Analyzing learners and context: a few thoughts

The important question to ask is if there is a real need for instruction.

The best way to conduct a learner’s analysis is asking the learners, observing them, and taking notes.

See if you can simulate the context. In education, the learning context is usually in a classroom. We should be asking, what is the learners’ core motivation for being there, what are their prior experiences, the entry behavior?

As for learning styles, there is not enough research done on the subject, but no learning style precludes learning in a different style.

Your instruction is not for everybody. The more you can focus on your population, the better off you will be.

A few more thoughts on task analysis

A few comments on The essentials of instructional design article, by Abbie Brown and Timothy Green.

Task analysis is one of the most critical components of instructional design.

There are four approaches to doing task analysis, but they all have the same goal: to gather information about the content and task to be learned.

You should come up with a document, either using an outline, or a flowchart diagram approach with boxes and diamonds. Diagrams may work better for visual learners. An outline may work better to break down steps into substeps.

How to evaluate your task analysis: ask a professional (subject matter expert) to review it, or compare with other information gathered during the instructional design process to see if content and skills were correctly identified, or conduct a summative evaluation after the instruction has been implemented.

Technology (educational and instructional)

In an article entitled Educational technology. A question of meaning, by Cass Gentry, I was able to get some ideas of what tecnhology means, and get a better picture of what people mean by instructional and educational technology.

As many people might think, the word technology does not mean the use of machines. It refers mostly to a technique using scientific knowledge. The machine and its applications are made possible by technique. Technology also deals with processes, systems, and management and control mechanisms.

One important point to remember is that we should not use technology simply because it is available. Processes need to be thought over and improved before technology is applied.

Educational technology refers to the methodology and set of techniques used to apply instructional principles.

Instructional technology can be viewed as hardware, as well as the application of the behavioral sciences' research findings to solve the problems of instruction.

I hope this is a little helpful...