This chapter presented information on how to gather training requirements, the first step in the instructional design process.
You should now be able to
list the six steps of the requirements gathering process;
•
describe how to clarify training requests;
•
describe how to determine and validate the business problem to be
•
solved by training;
describe how to validate that training will solve the business problem or
•
need;
list seven reasons why a performance gap or issue might exist other than
•
a lack of training;
describe how to identify fuzzy business or training goals and
•
statements;
describe how to identify, categorize, and describe the target audience;
•
define job outcomes and describe what type of grammatical structures
•
they can be;
give five reasons why instructional analysis begins with job outcomes
•
instead of skills;
provide several examples of noun and noun-phrase job outcome
•
statements;
distinguish job outcomes from subject matter statements and behavior
•
or skill statements;
distinguish job outcomes from past-tense verb phrases;
•
describe what tests you can perform to determine if a statement is a
•
job outcome;
define the three types of job outcomes;
•
describe how to identify job outcomes during requirements gathering;
•
describe how to analyze job outcomes to their first few levels;
•
describe how to determine training delivery system constraints and
•
possibilities;
describe the general project-related information that should be gathered
•
during requirements; and
explain the value of using a requirements gathering template
•
Check Your Understanding
Match each step in the requirements gathering process with its 1
correct definition.
Step 1 A Identify, categorize, and describe the target audience Step 2 B Determine delivery system constraints and possibilities Step 3 C Identify and begin analysis of the job outcomes to be
produced by students back on the job Step 4 D Clarify the training request
Step 5 E Gather general project-related information
Step 6 F Determine and validate the business problem to be solved by training
Which of the following tasks are completed in step 2 of 2
requirements gathering, “Determine and validate the business problem to be solved by training?” (Select all that apply.)
Clarify the training request A
Identify the
B business problems that training is expected to solve
Determine how the sponsor will know when the problem has been corrected C
or the business need has been fulfilled.
Determine if training is intended to close an identified business gap or D
deficiency, or whether it is intended to meet a new, upcoming need.
Validate that training will indeed close the performance gap or fill the E
upcoming need
Clarify fuzzy business and training goals and requests F
True or false? Training is the right solution for all types of employee 3
performance problems.
Which of the following are fuzzy goals or statements that need 4
further analysis and clarification? (Select all that apply.)
“We need to improve employee morale.”
A
“We need to teach staff how to use the ABC function of the new HR B
application to file their weekly timesheets.”
“Employees on the assembly line need to improve quality.”
C
“Our college students need to develop better study skills.”
D
“We need to land more deals and increase profits.”
E
“Employees need to be taught how to talk to customers on the telephone.”
F
Which of the following are reasons why information needs to be 5
gathered about the training audience? (Select all that apply.) It helps identify the enabling skills and knowledge students already possess A
when they come to training that you do not need to teach as part of the course
It helps provide information on what motivates students B
It helps structure the course C
It helps determine any special considerations that should be taken into D
account for this particular audience, such as type size considerations It helps determine how much time students can devote to training and when E
they can take the training
True or false? During requirements gathering, job outcomes are 6
only analyzed to their first or second level.
Why does instructional analysis begin with identifying and 7
analyzing job outcomes instead of skills? (Select all that apply.) Because employees are paid to produce results (outputs) that have value A
to the business, not to sit around being capable of achievement
By analyzing the identified job outcomes, you identify the specific behaviors B
(tasks and steps along with their enabling content) that produce the desired job outcomes; thus, you know exactly what you must teach in your training, and you avoid teaching extraneous behaviors, skills, and knowledge It provides the only objective way to determine what should be taught in C
the course
It enhances transfer of learning to the job place because it teaches the very D
behaviors that are required to produce those results on the job
Which of the following are characteristics of job outcomes?
8
(Select all that apply.)
They are verbs or verb phrases A
They are nouns or noun phrases B
They describe the
C outputs or results of behavior, not the behaviors that produced the outputs
They describe the behaviors that job incumbents do on the job D
They represent outcomes the training audience is not currently producing E
or will need to produce in the near future
They are any statement that describes what the sponsors want training to F
achieve
Which of the following are subject matter statements and 9
therefore are not job outcomes? (Select all that apply.) Principles of accounting
A
Object-oriented programming B
25% higher widget sales C
ABC copier machine problem-determination principles D
On-time monthly sales reports E
Classify each of the following into a noun, noun phrase, or a skill 10
(behavior).
Produce a spreadsheet of last month’s sales figures A
Satisfied customer after complaint B
Solution for improving network performance C
Improve motivation in employees D
ERP application with completed orders E
Write code with no errors F
therefore are not job outcomes? (Select all that apply.) Team project completed
A
Product XYZ produced within tolerances B
Satisfied customer after service call C
Solution for improving network performance D
Sales figures turned in by monthly deadline E
Order-entry application with completed orders F
Which of the following are job outcomes? (Select all that 12
apply.)