Designer's Names:					

Amanda Griffin, Lindsay Lipscomb, Ayesha Epps, Wayne Wheeler

test 
test
test                                                                  
                                          Step One: Needs Assessment

Background 
"An instructional system is designed as a solution to a problem" (Briggs & Wager, 1981, p. 12). Therefore, the first step is to identify and then verify a problem. This identification begins with an analysis of what is and what ought to be (see Turner & Riedling, 2003, p. 75 for more details). Any gap appearing between these two states is a need. While there may be a lot of needs, only instructional problems have instructional solutions. It is also important to keep the order in mind: first identify the problem then identify potential solutions, avoiding the "I have a solution -- what’s the problem" syndrome.

This activity is designed to give you hands-on practice with the needs assessment phase of the analysis of the learning context. Complete the activity with your project in mind.  At this point, the needs assessment is broad -- more at the course/unit or workshop level. We will continue to work down the funnel to the lesson level through other instructional design activties. Refer to Chapter 7 in Turner to assist with this activity. 

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 (e.g., the Instructional Design course)

The context for the problem situation will be in a Business Law class in a high school. 

	

b)	Describe or show how the context relates to the bigger environment (e.g., the Instructional Design course is offered within the department of Instructional Technology in the College of Education at the University of Georgia.) 

The Business Law class is a Career/Technology class offered at Johnson High School. The students in career/technology classes are preparing for the workforce and/or entering post-secondary institutions.

2.	
Symptoms of a problem. Write a brief description of some symptoms that make you stop and wonder if something is wrong. (E.g., learners in the ID class are unable to complete the IDAs correctly, learners have to rewrite IDAs numerous times, learners don't use the formal language of the design process.) 

Not all of the learners in the class are familiar with the purpose of a resume nor skilled enough to produce one. They are unaware of all of the components to include in a resume.

	
 
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. (E.g., The IDAs are based on the design process; if learners are unable to complete the IDAs, it is likely that they will not understand and use the design process appropriately. ) 

Food for thought: You may find these questions useful in guiding your explanation: 	
 
•	Why do these symptoms indicate an error? 
•	What evidence can I provide from observations, literature, test scores, publicity, or other such medium to support my proposition?
•	How does the evidence support my proposition? 
•	Is there evidence that is contrary to my proposition? How do I explain this evidence? 
•	If my initial proposition is incorrect, can I provide alternative explanations for the problem? Do I have evidence to support these alternative explanations?  	

These symptoms indicate a lack of knowledge. If I walked into a classroom and asked my Business Law students to construct a resume, the vast majority would have no idea of where to begin. However, there may be one or two students who have had a business class before in which they have prepared a resume. Therefore, they may be able to remember how to construct a resume. There is really no other explanation than not being exposed to resume writing skills and lack of knowledge.

Incorrect resumes may cause a student to be overlooked for a job. Therefore, they may be at a distinct disadvantage. Resumes are a life skill that students will need and use 

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 (i.e., The ID class does not adequately prepare its students to follow a systematic design process.)

A high school business education teacher wants to use a creative way to teach resume writing skills. The teacher approaches the media specialist for resources. The media specialist has to keep in mind that the students’ computer abilities range from minimal to expert. Students’ possess a variety of learning styles. There are four female and twelve male students in the Business Law class. The teacher hopes to reach a greater majority of the students with the creative assortment of teaching tools and strategies these resources will offer. While the business education teacher has three years of experience teaching students resume writing skills, she feels that she needs to update her resources and teaching strategies to gain students’ interest. Thanks to the advances in technology through streaming videos, online tutorials, and pre-formatted templates, resume writing can be easier for students to complete.

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 (see Turner & Riedling, 2003, p. 79 for additional information).

Food for thought: You may find these questions useful in guiding your explanation: 	
 
•	What data support my statement of the problem? 
•	Where or from whom can I gather this supportive data? 
•	How can I prove that the data support the problem statement? 
•	What need do the data describe? 
•	What data oppose my statement of the problem? 
•	From whom or from where can I gather this opposing data? 	

Data sources (who, what)	Information gathered	What did you find? (Needs)*	
(e.g., talk to students in course, collate information from course evaluation sheets)

	(e.g., student opinions on IDAs and course, student evaluations of instructor and class) 	(e.g., students didn't understand jargon, students couldn't see the relation between their work and the ID process)	

Talk to students in the course about resumes

	
Student perceptions and knowledge of resumes

	
Students were not sure how to construct a resume

 Students did not understand components of sequential order of components

Students did they clearly understand the purpose of a resume	
Previous student coursework	Determine whether students have been exposed to resumes in previous classes	Found less than 10% of the students had created a resume before	
*Note: You are not required to gather data; you can draw on your experience or imagination to list the data you might gather. 

