Analyzing Learners and ContextsThe

Analyzing Learners and Contexts
The previous chapters have focused on identifying the skills and knowledge to be taught. From a needs assessment a goal was identified that, in turn, was analyzed to determine the specific steps included in the goal. Additional analysis was used to identify (1) the subordinate skills that must be included in the instruction (2) the entry skills that learners must have to begin the intruction.
Not only must the designer determine what is to be taught but also the characteristics of the learners, the contexts in which the instruction will be delivered, and the contexts in which the skills will eventually be used.
What do we need to know about the people we are instructing? Answers vary greatly on this question. One approach is to learn as much as possible in order to design instruction that is most appropriate for the learners. For some designers, this may be true, but for others who are designing for new learner populations, as sumptions about learners may be inaccurate, causing significant problems when the instruction is delivered.
Historically, educational psychologists have examined an array of individual difference variables and their relationship to learning.
Of equal importance at this point in the design process are analyses of the context in which learning will occur and the context in which learners will use their newly acquired skills.
In contrast, consider a course on interpersonal skills for managers. These skills may be taught and practiced in a training center, yet used in a variety of corporate settings.
Another reason for the designer to analyze the learners and contexts is that these analyses cannot be done in one’s office.
As noted in chapters 3 and 4, the instructional analysis steps and analyses of learners and contexts are often performed simultaneously instead of sequentially, so that information gathered from each informs the other.
In this chapter, we will fisrt discuss what we need to know about learners (learner analysis), then next what we need to know about the setting in which learners will apply their new skills (performance context analysis), and finally what we need to know about the setting in which learners will acquire their new skills (learning context analysis).
Learner analysis
Let’s begin by considering the learners for any given set of instruction, referred to as the target population the ones you want to’hit’ with the appropriate instruction.
It is important to make a distinction between the target population and what we will refer to as tryout learners.
What information do designers need to know about their target population?
Entry skills> prior to beginning insrtuction, target population members must have already mastered certain skill assosiated with the learning goal.
Prior knowledge of topic area> much of the current learning research emphasizes the importance of the determining what learners already know about the topic that will be taught; rarely are they completely unaware or lacking in at least some knowledge of the subject.
Attitudes toward content and potential delivery system> learners may have impressions or attitudes about the topic that will be taught and perhaps even how it might be delivered. For example, the target population may have no interest in mastering the rules and techniques required for keeping an electronic day planner because they have no interest in entering their old pepar and pencil day planner into their desktop computer.
Academic motivation (ARCS)> many instructors consider the motivation level of learners the most important factor in successful instruction.
Keller (1987) developed a model of the different types of motivation necessary for successful learning, and he suggested how to use this information to design effective instruction.
Keller suggests asking learof ners questions such as these: how releven is this instructional goal to you? What aspects of the goal interest you most? How confident are you that you could successfully learn to perform the goal?
Educational and ability levels> determine the achivement and general ability levels of the learners. This information will provide insight into the kinds of instructional experiences they my have had and perhaps their ability to cope with new and different approches to instruction.
General learning preferences> find out about the target population’s learning skills and preferences. And their willingness to explor new modes of learning.
Attitudes toward training organization> determine the target population’s attitudes toward the organization providing the instruction. Do they have positive constructive view of both management and their peers, or are they somewhat cynical about senior leadership and their ability to privide appropriate training? Researchers have indicated that such attitudes are substantial predictors of the success of instruction in term of the likelihood of newly learned skills being used on the job.
Group characteristics> A careful analysis of the learners will provide two additional kinds of information that can be influential in the design of insrtuction. The first is the degree of heterogeneity within the target population on important variables. The second kind of information is an overall impression of the target population based on direct interactions with them.
Data for learners analysis
There are various ways to collect data about learners. One method would involve a site visit for structured interviews with managers, instructors, and learners. These interviews migth yield valuable information about learners entry skills, personal goals attitudes about the content and training organization, and self reported skill levels.
Output. the result of a learner analysis include a description of the learners (yang di tulis di atas yang ada panahnya)
Performance context analysis
The designer must be concerned about the characteristics of the setting in which the skills and knowledge will be used. Instruction should be part of satisfying a need that has been derived from a needs assessment, which should be based on identifying performance problems that can be solved through instruction or opportunities that instruction can provide for an organization.
Managerial or Supervisor Support We must learn about the organizational support that learners can expect to receive when using the new skills. Research indicates that one one of the strongest predictors of use of new skills in new setting (called transfer of training) is the support received by the learner.
If management support is not present, then the disigner (or the training organization) has an added problem associated with this project, namely recruiting their support.
Physical Aspects of the Site The second aspect of the context analysis is to assess the physical context in which the skills will be used.
Social Aspects of the Site Understanding the social context in which skills are to be applied is critical for designing effective instruction. In analyzing social aspects, some relevant questions to ask include the following.
Relevance of Skills to Workplace To ensure that new skills meet identified needs, we should assess the relevance of the skills to be learned by employees currently working in the performance site.
Data for Performance Context Analysis
Although some instructional analyses can be done in the office, contecxt analyses require designers to observe in the appropriate setting.
On site visits for purposes of context analysis should be planned well in advance, and one or more visits should be made.
The purpose for the visite is to gather data from potential learners and managers and to observe the work environment where the new skills will be used.
Output The major outputs of this phase of the study are (1) a description of the physical and organizational environment where the skills will be used, and (2) a list of any special factors that may facilitate or interfere with the learners’ use of the new skills.
Learning Context Analysis
There are two aspects to the analysis of the learning context that determine what is and what should be. The what is a review of the setting in which instruction will take place. This might be only one site, such as a corporate training center, or it could be one of many sites that a client has available.
In the learning context analysis, the focus is on the foolowing elements: (1) the compatibility of the site with instructional requirements, (2) the adaptability of the site for simulating aspects of the workplace or performance site, (3) the adaptability of the site for using a variety of instructional strategies and training delivery approaches, and (4) the constraints present that may affect the design and delivery of instruction. The following paragraphs briefly elaborate each of these areas.
Compatibility of site with instructional requirements> in the instructional goal statement prepared in the first step of the model, the tools and other support items required to perform the goal were listed.
Adaptability of site to simulate workplace> another issue is the compatibility of the training environment with the work environtment.
Adaptability for delivery approaches> the list of tool requirements from the goal staement indicates the what should be with regard to the learning context and, obviously, for the performance context as well. There may be other limitations or requirements that should be noted at this point in the analysis.
Learning site constraints affecting design and delivery> for whatever reason, an upfront decision may have been made that this instruction will be computer-based and self-instructional. The dicision may not have been made on the basic of an analysis of the capability of a computer system to deliver the desired instruction.
In an ideal situation, the location of the training and the means of delivering it would be decided on the ba