eJournal Entry 2

Analyzing ProblemsLast week, you completed a technique to determine the root cause of the problem that you think your instructional design will address. The technique isn’t a formal procedure in instructional design, but it should have helped reveal some key considerations that designers make during the analysis phase. Determining whether there is an instructional need is an important step to conduct before jumping into designing instruction.

A performance analysis assists the designer (you) in determining the problem, coming up with possible solutions, and determining if the problem can be solved with some form of instruction. You will have to critically analyze the situation using a variety of tactics. The 5 Whys is a way to determine whether the problem is instructional or non-instructional. Once you’ve determined the problem is instructional, you should try to obtain multiple perspectives on what knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values are needed to address the problem—the goals or outcomes of the instruction.

A needs assessment examines desired performance as compared to actual performance. If people are performing at the desired level/expectation, then there is no problem, thus no need for instruction. If there’s a gap between desired and actual performance, instruction may be a solution to the performance gap. However, the designer must analyze what instructional needs would resolve that performance gap. For example, imagine that your school principal states that teachers need to integrate more technology in the classroom. As an instructional designer, you would need to obtain a clear picture of the principal's expectations in regards to technology integration and then go about determining the actual level of technology integration that's occurring in the classroom, as well as the level of technology other skills of the teachers.

Be sure to include both a performance analysis (to determine the problem and whether or not instruction is the solution to the problem) and a needs assessment (to clarify further what should be addressed by the instruction) in your Instructional Design Document. 

Analyzing Context
After assessing need and determining whether problem is instructional or non-instructional, instructional designers formulate descriptions of the system, environment, and organization in which the learning or instruction will take place and identify resources available as well as constraints. In your eJournal entry for this week, document your thoughts on the learning context for your instructional design project. Pages 24 and 25 in the Richey, Klein & Tracey text provide more detailed information on considerations for analysis of context. You likely will have to conduct some research to gather information about the school, district, or other organization that you’re targeting with your design to inform your analysis.

Special note: Next week’s analysis will focus on Learner Characteristics. Use this week to focus on system, environment, and organization.

Performance Analysis

The problem with the Drug Free Workplace eLearning is primarily instructional. To address the instructional issues, I am going to have to look at it from multiple perspectives. First, the policy is the key to the issue. It has been updated and the updates have invalidated all of the eLearning information. Second, the eLearning was done rapidly in 2009, and is missing items such as learning scenarios and real-life application for the learners. Third, the eLearning has not been evaluated by a SME in four years, so the information may not be current. Fourth, there is old information such as contacts that don’t work for the agency anymore. Fifth, the eLearning itself is not functioning accurately such as active links. Last, the questions are pathetic and an insult to the intelligence of any learner.

I’m not sure if I needed to get more specific into the actual eLearning. I can share the actual learner outcomes, modules, etc., since I worked with the SME this week to identify all of these items.

Needs Assessment

For the current, out-dated product, the learner does not have to do anything but click through the eLearning and answer five lower-than-lower questions. I do not even classify them as remembering level of Bloom’s. In order for learning to occur at the desired level and for learners to actually apply the drug free policy to real-life situations they may encounter, the eLearning needs to include instruction and learning scenarios with relevant questions placed appropriately throughout the modules. Since I am required to have at least five questions at the end of each module, I will make them more learning scenario oriented (what would be the best solution based on policy) rather than regurgitation questions.

There would be several needs in this project. First, I have to meet with the SME and evaluate what is currently in the eLearning, get relevant and appropriate scenarios from him, and be sure that I am understanding and teaching to the new policy. From there, I will need to be sure I have time to work in Captivate to come up with a prototype (we develop with SAM now instead of just ADDIE – although I really think I do a combo at this time). Then, I will need to work with the SME to make sure this prototype is what we both have in mind for a new product that reflects the learner practicing and applying the new drug free policy.

Basically, the goal is to educate the new employees on the Drug Free Workplace new policy. Throughout the eLearning, the employees will be asked to make decisions and choices based on learning scenarios and application of the process. Through their selection (of decisions and choices), feedback will be provided indicating whether the choice followed policy or did not (and why). There will be questions related to learning scenarios that will be “graded,” since that is a requirement of the department and not something I can change. The instructional delivery media/methods involve Adobe products. It will be primarily Captivate 7. At this time, we do not have any need to stay within a specific cost limit since it is being done in-house by me. I will track my time on it, but it is part of my job requirements to update and create new eLearnings. Constraints include time with SMEs, time with development due to other responsibilities, learning new items in Captivate 7, time for others to view and approve the new eLearning, and then time with IT to actually post the completed product for all to use. On the flip side, some of those items are my resources and are very helpful such as SME knowledge, learning more in Captivate 7, gaining approval of others (and having them see my work), and working with IT (this will eventually lead us to a new LMS). 

eJournal Entry1

According to Ryan (1975), “A systems approach is an operational concept, referring to a scientific, systematic, and rational procedure for optimizing outcomes of an organization or structure, by implementing a set of related operations to study an existing system, solve problems, and develop new or modify existing systems” (cited in Richey, Klein, & Tracy, 1975, p. 17). What is key here is that our primary purpose in applying instructional design models or processes, such as the ADDIE model, is to solve some sort of problem. When you introduced yourself to the class, you indicated a topic or subject area for your instructional design project. For your first journal entry, I’d like you to more fully explore what problem your instructional design project will address. You’ll use a systematic process for identifying the root cause of a problem; this process is known as the 5 Whys.

1. First briefly describe your intended project. You can copy and paste it from your introduction if you wish. Then state what the problem that your design project will address is. If you’re designing a new course or workshop, the problem might simply be that the course or training doesn’t exist. If you’re modifying instruction, state why. This is your first why.
2. Then determine and state why the problem you’ve identified is occurring or why that problem is a problem—your second why.
3. Now explain why that’s occurring (the cause) or why that’s a problem (unintended or undesirable effects)—your third why.
4. Then identify a fourth and fifth why if you can.
5. Now reflect on your process. Did this technique reveal any new insights for your project? Has it changed the scope, purpose, or focus of the project? Explain how or why. 

Additional Resources
Feel free to read more on the 5 Whys technique, where it originated, how and why its used in Wikipedia or all over the web, if you wish.

For my instructional design project, I will work on a Drug Free Workplace eLearning that is used for all new employees for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. An eLearning exists, created in 2009, and needs to be completely revised, expanded, etc. to provide the required information with learning scenarios for the appropriate audience. 

The outdated eLearning is not giving accurate information to new employees and could become a potential legal issue for the Department. The original eLearning does not include any learning scenarios which does not allow the learner the ability to apply knowledge. Also, the eLearning itself is old and has issues. Links don't work, people listed in it don't work for the agency anymore, and the questions asked are lower than the lowest Bloom's levels (I'm talking sub-remembering if there was such a thing). 

Due to time constraints, lack of knowledgeable developers, and budget restraints, the eLearnings for the agency have not been updated since 2009. This was the first one targeted due to new policy changes and many complaints to our helpdesk regarding issues related to functionality and inaccuracy of information. Due to non-maintenance of the eLearnings, they are out-of-date, reflect speedy design (or lack of design) processes, and lack of any application and higher level questions. I was hired to 1) get our face-to-face training program up and running again and 2) begin revising all eLearnings that are available to new employees. I've accomplished goal #1 and now am moving my focus to eLearnings.