Out of the goal and sub-task analysis, emerge the summative or outcome evaluations. If the analysis of the instructional goal is couched in behavioral terms, the formative and summative evaluations correspond to those outcomes.
Module 4
Subordinate Skills |
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- Dick and Cary, Chapters 3(reread) and 4
Context and Background
Once your design team has conducted and analyzed your needs assessment you will need to conduct what is referred to as a Goal Analysis. A Goal analysis is simply an analysis of your instructional goal considering such elements as learning domains, and the identification of all the skills and knowledge needed in the instruction to accomplish the goal.
Since goals are usually written as broad encompassing statements, the instructional design team needs to look carefully at the goal and identify what measurable or observable behaviors would demonstrate the meeting of the instructional goal. To accomplish this task the design team will need to consider various learning domains: psychomotor, intellectual (or cognitive), verbal, and attitudinal. Not all goals will contain all of the domains, but the designer needs to consider them in the context of the goal itself.
Goal analysis may be considered as a fragmentation of the goal or instructional outcome. What are the steps or elements required to meet the goal. Flow charts help us visualize the relationships between various steps or elements of the goal. These steps may be found in various domains (verbal, psychomotor, intellectual, attitudinal), making the process more complex than what it may first appear to be. Between each of these steps the designer may insert an evaluation instrument (formative evaluation) to determine if the learner is ready to proceed. There may also be a number of decision points where the learner may decide to take one path or direction over another. This has to be planned for in the instructional process.
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For example: You wish to have a party. . |
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Your needs assessment identifies the fact that most people do not know where you live and how to get there. To close the gap between not knowing where and how to get to your house you need to design some instructional materials for your invited guest. |
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Your first task is to break down the goal into manageable steps which
will lead to people finding your house. This process will be influenced
by a learner analysis (in this case a party animal). Once you have identified
the characteristics of your learners (i.e.: are they familiar with the
area, do they drive or walk, will they be taking cabs, etc.), you can
decide the best vehicle for delivering the instruction. Should you write
it down, create a map, leave directions on your answering machine, create
a web page with a map and pictures? What resources will you have (time,
money, Internet access, answering machine, production skills, etc.). Thus, a goal analysis will reveal all the steps (within reason), evaluation points, and decision points in the instructional/learning process. One point is important here. Even though the designer or design team is concerned with constructing instructional events to meet an established goal, the designer, along with the content expert, is constructing learning environments. From what theoretical perspective (behaviorism, cognitive theory, or constructivism to name 3) is the instructional and learning environment being considered. |
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The analysis (task analysis) of the instructional goal presents a series of steps needed to be taken in order for the goal to be realized. Once the basic analysis is completed, and various decisions points are recognized and accounted for, an analysis of the "steps" or tasks is then required (sub-task analysis or subordinate skills analysis ). It is similar to completing a goal analysis except the designer is now analyzing each individual step or task. What are the sub-steps needed to complete this one step.
Out of the goal and sub-task analysis, emerge the summative or outcome evaluations. If the analysis of the instructional goal is couched in behavioral terms, the formative and summative evaluations correspond to those outcomes.
Once the instructional goal and its steps have been identified the next step is to identify those individual steps. This is known as "subordinate skills analysis."
The challenge here for the designer is to identify the appropriate skills needed for each step of the instructional process. Leaving out certain skills or steps may cause difficulties for the learner. Consider in the party example used above, if one step in the instructions was left out. your guest may never arrive. On the other hand, including too much in each step with either make each step too complex making the instructional step too long. The quest here is for efficiency and effectiveness. Accountability is embedded in the formative and summative evaluation process.
Goal analysis and the subordinate analysis are critical to the instructional design process. In conjunction with the learner analysis, the basis for the instructional design, the selection of media delivery systems, the production of instructional materials, and the use of resources, are determined. Many instructional packages and programs have fallen short because of incomplete or not adequate needs assessment, learner analysis, instructional goal articulation and analysis, and skill analysis.
Dick and Carey (1996) refer to a number of processes or techniques used in the identification of subordinate skills. These include "Hierarchical Approach", "Cluster analysis." The chart below will briefly summarize each.
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Hierarchical Approach |
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Questions to be asked:
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Cluster Analysis |
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Question to be asked:
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for Attitude Goals |
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Questions to be asked:
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An important element in the instructional design process is the identification of "learner entry behaviors." It is critical to the instructional development process that designers realize and recognize what knowledge's and experiences their learners need to bring to the instructional process. In the area of skills and behaviors, it is important for the designer to identify them before producing the instructional materials. What skills required of learners to begin the instructional process is referred to as "entry behaviors."