learneranalysis

Learner Analysis: Identifying Learner Characteristics and Needs

One of the first steps in defining an eLearning program is to identify the target learner and their characteristics and needs. Learner needs will impact the goals of the instruction, and learner characteristics – such as learning preferences, physical and mental capabilities, and learning styles – will impact the nature of the instruction. You may actually identify several different groups of learners for your program, and it is important to identify the characteristics and needs of each group. Once the needs are identified, you may find that you must prioritize any competing needs according to who has been identified as your primary target learner group.

If information about the learners is provided by others or if you use your own knowledge of the learner to compile a learner analysis, be sure to have your analysis checked by several who are familiar with the learners to avoid mistakes resulting from false assumptions. If possible, it is best to use verifiable methods to gather data about the characteristics, abilities interests, and needs of your target learner. For example:

Your employer asks you to produce a series of videos of one of their sales trainers who has been very successful at training customers to use the products they purchase from the company. The videos will be shown to other company sales staff who have been newly-tasked with training customers. You suspect that the success of the trainer to be video taped is due to his personality and the well-written technical manuals that he gives to the customers. Because of this, you are concerned that the videos will end up being a "talking head"-type of training product that will do little to help the sales staff in their new job task. What do you do?

In this situation, gathering evidence to support or refute your suspicions would provide you with a clear picture of the needs of the target learners and the demands of the task. If such evidence is not welcomed by your employer, you will at least be aware of the challenges facing your instructional design and you may be able to add features to the videos that will address the true needs and result in effective instruction despite the constraints placed upon you by your employer.

Learner needs can be determined by identifying what is and what should be – the “gap” between those two states defines the learners’ needs. You will typically find that some needs are common to all your identified target learners,

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while others may be unique to certain groups or even to specific individuals. Some unique needs must be addressed regardless of how few learners they involve (for example the needs of physically challenged students).

Needs Common to All Learners

The needs most critical to the development of your eLearning program are the required KSAs - Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes. KSAs represent what the learner needs to know and do, and the desired attitude that they need to exhibit towards the content of the eLearning instruction. Depending on the type of eLearning program being offered, KSAs may be identified by learners themselves. More often, however, the KSAs are dictated by an employer, an accrediting body, academic program requirements, or by government or industry standards.

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There are other needs common to learners that, if not met, can interfere with a student's ability to learn, as illustrated above. Abraham Maslow (1954, p. 236) promoted the view that all humans posses a biologically-based core of needs, goals, values, satisfactions, and frustrations that affect their personality and behavior. If not met, these needs can often also impact a student’s motivation to learn. Maslow’s famous “hierarchy of needs,” illustrated above, is used today in many fields. Can you think of situations where each of these needs might need to be considered prior to attempting to instruct a learner?

Differing Needs

Differences between learners results in a variety of needs that should also be considered when defining an eLearning program and its goals. For example, learners may differ as a result of their age or prior experiences with the content you are presenting. Consider the following topics:

Different Ages and Maturity Levels

Do adults and children differ in how they learn? Experts disagree, but American educator Malcolm Knowles (1970) believed they do and he devised a set of four assumptions that differentiated adults from children as learners:

•self-concept (adults are self-directing and children are more dependent on adults to indicate what is important),

•experience (adults have a richer source of previous experience),

•readiness to learn (adults are more developmentally ready because their learning needs relate to fulfilling their social roles), and

•orientation to learning (adults typically wish to use the information immediately while children are oriented toward learning for future needs) (Knowles, 1970, p.39).

The National Center for Research in Vocational Education (NCRVE, 1987) made the following general distinctions between the adult learner and the child:

Child Learner		Adult Learner
Children depend upon adults for material support,		Adults depend upon themselves for material support and life
psychological support, and life management. They are		management. Although they must still meet many psychological
other-directed.		needs through others, they are largely self-directed.
Children perceive one of their major roles in life to be		Adults perceive themselves to be doers; using previous learning

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Child Learner

that of learner.

Children generally learn what they are told to learn.

Children view the established learning content as important because adults tell them it is important.

Children, as a group within educational settings, are much alike. They're approximately the same age, come from similar socioeconomic backgrounds, etc.

Children actually perceive time differently than older people do. Our perception of time changes as we age-- time seems to pass more quickly as we get older.

