Topic: Essay on the Analysis Phase
Instruction:
ADDIE – The Analysis Phase
In this assignment, you will work to complete the first phase of the instructional design process.
Content
The Analysis Phase includes needs assessment (goals and gaps), job and task analysis, and target population analysis. The Training Plan Project General Directions describes the two areas we will address in your training plan: goals and gaps and target population.
Analysis Phase: Target Population
Our text places this as the first step in the Analysis Phase (see Goals below). The course developer should determine the characteristics of the target audience and describe this target audience. In your description of the target population, including such items as:
physical characteristics
education
motivation
interests
attitudes, biases, and prejudices
demographics
existing skills and knowledge (what do they already know about the topic you have chosen?)
Generally speaking, the target audience contains the people who will be the trainees, not necessarily the people you desire to be students. Validate the information–see Notes 2, 3, and 4 below.
How do you know who will be your training population?
If you are basing your scenario on a real company, base your tpop on the people in that company. For example, if your tpop will be students attending UTTyler, consult the UTT website and see what information you can gather about the people who attend UTT.
If you are basing your scenario on a fictitious company, find information about similar companies from the web and create a tpop from that. Remember to cite all sources you use. You may wish to explain in your document that you are basing the demographics on the employees from Company A and Company B who produce the same type of product or service. Or use an appendix to provide the detailed information and citations.
If you are basing your scenario on the concept of training the general public (such as teaching basic golf, or perhaps chess, etc.) find information on people who either play or take lessons to learn–there is plenty of information to be found on the web!
Remember: wherever you get information from that you use, cite it!
Read the following: Analysis Phase-The Target Population
Analysis Phase: Goals and Gaps
The next step in the Analysis Phase is the determination of gaps in knowledge or skills and whether those gaps can be solved with training. This section presents the gaps (often called problems), examines the possible approaches to solve the gaps/problems, identifies the chosen solution, and provides justification for the choice.
From your information on the tpop, you will have an idea of current skills in the topic of your choice. For example, in teaching golf perhaps you only take those who have never learned any golf before–that’s your choice. In making that choice, then, you know you will have to start with the very basics for your instructional goals.
What does “justification” mean? Simply, why did you make the decisions you made about what to choose for your instructional goals? How do you know there is a “training gap”? Using the golf example further, your justification could be based upon the information you find in your research that annually over 5,000 men and women take golf lessons from pros on the golf courses. So you know that there are at least that many who start learning golf each year.
Read the following: Analysis Phase-Goals and Gaps
Using the above and the detailed documents “Analysis Phase – Goals and Gaps” and “Analysis Phase – Target Population”, create written sections for your training plan that address the relevant questions and concepts identified in those discussions. Do your best to be as complete as possible, but keep in mind this is a draft and you will most likely modify your work as you go through the process.
Note 1: The text and my notes on training are written from the perspective of an HRD employee within a company or, in the case of the text, a training consultant. If your scenario is about training a personal interest, such as golf, not all points may be applicable.
Note 2: Our training plan scenario assumes that you have already identified the “problem” by naming the subject of your training, but you will want to “justify” your choice with some research. If you are doing professional training for a real or fictitious company, you can identify some activity, such as taking a fictitious “survey”, to provide this justification for your training. Another possibility is to find some sources that describe how “subject X” has become quite popular and XX number of people are engaged in the activity.
Note 3: In the same way, you may be creating fictitious “trainees”, giving them random demographics. But remember we are looking for realistic–for example, if you are going to train basic golf swings, do some research to see if you can find out what types of people take beginning golf lessons, and use that information. Ask yourself questions such as “would this training be beneficial if I restrict it to one gender?” or “would this training be beneficial if I restrict it to people 40-60 years of age?” Remember, though, to provide some justification as to your choices.
Note 4: Obtaining and using sources is part of the validation process. Remember that any information you obtain and use must be cited and included in your References.
Because our training plans are fictitious, you have quite a bit of discretion as to who, what, how, and why. But you need some basis for your decisions–that’s where a few web searches will be very helpful. Get into your topic–who is writing about it? who is doing it? what sort of courses are available? what costs are involved? Your research does not have to be from “academic” resources unless those are appropriate.
Format:
Although this is a draft, create it in the proper formal format that will be required for the final product.
Use Microsoft Word or Notepad Text.
Format according to APA 6th edition (double-spaced, page numbered, etc.).
There is no minimum/maximum page requirement for this assignment. It is likely that each section will take 2-3 pages.
Do not use personal pronouns such as “I”, “we”, “you”, etc.
No. of Pages: 2
