Learner & Contextual Analysis

In summary,  leaner and contextual analysis is useful identifying your audience needs in creating instructional material. Morrison, Ross and Kemp (2007) state that, “To serve either a training group or an academic classroom, the instructional designer must obtain information about the capabilities, needs, and interests of the learners.” Some of the learner characteristics the book covers include: general characteristics, specific entry, learning styles, personal and social characteristics, culturally diverse learners, and learners with disabilities. Topics covered related to contextual analysis include: orienting, instruction, transfer, and performing a contextual analysis. The following are highlights of the aforementioned topics on learner and contextual analysis.

Morrison, Ross and Kemp (2007) defer to Heinrich, Molenda, Russell, and Smaldino (1999) and state that designers should begin with the following categories when describing learner characteristics: general characteristics, specific entry, and learning styles. General characteristics are defined as broad, generalized statements about the learners, such as gender, ethnicity, work experience, and education. Specific entry characteristics are skills or knowledge that the learners must have prior to being exposed to the new training. For example, if you are going to offer a computer-based or on-line training class, a perquisite may be ensuring the learner has access to a computer and is comfortable using the internet and basic word processing skills, such as those found in MS Word. The last category Heinrich et al. (1999) mention is learning style. Morrison, Ross, and Kemp (2007) surmise that knowing learning styles is more important if you are providing one-on-one or small group instruction. Other learner characteristics discussed by Morrison, Ross and Kemp include: academic information, personal and social characteristics, cultural diversity of learners, and learners with disabilities.

Lastly, as a designer, the context to deliver the instruction is important to understand. There are three contexts a designer needs to consider: orienting, instructional, and transfer. Orienting context includes understanding what the learner brings with them, such as skills, knowledge, and attitude. Orienting also includes knowing if the learners feel that the course will be useful to them and how or why the learner feels accountable to learning the material. Instructional context a designer should consider includes method to present the materials and factors in the environment to support the delivery method. Some key environmental factors to consider are: lighting, noise, temperature, seating, accommodations, equipment, and transportation. The last type of context is transfer. Context transfer focuses on “creating an environment that promotes the application of the newly learned knowledge and skills” (Morrison, Ross, and Kemp, 2007). In conducting a contextual analysis, surveys, observations, and interviews may be necessary to gather information necessary to analyze.

All in all,  chapter 3 in Designing Effective Instruction includes a great breakdown of items to consider when defining the target learner and context. Much information is easily available regarding potential learners, although not all of the information may be required to begin design on an instructional module. By considering the individuals’ backgrounds and experiences, and the context of the material and environment, a designer can be off to a terrific start in creating meaningful instruction.

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., & Kemp, J. E. (2007). Designing effective instruction (5th ed.). San Francisco: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Heinrich, R., Molenda, M., Russell, J., & Smaldino, S. (1999). Instructional media and technologies for learning (6th ed). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.