Children have a limited experience base.

Children generally learn quickly.

Children are open to new information and will readily adjust their views.

Children's readiness to learn is linked to both academic development and biological development.

Children learn (at least in part) because learning will be of use in the future.

Children are often externally motivated (by the promise of good grades, praise from teachers and parents, etc.)

Children have less well-formed sets of expectations in terms of formal learning experiences. Their "filter" of past experience is smaller than that of adults.

Adult Learner

to achieve success as workers, parents, etc.

Adults learn best when they perceive learning outcomes as valuable to their own development, work success, etc.

Adults often have very different ideas about what is important to learn.

Adults are very different from each other. Adult learning groups are likely to be composed of persons of many different ages, backgrounds, education levels, etc.

Adults perceive time itself differently than do children, and they are also more concerned about the effective use of time.

Adults have a broad experience base to relate to new learning.

Adults, for the most part, learn more slowly than children, but they learn just as well.

Adults are much more likely to reject or explain away new information that contradicts their beliefs.

Adults' readiness to learn is directly linked to needs related to fulfilling their roles as workers, spouses, parents, etc. & coping with life changes (divorce, death of a loved one, retirement).

Adults are concerned with the immediate applicability of learning.

Adults are more often internally motivated (by the potential for feelings of worth, self-esteem, achievement, etc.)

Adults have well-formed expectations, which, unfortunately, are sometimes negative because they are based upon unpleasant past formal learning experiences.

Changing Technology & Different Generational Characteristics

Due to the complexity and constant change of today's global technological society, there are some needs that continue to evolve and change. For example, the current explosion of knowledge has complicated the task of determining what

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K-12 and college-aged students need from instruction and how best to meet those needs. A popular YouTube video reports facts from the US Department of Labor that raise some puzzling questions:

•Todays learners will have 10-14 jobs by their 38th birthday -- how can a single college major address the needs suggested by this information?

•Many of today's college majors didn't exist 10 years ago -- how do we prepare students for fields that do not yet exist?

•The amount of technical information is doubling every two years and is expected to double every 72 hours by the year 2010 -- how can a human being ever hope to grasp such a vast amount of information or put it to good use?

•The task is to prepare students for jobs and technologies that don't yet exist to solve problems we don't even know about yet. Can it be done?

("Did You Know? 2.0" retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U )

How do you teach students what they need to know to pass today's accountability tests, while at the same time prepare them to solve problems that do not yet exist? How do you gain and maintain the attention and interest of students who are natives of this digital age, who multi-task while studying, and access huge amounts of information via the Internet, some of which is accurate and much of which is of questionable authority? What is "digital visual literacy" and why is it an important skill for today's learners?

These issues also face the designers of eLearning programs in the corporate and nonprofit sectors, as well: the bottom line is that needs are complex and learners are different. The aptitudes, attitudes, expectations, and learning styles of today's learners reflect the environment in which they were raised — one that is decidedly different from that which existed when most of today's teachers and workforce trainers were growing up. These students are popularly referred to as "digital natives," and they are frequently taught by "digital immigrants," or those for whom the newer technologies are foreign and seem less intuitive (Prensky, 2001).

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Teaching such diverse groups of learners requires different approaches, different media, and different strategies, and often requires the use of methods that will meet the needs of both digital natives and digital immigrants. When faced with this challenging yet exciting task, eLearning leaders must give careful consideration to the design of instruction to meet the diverse needs of their learners.

If you’ve determined that your eLearning audience consists of a number of different generations, you may wish to consider what the research says about the characteristics of different generations of learners. The following age ranges are approximate and the learner characteristics listed are described by researchers as "generalizations:"

"Matures" - Mature learners were born before 1946. They tend to be dedicated to whatever job they take on, are respectful of authority, and frequently place duty before pleasure.

"Baby Boomers" - Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. They live to work, are generally optimistic, and have exercised a great deal of influence on today's policies and products.

"Generation X" - The Gen-Xers were born between 1964 and 1980. In contrast to the Boomers, they work to live. They also have clear and consistent expectations and value contributing to the whole.

"Millennials" or "Net Generation" - The Net Generation learners were born between 1981 and 1994. They live in the moment, have come to expect the immediacy of technology, they frequently multi-task, and they tend to enjoy group work and question everything.

