Task Analysis

Cathy St. Pierre Susan Cho Chris Loiselle Jim Olaye Task Analysis

Task Analysis - The ID Process First Step: Identify the Subject Matter Expert (SME) Second Step: Contact them and determine meeting place i.e – office or at location that has proper equipment or conditions Third Step: Inquire if any special equipment or training is needed Fourth Step: Ask (SME) what type of examples are needed E.g. – written reports, diagrams, pictures

Task Analysis - The ID Process Fifth Step: Prepare for Analysis Make sure you have two notepads, note cards, and a camera If conditions are favorable , use a laptop or PDA with keyboard for note taking Six Step: Remember to respect (SME)’s time during meeting Prepare ahead of time the summary of the problems and goals Indicate the target audience so you set the stage for the analysis Seek clarification on questions you may have during the meeting, not after the fact Literature searches as part of SME prep would be advantageous

Task Analysis - The ID Process Before the task analysis begins: You can identify the content you want to design the instruction around by brainstorming- flowcharts, concept mapping etc. Come up with goals and objectives of the instructional design During the task analysis: Identified goals are broken down into greater detail The analysis should include both conceptual and procedural learning tasks The information provided should be a mix of critical content and content that is nice to know. Your role as the ID : Is to organize and sequence the content provided by the (SME) by applying learning and instructional theories

Task Analysis - The ID Process Helpful Hints Classify tasks according to desired learning outcome Inventorying tasks – identifying what tasks you want to complete Selecting tasks – prioritize to choose the most appropriate tasks Decomposing tasks - describe the components of the tasks, goals and objectives to help define the instructional design you are trying to accomplish Sequencing tasks – arranging tasks and ordering instruction that best facilitates learning

Being your own (SME) Two major advantages Ease of access to and scheduling of meetings You are already familiar with the learners and problems they have with tasks Major disadvantage Familiarity with the content may cause you to skip steps in analysis of problem Four items to counter disadvantage Find another SME and assume role of designer Ask someone else to perform task analysis Have another expert identify missing steps Listen to feedback from a novice and an expert

Task analysis The most critical step in the instructional design process(Jonassen, Hannum, Tessmer, 1999) Three problems to be solved by Task analysis 1)Task analysis defines the content required to solve the performance problems or alleviate a performance need. 2)The process forces the subject-matter expert to work through each individual step, subtle steps are more easily identified 3) Designers have opportunity to view the contents from the learner’s perspective.

Specific techniques for analyzing content and tasks Step1: How to conduct a topic analysis : to be well suited for defining cognitive knowledge Step2: How to conduct a procedural analysis : for use with psychomotor tasks, job tasks, or cognitive knowledge Step3: The critical incident method : to be useful for analyzing interpersonal skills

Topic Analysis Content structure Fact Concepts Principles and Rules Procedures Interpersonal Skills Attitudes

Topic Analysis(cont.) Analyzing a topic 1)The learner analysis describes the learner’s knowledge of the content area 2) The SME is often source of information concerning the learner’s entry-level knowledge a basis for determining the level of detail needed in this initial analysis

Procedural Analysis Breaking down the mental and/or physical steps that the learner must go through so that the task can be successfully achieved The steps that make up a task are arranged linearly and sequentially, illustrating where the learner begins and ends. Flow chart, Table format are used

Procedural Analysis(cont.) Application of steps (Smith & Ragan, 1999) Step1. Determine whether a particular procedure is applicable. Step2. Recall the steps of the procedure. Step3. Apply the steps in order, with decision steps if required. Step4. Confirm that the end result is reasonable.

Procedural Analysis(cont.) Flowchart of a procedure

Procedural Analysis(cont.) Checklist Relevant cues and feedback are identified? The analysis identifies the generally acceptable procedure? The decision steps identified? All steps accurately described? Critical steps, could result in personal injury, equipment damage, or other loss, are identified?

Procedural Analysis(cont.) Applied Cognitive Task Analysis(Militello and Hutton,1998) Step1: The designer asks a SME to identify three to six broad steps that are performed as part of this task. Step2: A knowledge audit that is used to generate examples of the task. Step3: To conduct a simulation interview the expert describes how he/she would solve a realistic problem. Step4: To create a cognitive demands table that synthesizes the information from the first three steps.

References Jonassen, D., Hannum, w., & Tessmer, M. (1999). “ Task Analysis methods for instructional design” . Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Militello, L.G., & Hutton, R.J. B. (1998). Applied cognitive task analysis: A Practitioner's toolkit for understanding cognitive task demands. Ergonomics, 41, 1618-1641. Morrison, G.R., Ross, S.M., & Kemp, J.E. “ D e signing Effective Instruction ” , 5 th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, 2007. Smith, P. and Ragan, T. (1999). Instructional design (2nd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Task Analysis

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