Project Proposal and Needs Analysis
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
- Diagnose a real-world instructional problem and propose an instructional solution
- Analyze the needs of the learners in a given organization and describe how these needs impact the instructional problem
- Analyze the learning environment and context within a given organization and describe how these characteristics impact the instructional problem
- Create instructional goals and objectives based on learning needs and characteristics of the learning environment and context
Part One: Project Proposal
We will be interviewing several clients with real-world instructional problems with whom you will choose to work in a "mini-practicum" over the next seven to eight weeks. Each client will present his or her project in person or via Skype during our classroom time, and you will have the chance to decide which project appeals to you most. You may also ask the client questions after his or her presentation in class, as well as through any outside contact information the client provides.
Note that it is possible for more than one person to work with a client, and in fact, this may be necessary depending on the number of available projects and students in the class. Therefore, you may wish to collaborate and discuss with your classmates the various options available, and form small ID "teams" based on each others' strengths and weaknesses.
When you've made your decision, draft a short proposal that describes:
- What client and project you have chosen,
- Why you chose it,
- Whether other classmates will be working with you and who they are (if known),
- What you hope to learn and achieve during the next 8 weeks.
Your proposal should be about 2-3 pages in length, typed in Microsoft Word. It will be shared with your client after submission.
Part Two: Needs Analysis
Now that you have a client, spend some time talking with him or her. Ask questions and find out more about the organization, the learners, and the learning needs that are present. If possible, survey learners as well, either through informal discussions or through formal questionnaires. Each client's environment is very different, and as such, they may have very different ways of doing things and very different learning contexts. Study all of these things closely in order to determine:
- The learning needs
- The learners, including preferred learning styles and applicable characteristics
- The learning context, including available facilities and technology, cultural climate, and other aspects of the environment as appropriate
Once you understand and document the needs, you should be able to come up with a set of learning objectives for the instruction you will develop, including:
- the tasks that need to be completed,
- how they should be performed,
- and what the desired outcomes of training should be, expressed in ABCD-style learning objectives (see http://www2.gsu.edu/~mstmbs/CrsTools/Magerobj.html)
All of the above information should be summarized and presented both to the instructor and to your client before the due date. You may even wish to share your needs analysis with your client first, to ensure that it meets his or her expectations and does not misrepresent any needs he or she may have. Feel free to also contact the instructor at any time if you have questions or concerns as you move forward into the project.
There is no page limit guideline for the needs analysis as each one may be very unique depending on the client chosen. However, with that in mind, ensure that your document is thorough and formatted well so as to be easily readable by both instructor and client. Most needs analyses of a smaller project are expected to be appoximately 10 or more pages in length, depending on the number of questionnaires and data used, the amount of appropriate details discovered regarding learner needs, characteristics, and context, and the objectives and task involved.
Resources
In addition to the key readings downloadable above, consult these resources for help and more information:
- The Training Doctor's 21 Questions to Ask Before Designing Any Program: http://www.trainingdoctor.org/2011/04/
- Don Clark's Instructional Design page: http://nwlink.com/~donclark/index.html
- Felder-Silverman model of learning styles: http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Learning_Styles.html
- An interview with Dr. Felder: http://onteachingonline.com/oto-4-richard-felder-on-learning-styles/
- Dr. Vockell's book on learning theory and instructional design: http://education.purduecal.edu/vockell/learningtheory/Book/index.html
- Performing Front-End Analysis: http://classweb.gmu.edu/ndabbagh/Resources/Resources2/FrontEnd.htm
- Mager's Tips on Instructional Objectives: http://www2.gsu.edu/~mstmbs/CrsTools/Magerobj.html