What if you had to design instruction for an eLearning course that was offered to students from ALL of the generational groups described above? This situation is not unusual. For example, students taking courses from community colleges often range in age from 17 or 18 to 80. Engaging the digital native and a digital immigrant from a different generation in the same course can be a challenge, especially if checking email is the extent of the immigrant’s technological prowess. For this type of challenge, you must consider strategies that will bridge the gap between the natives and the older immigrants.

HOWEVER, the claim that there are different characteristics and different methods required to meet the needs of Net Generation learners is a controversial issue. eLearning practitioners and researchers come down on both sides of this issue. While the noted author and eLearning designer, Marc Prensky (2009; 2001a; 2001b), claims that easy access to computers, the Internet, mobile phones and MP3 players has actually altered the way learning occurs and the

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processing of information in the brains of learners born in the last quarter of the 20th century, others challenge that assertion. As a result of this supposed alteration, Prensky stresses that Net Generation learners require fast-paced instruction, more control and multiple tracks to leverage their ability to multitask, and active engagement with plenty of visual stimuli (2001a).

Clark (2009), on the other hand, advocates an evidence-based approach to eLearning design, and argues that a close look at the research shows there is little basis for the claim that this generation's brains are substantially different enough to warrant a different style of instruction. She challenged Prensky on several issues, and stated: ""The instructional professional of today must move beyond mere fads and folklore to apply empirical evidence of what works" " (p. 27).

But Prensky (2009) responded to Clark with his own challenges, questioning the validity of the research she laid out, and ending with the statement that "there's a lot more to being truly scientific than is generally acknowledged (or even known) by most educators" (p. 39)

To read more about the characteristics of the Net Generation and how they differ from other generations of learners, check out the Oblinger and Oblinger report linked from the resources section of the screen for this assignment, or the articles by Prensky linked from the resources.

Different Physical or Mental Abilities

The physical and mental characteristics and capabilities of learners may also indicate needs for accommodations that will provide an environment conducive to learning. Accommodations to meet learner needs may necessitate special software or hardware, materials that are formatted in a variety of formats, or alternative learning assessments.

Different Learning Styles

Learning style refers to the manner in which a person perceives, processes, stores, and recalls what they are attempting to learn. Each individual’s brain is unique in the way it learns, but there are some general categories of learning styles, and instruction that is designed to address a variety of styles is more likely to succeed in fostering learning.

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One of the most popular and simplistic means of categorizing learning styles is by the way a learner prefers to perceive information. How do you perceive and remember information? For example, when you attempt to remember a telephone number, do you “see” the number in your mind the way you wrote it on a piece of paper? In that case, you may be a visual learner. Or do you “hear” the number the way you or someone else recited it to you? If this is the case, you may be an aural learner. Or, do you need to use your fingers to recall it, entering it on the telephone keypad? If that’s the case, you may be a kinesthetic/tactile learner. Some versions of this learning styles model also distinguish between visual learners who are verbal and those who are nonverbal. The following chart lists the perception learning styles along with teaching strategies that have been used successfully with each style.

		If you are a visual-verbal learner, strategies that will enhance your learning include:
		• Use colored highlighters to color-code different kinds of information in contrasting
		colors.
		• Write out phrases that summarize essential information from a textbook or lecture.
	Visual-verbal students learn best when visual	• Make vocabulary and concept flashcards.
	information is presented in a written language	• Write out explanations of diagrams, illustrations, and mathematical or technical
	format. They often benefit from materials	information or procedures.
	provided on the blackboard or overhead	• Use computer word processing to copy notes and print them out for review.
	projector, lists of essential points, lecture	• Utilize “sticky” notes to copy key words and concepts for review prior to an exam.
	outlines, and information obtained from	Stick them in highly visible places such as on the bathroom mirror, the refrigerator or
	textbooks and class notes.	the dashboard of your car.
		If you are a visual-nonverbal learner, strategies that will enhance your learning include:
	Visual-nonverbal students learn best when	• Translate words and ideas into symbols, pictures, and diagrams to facilitate recall.
		• Use highlighter pens to highlight key words and pictures on flashcards so you can take
	visual information is presented in a picture or	a mental "picture' of the information.
	graphic design format. Such learners are able
		• Whenever possible, make charts, diagrams, and matrices to organize information and
	to visualize information in their minds and
		represent procedures, using the graphic capabilities of computer spreadsheet and
	may have an artistic bent. They benefit when
		word processing programs.
	instructors use visual aids such as pictures,
	film, video, maps and charts. They also learn
	well from textbook pictures and diagrams, and
	may benefit from assignments that require
	them to illustrate concepts through Venn
	diagrams, concept maps or flow charts.

