TNA & INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN | THE ADDIE MODEL

 TRAINING NEED ANALYSIS & INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

TRAINING NEED ANALYSIS:

What Is Training Needs Assessment?

A needs assessment is the process of identifying performance requirements and the "gap" between what performance is required and what presently exists. 

Why Conduct TNA? Conducting a Needs Analysis is usually done to gauge what training is needed for new employees or to identify and find solutions to:

•  Problems with performance – Performance Analysis
•  New system, task or technology – Task/Competency Analysis
•  Identification of learner profile – Learner Analysis
  
  

TOOLS FOR CONDUCTING TNA:

There are many tools to gather information about employee performance, which work best in different circumstances:

 Observation: First hand observation and analysis in a setting in which the observer is not interfering with normal productivity. Used to gather first hand data about an employee's strengths and weaknesses.

Interviews: Using a series of predetermined questions to gauge opinions and perceptions. This tool allows the employee to comment on their performance, and allows the interviewer to ask in depth questions about performance.

Questionnaires: Allows for a big picture of the environment by asking respondents identical questions. Allows for more respondents than individual interviews, and takes less time. The data collected can be analyzed in a more quantitative way than with interviews.

Job Descriptions: Study of all responsibilities of a certain job to define an employee’s expectation and responsibilities, allowing for more thorough training and supervision.

The Difficulty Analysis: identification of an employee's duties that cause them the most difficulty, and allowing for more training in those areas.

Problem Solving Conference: A conference setting that allows employees and other staff to identify a plan for a new task or technology and mold the training to it.

Appraisal Reviews: Within a performance review, questioning the employee about their duties and training. Allows supervisor to uncover reasons for poor performance.

Analysis of Organizational Policy: reviewing the organization's policy on training, and the amount and type of training offered to employees. 

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

 Instructional design is the systematic process by which instructional materials are designed, developed, and delivered. The terms instructional design, instructional technology, educational technology, curriculum design, and instructional systems design (ISD), are often used interchangeably. Instructional Design is the practice of creating "instructional experiences which make the acquisition of knowledge and skill more efficient, effective, and appealing." The process consists broadly of determining the current state and needs of the learner, defining the end goal of instruction, and creating some "intervention" to assist in the transition. The outcome of this instruction may be directly observable and scientifically measured or completely hidden and assumed. 

There are many instructional design models but many are based on the ADDIE model with the following five phases: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation.

ADDIE Model

Perhaps the most common model used for creating instructional materials is the ADDIE Model. This acronym stands for the 5 phases contained in the model (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate).

The ADDIE model was initially developed by Florida State University to explain “the processes involved in the formulation of an instructional systems development (ISD) program for military inter service training that will adequately train individuals to do a particular job and which can also be applied to any inter service curriculum development activity.” The model originally contained several steps under its five original phases (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and [Evaluation and] Control), whose completion was expected before movement to the next phase could occur. Over the years, the steps were revised and eventually the model itself became more dynamic and interactive than its original hierarchical rendition, until its most popular version appeared in the mid-80s, as we understand it today. The five phases are listed and explained below:

1-Analyze – The first phase of content development is Analysis. Analysis refers to the gathering of information about one’s audience, the tasks to be completed, how the learners will view the content, and the project’s overall goals. The instructional designer then classifies the information to make the content more applicable and successful.

2- Design – The second phase is the Design phase. In this phase, instructional designers begin to create their project. Information gathered from the analysis phase, in conjunction with the theories and models of instructional design, is meant to explain how the learning will be acquired. For example, the design phase begins with writing a learning objective. Tasks are then identified and broken down to be more manageable for the designer. The final step determines the kind of activities required for the audience in order to meet the goals identified in the Analyze phase.

3- Develop – The third phase, Development, involves the creation of the activities that will be implemented. It is in this stage that the blueprints of the design phase are assembled.

4- Implement – After the content is developed, it is then implemented. This stage allows the instructional designer to test all materials to determine if they are functional and appropriate for the intended audience.

5- Evaluate – The final phase, Evaluate, ensures the materials achieved the desired goals. The evaluation phase consists of two parts: formative and summative assessment.

 The ADDIE model is an iterative process of instructional design, which means that at each stage the designer can assess the project's elements and revise them if necessary. This process incorporates formative assessment, while the summative assessments contain tests or evaluations created for the content being implemented. This final phase is vital for the instructional design team because it provides data used to alter and enhance the design. Most of the current instructional design models are variations of the ADDIE process.