1. Chapter 2: Identifying the Need for Instruction
1.1. Part of the chapter that most impacted me
1.1.1. "If the designer fails to identify the problem properly, then the intervention may address only the symptoms, with no resultant change in the target audience’s performance. For an instructional designer, the needs assessment process serves four functions: 1. It identifies the needs relevant to a particular job or task, that is, what problems are affecting performance. 2. It identifies critical needs. Critical needs include those that have a significant financial impact, affect safety, or disrupt the work or educational environment. 3. It sets priorities for selecting an intervention. 4. It provides baseline data to assess the effectiveness of the instruction" (Morrison, Ross, Kahlman, & Kemp, p. 30, 2013).
1.1.2. In my experience, educators, who are merely doing the best they can with what they have, are always trying to put bandaids on fatal wounds... so to speak. When we identify the root cause of a true problem, we either can't progress with a viable solution due to beureacracies standing in our way, lack of funding to execute a plan to make forward progress, or we simply don't have the support from our administration, community, or our colleagues. A needs assessment empowers us as instructional designers, with data to prove why we should move forward with a new method of training, or instructional intervention. Our schools and districts have become data-centric over the last decade. With raw numbers, we can shed light on the potential positive impacts of our instructional designs.
1.2. How does this chapter help me design instruction and instructional materials?
1.2.1. Identifying the needs of your learners is the foundational step in the instructional design process. without a good determination of where your subjects are at, and where they hope to go, you are "flying blind." This statement lists four functions of the needs assessment and can point an instructional designer in the right direction. Establishing what the needs are is the first step, but focusing on a specific set of needs can mitigate wasted time, cost and manpower.
1.3. One Question
1.3.1. The chapter identifies six separate categories of needs. Which type of need have you had experience with, either as a designer, or as an employee? Was an intervention or instructional change implemented, and what affect did it have, if any?
2. Chapter 4: Task Analysis
2.1. Part of the chapter that most impacted me
2.1.1. "We are all familiar with this procedure of outlining information as it is presented in a lecture. Now, reverse the procedure. You are the individual who will deliver the lecture. What is your preparation? You might write out the lecture in a narrative form you can read as written, or, with experience, you might prepare an outline consisting of the main headings, supporting details, and examples. This outline becomes a framework to refer to as a guide to your presentation" (Morrison, et al. p. 77, 2013).
2.1.2. "Conducting a procedural analysis is a matter of walking through the steps with an SME, preferably in the environment in which the task is performed" (Morrison, et al. p. 80, 2013).
2.1.3. I work very closely with a number of business anchors, who rent space in the same building in which my classes take place. The concept was derived from the notion that our students would be able to work closely with industry professionals to provide real-world contexts for student learning, and perhaps offer them internship/employment opportunities at the appropriate time. One anchor in particular, an individual with years of field experience, has been instrumental in the development of my curriculum and the program success. However, it has been a challenge to shift his thinking from "just doing it" to "breaking it down and thinking through the process." Professionals often forget that for someone learning an unfamiliar task, the steps to complete something must be explicit, direct and comprehensive.
2.2. How does this chapter help me design instruction and instructional materials?
2.2.1. Before this year, working with SME's was completely foreign to me. Now that I have become rather close with several of the individuals who have helped to nurse my program through its infancy, it has become glaringly evident that I must create a process for eliciting information from them, processing that information in a way which will be useful to my students, and then help our business anchors to understand the method of delivery. The very nature of this instructional design process is cyclic and involves contestant re-evaluation.
2.3. One Question
2.3.1. When working with a subject matter expert, how will you help them to understand your process of instructional design, while keeping in mind your primary objective, which is to pass their content knowledge on to your, or whomever utilizes your design's students?
3. Chapter 3: Learner and Contextual Analysis
3.1. Part of the chapter that most impacted me
3.1.1. "Much depends on the nature and conditions of the learning activities. For many instructors, learner motivation is actually considered to be the most important determinant of success (Anderman & Dawson, 2011; Driscoll, 2005; Keller, 2007; Mayer, 2011; Pintrich, Roeser, & De Groot, 1994; Schunk & Zimmerman, 2006). Learners who ‘‘just don’t care’’ or, worse, are actively resistant to the instruction are not likely to respond in the same way to the learning activities as would highly motivated students. Design strategies that create interest and keep attention would be appropriate for the former group" (Morrison, et al., p. 55, 2013).
3.1.2. This part of the chapter was important to me as a new instructional designer, tasked with building a comprehensive curriculum from the ground-up. The content area in which I teach is highly technical. Most of the students I teach are gifted and bore easily. Motivating them to drive from all areas of the west-valley, sit in a classroom with 24 other teenagers for 2.5 hours a day, and keep the instructional rigor at an appropriate level, is quite demanding. I truly believe that rigor is a natural byproduct of relevance, and I work so very hard to give them a "why" for every single learning goal, objective, practical assessment and project which we engage in.
3.2. How does this chapter help me design instruction and instructional materials?
3.2.1. The program and district in which I teach both center around the idea that relevance, not rigor, is the primary motivation for students. When subject matter is relevant and perceived as useful to learners, genuine learning can take place. Rigor, a byproduct of the intrinsic motivation a student feels when their learning is potentially lucrative, organically evolves. As an instructional designer with a new content area to focus on, a new age group of students, new instructional best-practices to adhere to, and new evaluators, it (relevance) has been instrumental in my abilities to motivate my students and turn their desire to learn inward.
3.3. One Question
3.3.1. Should you find yourself in a situation in which your students (elementary, secondary, post, or technical,) have difficulty motivating themselves to connect and relate to the information which you are trying to impart upon them, what are some techniques you might employ to shift their attitudes and engage them in ownership of their learning?
4. Chapter 5: Instructional Objectives
4.1. Part of the chapter that most impacted me
4.1.1. "Instructional objectives identify information necessary to solve the performance problem. Deriving the objectives is a four-step process to be completed after the task analysis. These steps are as follows: 1. Review the task analysis and identify the essential knowledge, tasks (i.e., procedures), and attitudes the learner must master to solve the performance problem. 2. Group the task analysis in clusters with the goals or needs you have identified. 3. Write an objective for each of the goal statements or needs. 4. Write objectives for any additional information that is essential and that is not addressed by an objective" (Morrison, et al., p. 106, 2013).
4.1.2. There is a checklist and/or process for writing instructional objectives? Who knew? I have struggled with writing measurable and well-worded objectives my entire career. This is consistently listed as an area of improvement for me in evaluations. There are a few other areas in which I struggle, but this one takes the cake. This section of the chapter opened my eyes to a new process of formulating instructional objectives.
4.2. How does this chapter help me design instruction and instructional materials?
4.2.1. The authors express a myriad of reasons as to why instructional designers should utilize well-written objectives, and even offers a counter view to the idea that all lessons, units, and curricula must adhere to the practice of incorporating objectives. As previously mentioned, I struggle in this area and often find myself frustrated at the notion that I have to write multiple objectives for each lesson. However, I am certain, as an instructional designer, that clear objectives are quite necessary. The notion that a lesson, or a program could be conducted without them is rather erroneous, in my opinion. Objectives are the compass with which to guide your curriculum. No, they do not need to be the primary step in the process. In fact, the chapter goes on to point out that these should be developed after the task analysis and consultation with SME's. Maybe I'll have one of my students program code to help teachers write more effective instructional objectives.
4.3. One Question
4.3.1. The process for writing instructional objectives is involved and can be cumbersome. What are some experiences you have had with writing objectives? Have your objectives guided your instruction, or have you allowed them to develop as your instructional tasks have evolved?