Module 6 Instructional Analysis for DL

Section 2: Learner and Context Analysis In order to develop a quality distance learning program, analyzing various components of learning is a critical step to conduct. In this module, you will learn how to analyze learner, content, context, and instructional objectives to develop a distance learning program. Considerations for Instructional Analysis In conducting instructional analysis for a distance learning program, it is strongly recommended to take into account the following general considerations and questions (Davis, 2003). Need - What population is served? What is the market need and demand for the program? Scope - Where does the program begin and end? What are the general boundaries? Breadth - How much is to be covered in this program in the allotted time? Depth - How deeply are certain areas to be pursued and in what detail? Centrality and balance - Of the many things that could be covered, which ones are most important and deserve the most emphasis? Flexibility - To what extent should participants be given choices within the program? Sequence - In what order should activities take place and does it matter? Gap - What things are being left out? Are the gaps unconscious or intentional? Intention - What is intended and what actually takes place? Do some outcomes occur unwittingly? Learner Analysis Learner Readiness As we discussed in learning module 5, in designing a distance learning program, it is critical to assess whether the learners are ready to take the instruction. In doing so, instructional designers need to identify the following four types of readiness: Cognitive readiness Psychological readiness Social readiness Technical readiness Learning Style While various learning styles are studied and proposed by many education and psychology researchers, Felder and Soloman's four types of learning are one of the common methods to assess learners' learning styles within distance learning environment. (Abstracted from http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html) Active and reflective learner Active learners tend to retain and understand information best by doing something active with it--discussing or applying it or explaining it to others. Reflective learners prefer to think about it quietly first. Active learners tend to like group work more than reflective learners, who prefer working alone. Sitting through lectures without getting to do anything physical but take notes is hard for both learning types, but particularly hard for active learners. Sensing and intuitive learners Sensing learners tend to like learning facts, intuitive learners often prefer discovering possibilities and relationships. Sensors often like solving problems by well-established methods and dislike complications and surprises; intuitors like innovation and dislike repetition. Sensors are more likely than intuitors to resent being tested on material that has not been explicitly covered in class. Sensors tend to be patient with details and good at memorizing facts and doing hands-on (laboratory) work; intuitors may be better at grasping new concepts and are often more comfortable than sensors with abstractions and mathematical formulations. Sensors tend to be more practical and careful than intuitors; intuitors tend to work faster and to be more innovative than sensors. Sensors don't like courses that have no apparent connection to the real world; intuitors don't like "plug-and-chug" courses that involve a lot of memorization and routine calculations. Visual and verbal learners Visual learners remember best what they see (pictures, diagrams, flow charts, time lines, films, and demonstrations). Verbal learners get more out of words (written and spoken explanations). Everyone learns more when information is presented both visually and verbally. Sequential and global learners Sequential learners tend to gain understanding in linear steps, with each step following logically from the previous one. Global learners tend to learn in large jumps, absorbing material almost randomly without seeing connections, and then suddenly "getting it." Sequential learners tend to follow logical stepwise paths in finding solutions; global learners may be able to solve complex problems quickly or put things together in novel ways once they have grasped the big picture, but they may have difficulty explaining how they did it. Learning Preferences Learning preferences are different from learning styles in that they do not significantly influence learning outcomes, but affect learners' satisfaction from the learning experiences. As illustrated from the previous learning module, examples of learning preferences are: Time preferences Space preferences Perceptual preferences Interface preferences Context Analysis The Logic model of program planning becomes a good tool to analyze learning context as it illustrates how program investments link to results (Montague, 1997). The Logic model contains the following six components for contextual analysis of distance learning: Situation: problem or issue that the program is to address within a setting or situation from which priorities are set Inputs: resources, contributions and investments that are made in response to the situation. Inputs lead to: Outputs: the activities, services, events, and products that reach people and users. Outputs lead to: Outcomes: the results or changes for individuals, groups, agencies, communities and/or systems. Assumptions: beliefs we have about the program, the people, the environment and the way we think the program will work External Factors: environment in which the program exists includes a variety of external factors that interact with and influence the program action A Simplified Process of the Logic Model Benefits of the Logic Model Clarify the strategy underlying the distance learning program Build common understanding, especially about the relationship between actions and results Communicate what the program is (and is not) about Form a basis for evaluation Example of Using the Logic Model Learning Activity 1 If you were asked to conduct instructional analysis for the ballroom dance program discussed in the previous learning module targeting a group of aged workers in your organization, what aspects of the learner analyses (learner readiness, learning style, and learning preferences) should you conduct? Provide your explanations. Submit your answer in the discussion forum (Forum-Module 6, Topic-Learner Analysis) under the Discussions area of the class homepage. Also review three other students threads and reply them with appropriate suggestions for each student's analysis. (2 points)   Previous Next