Analysis

       

  Steps 4 & 5: Who are the learners and what are the resources and constraints of the situation?  

  Identify five categories of learner characteristics and determine resources and constraints.  
       
 

Step 4: Audience Assessment
If your needs analysis has resulted in the determination that training is part of the solution to the gap between your actual and desired situation, the next step in the Analysis phase of the ISD process is to analyze your audience. This is an essential part of the process because, regardless of your good intentions, learners will not buy into your training program if it does not suit their needs, interests, or motivations. Simply stated, you must know your learners before designing instruction for them.

Knowing your audience requires an in depth assessment of the learners to develop a generic profile. Without this information, it is possible to end up with a program that is too basic or too difficult for the participants. There are five categories of learner characteristics: 		 
   
   

The table below shows the audience assessment as it applied to the development of this course:

 
   
Step 5: Determining resources and constraints
   Step 5 analyzes the resources and constraints of the situation. What is available to the learner and what constraints exist in terms of financial resources, human resources, time, facilities, equipment, materials, organizational characteristics, and existing instructional resources? The table below shows this assessment as it applied to the development of this course:

Resources and Constraints
Learners will access the course primarily from their workstations and cannot be assumed to have access at home.
Learners will be in different time zones.












Optional reading

   For further reading on this topic you can access the following on-line resources:

http://www.learningcircuits.org/2001/oct2001/elearn.html

  

Next lesson

   In the next lesson, you will determine the best method of delivering your instruction based on the analysis of your audience, resources and constraints.