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If you are an aural learner, strategies that will enhance your learning include:

•Talk or read notes out loud to aid recall and to study concepts.

•Join a study group or enlist a study partner to assist you in learning or reviewing key information.

•Use a tape recorder with a counter to tape record lectures. Refer to the counter

	Aural students learn best when information is	during taping to record a section where you have a question or where there is a visual
	presented aurally in an oral language format,	you need to remember. Use the pause button to avoid recording information you do
	and learn well from interacting with others in	not feel you will need later.
	an exchange of verbal information. Such	• Use the tape recorder to record notes taken in class and listen to them to prepare for
	learners can mentally “replay the tape” to	exams.
	remember information. They benefit from	• Use commercial books on tape when applicable.
	listening to lectures and participating in group	“Talk through” new or difficult information, stating the problem in your own words.
	discussions, or from audio-taped information.
		If you are a kinesthetic/tactile learner, strategies that will enhance your learning include:
		• Sit near the front of the room during lectures and jot down key words or draw
		pictures and charts to aid in learning and recalling the material presented.
		• Incorporate physical activity when studying for tests, such as walking, exercising or
		driving while listening to taped lectures or notes.
	Kinesthetic/tactile students learn best when	• Make your learning tangible by making models of key concepts.
		• Spend time in museums, job sites, or authentic situations to gain first-hand
	physically engaged in a "hands on" activity,
		experience with the subject matter.
	benefiting from being physically active in the
		• Illustrate procedures with flashcards for each step and practice placing them in the
	learning process and from lab settings where
		correct sequence.
	they can manipulate materials to learn new
		• Review information by writing it on a large writing surface (such as an easel or chalk
	information. These students learn well from
		board).
	instructors who encourage in-class
		• Use word processing and spreadsheet computer programs to illustrate and organize
	demonstrations, outside field work, and active
		information.
	learning experiences.

Brain researcher Eric Jensen (2005) and others report that in today’s K-12 classrooms, at least 87% of students are either visual or visual-kinesthetic learners (NOT aural or text-based learners). However, 85% of the questions on state examinations are based on vocabulary! Other learning styles models focus on how learners process information (e.g., Kolb’s Experiential Learning Styles, Gregorc’s model, the Honey-Mumford model, and more).

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Different Motivations

Learners need the will as well as the skill to learn, and in any given educational context, learners will typically differ with respect to motivation. They may be motivated extrinsically (externally by rewards, grades, or praise), or intrinsically (internally by the relevance of the material to their own goals).

With respect to instruction, just what is it that the learner must be motivated to do? Ultimately, the learner must be motivated to make the effort to learn. If a student believes that effort in learning pays off, then the research shows that their belief in effort is likely to increase their academic achievement (Craske, 1985; Marzano, Pickering & Pollock, 2001; Wilson & Linville, 1982; Van Overwalle & De Metsenaere, 1990). The challenge, then, is to design instructional experiences that motivate the student to make the effort to learn.

Interest is a major motivating factor in learning. Instructors can expect learners of different genders or cultures and abilities to have varied interests. One important thing to remember, though, is to avoid stereotypical beliefs about learners' interests. For example, not all males love sports, just as not all females enjoy talking about clothes and shopping. Part of your job is to interest learners in new topics while tapping into their current interests to motivate and gain their attention.

Intrinsic motivation is generally believed to be a more powerful force than extrinsic motivation. From a review of the motivation research, Malone and Lepper (1987) identified seven factors that affect learner's intrinsic motivation:

•Curiosity

•Challenge

•Control/Choice

•Competition

•Cooperation

•Recognition

•Fantasy (or imagination)

Of the seven, control/choice and challenge are two of the most effective to remember when designing instruction. The first of these reflects the human's basic instinct to desire control over their environment and over what happens to them. To incorporate this factor into instruction involves enabling learners to have choice in the activities they participate in or in how they carry out learning activities. In addition, instruction that makes the cause-and-effect

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