5.	Prioritize your list of needs. Which are most important? Why are they most important? 

Prioritized needs	Reasons/evidence for priority	

1. Help students to truly understand the purpose of a resume

2. Demonstrate how to construct a resume

	
If students don’t understand the purpose of a resume, they won’t consider it a valuable skill. They won’t pay attention or invest the time in creating a professional resume.

Hands-on experience helps students see that they can be successful at creating a resume, but if they’ve created one once they can do it again.	

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. 

Food for thought: You may find these questions useful in guiding your explanation: 	
 
•	Is the problem statement an accurate reflection of the situation? 
•	Will solving the problem (as stated in the first rendition) eliminate or reduce the needs you listed? 
•	Does the data indicated earlier support or contradict my reading of the problem? 
•	Do I need to create a new problem statement or modify the existing statement? 
•	What will the new statement look like? 

Rewrite the problem statement here (or restate it if the original still is on target): 

A high school business education teacher wants to use a creative way to teach resume writing skills. The teacher approaches the media specialist for resources. The media specialist has to keep in mind that the students’ computer abilities range from minimal to expert. Students’ possess a variety of learning styles. There are four female and twelve male students in the Business Law class. The teacher hopes to reach a greater majority of the students with the creative assortment of teaching tools and strategies these resources will offer. While the business education teacher has three years of experience teaching students resume writing skills, she feels that she needs to update her resources and teaching strategies to gain students’ interest. Thanks to the advances in technology through streaming videos, online tutorials, and pre-formatted templates, resume writing can be easier for students to complete.

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. (i.e., The language used in the ID course will be clarified, IDAs will be revised to meet student experiences and expertise, links between design process and student experiences will be made explicit.) 

Food for thought: 	

As you prioritize each instructional goal, list the reasons for each goal’s priority. If possible, also try to list the benefits of prioritizing or accomplishing the goals in the order you have listed.  	

Instructional goals by priority	Reasons for importance 	

1. The lesson is informative and presented in a creative manner.
	
Students are more likely to pay attention to the information presented if it is creative and unique. 	
2. Introduce students to resources that help them design an effective resume.	By showing students different sources, they will have resources they can draw upon in the future when they are required to create or update their resume.	
3. Demonstrate and practice constructing a resume.  
	As stated earlier, it’s important that students understand the purpose of a resume so that they will see the reasoning behind creating a resume.	

Step Two: Learning Environment

Background
The second step in the analysis of the learning context is a description of the learning environment. "Environmental analysis is the analysis of the context in which the instructional product will be employed, of the physical and use factors of the instructional environment and its support environment" (Tessmer, 1991, p. 9). The goal is to describe where the product will be used, how it will be used, and how it will be sustained in its use.

This activity is designed to give you hands-on practice with the learning environment phase of the analysis of the learning context. Complete the activity with your individual project in mind. 

What Is Environmental Analysis?
Environmental Analysis describes the world in which the instructional product will be embedded. The goal of the analysis is to describe where a product will be used, how it will be used, and how it will be sustained in its use. It focuses on essential attributes, such as: cost, compatibility, and perceived relative advantages. Environmental Analysis incorporates both physical and instructional characteristics. 

The two main aspects of an Environmental Analysis are the instructional environment and the support environment. The instructional environment refers to the classroom, office, home or laboratory where the instruction occurs. The support environment refers to the factors outside the "classroom" (class, office, laboratory, etc.) that support the successful employment of the instructional product in the instructional environment. 

Key Environment Questions That Should Be Considered: (but you do not have to answer each one)
•	Where will the product be used (all possible sites)? 
•	What are the physical characteristics of each location (space, lighting, etc.)? 
•	How long will the product be used before revision or abandonment (lifespan)? 
•	How often will the product be revised over its lifespan? 
•	When will the product be used by users (morning/evening, seasons)? 
•	What are the purposes of product use (instruction, job aid, and reference)? 
•	What are patterns of product use (sporadic, scheduled)? 
•	What are the training needs for product users and administrators? 
•	Who will produce the product and what are their capabilities? 
•	Who will disseminate the product via copy and delivery? 
•	Are the proper tools and equipment available at sites to use the product? 
•	Who will manage and monitor the product after implementation? 
•	How will the product implementation impact neighboring environments? 

The product will be used in a high school Business Law class. The class meets in a computer lab with 28 computers and an LCD projector. Students have enough individual space, but there is no ideal space for group work. The product will be used by users in the morning. The purpose of the product use is for instruction. The product itself will be created by four master’s level instructional technology students all of which have technology and teaching experience.