontiers, New York: Springer Verlag

Stoner G. A conceptual framework for the integration of learning technology, chapter 3 in Implementing Learning Technology, LTDI, Heriot-Watt 1996http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/ltdi/implementing-it/implt.pdf

Taba H. 1971 The functions of a conceptual framework for curriculum design 134-152 in R. Hooper (ed.) The Curriculum: context, design and development Open University Press