In Chapter 3 of Rapid Instructional Design, Do You Know What You Need to Do? Analysis, author George M. Piskurish continues his discussion of how to conquer the difficulties of instructional design through best practices. This chapter describes in depth how to complete the first step of the ADDIE model: Analysis.
The ADDIE model is used by instructional designers, teachers, and training developers to investigate, plan, build, and deliver valuable learning experiences. The first step, Analysis, ensures that the remaining steps, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation, can be successful. Completing meaningful analysis will answer what training needs to be done and what does not.
The first insight I had about Chapter 3 is the overlap of tasks between classroom teachers and instructional designers. Both require knowledge of learners, which requires analysis. For example, one way to collect data is via focus groups. Piskurich explains that before a focus group, you should prepare participants by providing strong objectives and questions for them to consider beforehand. Identifying the goals and questions to be answered by the end of the lesson is a vital part of a successful lesson.
Another example of overlap between teacher and instructional designer is the role of a facilitator in a focus group. The author says good facilitators “plan the process, communicate well, and listen a lot.” These days, classroom teachers are doing less talking or lecturing and more choosing valuable tools for learning + guiding students through listening by planning extensively in advance.
Piskurich explains several types of analysis in Chapter 3, such as Learning Needs Analysis, Job Analysis, Audience Analysis, and more. I appreciated the examples, templates, advantages, and disadvantages he provided for each type of analysis. Piskurich also shared many valuable insights about analysis. For instance, there is now software that can complete many of these types of analyses, but if your job does not frequently require research, it might not be justifiable to use these.
The type of analysis that got me thinking the most is Competency Analysis which defines not only how to do a job but how to do it at a high level. I like this type of analysis because it offers a chance to start building top-performing skills among new hires on day one. I have been thinking that as long as it doesn’t become overwhelming, including this type of information in training could promote tenacity in all employees. Piskurich lists some questions to ask top-performing employees while conducting a Competency Analysis. My favorite was: “What do you think are the differences between yourself and someone who has only been on the job a couple of times years?” The answer to this question could be a valuable piece of onboarding for that position.
In summary, Chapter 3, Do You Know What You Need to Do? Analysis, acts as a training session for someone who will soon be conducting analysis professionally. The chapter is complete with tips, how-to guides, and real-world examples where a better analysis would have improved learning.
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