How to Improve the
Quality and Scope of Needs Assessment
By Prof. Jonathan Acuña Solano
Friday, August 29, 2014
Twitter: @jonacuso
Post 137
As
one progresses through the ADDIE model in designing course instructional goals
and tools, it is important to pause at every stage and evaluate the work that
one has done so far. In this Community of Practice reflection and blog post, one
can evaluate one’s way of going about Needs Assessment, and one is able to highlight
areas that can be improved.
When
asked how it is that one can improve the quality and scope of one’s Needs
Assessment, it is necessary to think of the ADDIE method. This methodology can be improved
in every step by having quite clear in one’s mind the learning goals that need
to be achieved per week and in each project or course. Once skills, knowledge,
and attitudes are considered, it is a good start to ask one’s faculty partners
and students if they really find those factors relevant to accomplish the
learning goal for a particular week. Furthermore, as soon as learning
objectives are phrased, they ought to be perfected by having clear in mind what
the “condition” [according to the ABCD method of writing objectives] is, since
that is the behavior instructor’s want learners to replicate accurately.
Accuracy
can also be attained by having in mind the need for the right instructional
content behind the accomplishment of learning goals. As pointed out before, it
is also convenient to ask other faculty members [professors or administrative
staff] what they consider part of the instructional content that students need
to learn to be able to achieve the course learning goals. Because, once this
content is clearly identified, the teacher can define the instructional
strategies and the needed resources to cover it. Then the transition from
content to the execution of the learning objective for a specific week, fully
connected with the course student exit profile, can be accomplished
successfully with the right assessment.
What
additional data sources are useful and/or informative when working in one’s
needs assessment? Not
only the faculty members who have already taught the course but also former
students who can provide feedback are good sources of additional data to make
decisions on how instructional content can be delivered. Student feedback is
indeed crucial to fully develop the course that better suits the students and
not the instructors in terms of learning. With some sort of students’ course
evaluation polls or surveys, data can be gathered and analyzed to create a
robust design that can really focus on the final product with some great
learning for the learner.
What
really counts for the instructor is what one can learn from the whole
implementation process and its subsequent evaluation to see where refinement
needs to be stressed. The ADDIE methodology of online course design is the one
source of other data that is needed to replicate the process as many times as
needed to perfect one’s course. That is the analysis, the design, the development, the
implementation, and the evaluation are a never-ending cycle that can produce
great quality in online teaching.
Culatta,
Richard. (2013). ADDIE Model. Retrieved from the Instructional Design webpage
at http://www.instructionaldesign.org/models/addie.html
Legault,
N. (n.d.). [Infographic] The ADDIE Model. Retrieved from the Learn Dash Webpage
at http://www.learndash.com/addie-model-explained-infographic/
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Friday, August 29, 2014
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