The Analysis Phase
The analysis phase is perhaps the most powerful in the ADDIE process. This phase determines your audience(s), the training need or gap, your timeline, risks, and people partnerships. It allows you to zero in on the right learning intervention for the most effective learning impact. However, it is not likely that you will be able to gather all of this information in a single interview or meeting given the breadth of questions that are needed to develop an accurate picture of the training need. The three main staples of the Analysis phase are detailed below.
Learner Analysis
Who is the audience for your lesson or course? Are they 3rd-graders learning multiplication for the first time, or are they business professionals learning a new software suite? A Learner Analysis uncovers the skills, knowledge, and attitude that your audience has as these can greatly influence your design (Judge, M. n.d.). So, what kinds of questions do you ask in a Learner Analysis? Answer: Lots of them! All kidding aside, there really is no way to put together a comprehensive list of questions because your learners are a unique audience.
Below are just some examples of open/closed-ended questions you might ask in a Learner Assessment. As with any type of assessment, it is usually most effective if you start with more broad, open-ended questions and then drill down using confirmation (drilling) questions to get to specifics.
General/Open-Ended Questions
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Can you tell me about the audience who needs training?
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Who is my target audience?
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What special considerations are needed for this audience?
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How do you think this training will be received by the audience?
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What skills or attributes do they currently possess that may aid or hinder learning?
Drilling/Closed-Ended Questions
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Has this audience received training on this topic before?
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What age or grade is my audience?
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Does my audience have access to an online meeting or training platform?
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Do some learners speak a different language than others?
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What skills do they currently possess?
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Are they familiar with standard computer navigation?
Did any of the above questions surprise you? Consider why we ask questions such as "Has the audience received training on this before." If the answer is yes, what would your follow up question be? You could ask what it was. You could ask to see it. But at the end of the day, what you really want to know is why it didn't work, and why there's a need for a second learning intervention. Did it not appeal to multiple learning styles? Was it too high-level, or too detailed for that audience? Was the timing not right? There is a myriad of factors that could have impacted the first iteration of the training. Your job in the analysis phase is to keep digging until you are satisfied you know your audience well enough to make learning stick!
Needs Analysis
Now that you know the details about whom the learning intervention needs to be created for, it's time to determine what the needs of the course are. When conducting a Needs Analysis, be careful not to narrow your focus to just the training gap itself. An effective Needs Analysis helps you determine the entire ecosystem in which the course will exist. For example:
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What is the training need/gap?
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Has training been provided on this topic before? Why was it/wasn't it effective?
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When does training need to start?
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How many people will take the training?
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When does training need to be completed?
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What is the work environment like?
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Are there any technical requirements?
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Will this require additional resources to implement (trainers, IT/systems support, etc.)
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What is the budget?
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Who are my Subject Matter Experts (SME's)?
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Who else is on the project team, and what is their role?
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Are there any potential risks that could impact meeting dates or goals?
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How will we evaluate the effectiveness of the course?
As you can see, the Needs Assessment requires one to take into account a very wide variety of considerations. At first, it may be a little overwhelming, especially for eLearning where there may be a number of technical issues to consider. One recommended approach to help keep you organized in your eLearning Needs Analysis is to break things down into two different questions sets where one focuses on the needs unique to eLearning while the other set focuses on the larger ecosystem items such as budget, schedule, and the like (Keramida, 2016).
Free Needs Analysis Template Download!
While the Needs Analysis takes a multitude of factors into consideration, it doesn't need to be overly complex to be effective. Not satisfied with the types of Needs Analysis templates I found online, I decided to build my own. I call it the "Down and Dirty Dozen Needs Analysis" and as you can guess, has the 12 questions I've found to be most helpful in helping me determine training needs. Feel free to download this template, and if need be, make updates and change questions as needed so that this template works for your unique needs!
The Down & Dirty Dozen
Needs Analysis Template
Task Analysis
So wait...We just did the Needs Analysis. We know what needs to be taught, right? Not so fast! It may not be that simple, especially when it comes to teaching concepts that require multiple steps. Even something as simple as sending an email can have multiple steps, and for those who have never sent one, it's important to break down each step in detail (Legault, n.d.).
The goal of a Task Analysis is to take each learning objective and list out all tasks or step actions associated with it. In the below example, you can see the objective of the learner is to make a pot of coffee using the Super-Deluxe Coffee Maker. On the right, are the steps necessary to accomplish the task of making a pot of coffee with the Super-Deluxe Coffee Maker.
Learning Objective
Learners will be able to make a pot of coffee using the Super-Deluxe Coffee Maker.
Task List
Step 1: Fill the carafe with 12 cups of cold water
Step 2: Pour the water in the carafe into the water tank on the back of the Super-Deluxe Coffee Maker
Step 3: Open the basket door
Step 4: Insert 1 paper filter into the basket
Step 5: Add 1/2 cup of fresh ground coffee into the filter
Step 6: Close the basket door
Step 7: Press the Brew button
So, how detailed do the steps need to be? Couldn't we keep breaking down the tasks into even more sub-tasks? For example, in the Task List above, one could add steps for how to turn on the faucet, what button to press to open the basket door, etc. I recommend following Nicole Legault's advice of "The Goldilocks approach of just enough detail," (n.d., p.1). By this, she means you should break it down into the steps necessary for your particular target audience to be able to perform.
Think back to the example task of sending an email we used at the top of this page. Specifically, let's say we need to provide the steps for sending an email using MS Outlook. Look below at how the task breakdown can be different based on the audience identified:
Learner has no previous computer experience:
Step 1: Push the Power button on the front panel
Step 2: Move the mouse so the arrow hovers above the blue grid icon with the white O in it.
Step 3: Push down on the left mouse button twice in rapid succession to open MS Outlook
Step 4: Move the mouse so that the arrow hovers over the New Email envelope icon at the top left of the window that just opened, and click the left mouse button once to open a new email.
Step 5: In the To line, click the left mouse button once to enter that field, and then type in the email address of the person you are sending the email to. If multiple people, separate each email address with a semi-colon.
Step 6: To the right of the word Subject, click the left mouse button once, and type the title/subject of your email in the subject line.
Step 7: In the large, open section below Subject, click the left mouse button, and type your email message.
Step 8: Move the mouse to hover over the Send button near the top left, and click the left mouse button to send the message.
Learner has used computer before but has always used GMail, not Outlook
Step 1: From the home screen, double-click the MS Outlook icon to open the program.
Step 2: Fill out the To and Subject Lines
Step 3: Compose your email
Step 4: Click Send
In both cases above, the goal is to enable the learner to send an email using MS Outlook, but the task breakdown is very different because of the unique needs of each audience. The "Goldilocks" approach ensures that you provide the right level of detail for the right audience. The learners on the left would likely not understand the instructions on the right and would be unable to complete the actions. The learners on the right would likely feel patronized or bored with the level of detail on the left.
Another consideration in your Task Analysis should be centered around Bloom's Taxonomy. What exactly are the lesson objectives? Are you asking your learners to utilize Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS) or Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)? The answer to this question will have a direct influence on the tasks you ask your learners to perform.
For example, if the learning goal is to memorize a series of six steps in a process (Remembering), the task and breakdown would be similar to our coffee example earlier. However, if the learning goal is to take what is already known and create something new, then the task breakdown would look very different, likely including steps such as creating a hypothesis, creating a beta, testing, etc.
Image courtesy of Teachthought.com
As we wrap up the Analysis section, I would like to leave you with one final thought. The Learner Analysis, Needs Analysis, and Task Analysis are tools in your instructional design toolbelt. They are not items in a checklist to be completed for the sake of checking a box, or to fulfill a manager's or client's requirements. If your particular template or tool doesn't meet your unique needs, build one that does! They're your tools after all, and they need to perform well so you can perform well.
Self-assessment!
How well do you know your Analysis Phase and tools? How about an ADDIE-tude check with the ten-question quiz below? Don't worry, you can take it as many times as you like!
Resources
Judge, Margaux. (n.d.) How to analyze learners. Webucator. https://www.webucator.com/how-to/how-analyze-learners.cfm
Keramida, M. (2016). Training needs analysis for eLearning: 2 sets of questions to ask the client. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/training-needs-analysis-for-elearning-2-sets-questions-ask-client
Legault, N. (n.d.) How to do task analysis like a pro. E-Learning Heroes. https://community.articulate.com/articles/how-to-do-a-task-analysis-like-a-pro
Teachthought.com. (2020). What is Bloom's Taxonomy? A definition for teachers. https://www.teachthought.com/learning/what-is-blooms-taxonomy-a-definition-for-teachers/