Although instructional analysis is intellectually demanding and can be arduous and time consuming to perform on complex or difficult tasks, it is one of the most important design tasks in the instructional design process The output of the instructional analysis—the task hierarchy—is the foundation and structure on which all other subsequent design activities are tied, including content analysis, course structuring, course sequencing, and determining instructional objectives
Example of how the instructional analysis helps to structure the course
The higher-level entries in the instructional analysis often become the organizing structure for modules and topics If a job outcome is broken down into Activity A and Activity B, and Activity A has three tasks and Activity B has four, then the course structure would probably include these entries:
Module X: Title for Activity A Topic 1 Title for task 1 Topic 2 Title for task 2 Topic 3 Title for task 3 Module Y: Title for Activity B
Topic 1 Title for task 1 Topic 2 Title for task 2 Topic 3 Title for task 3 Topic 4 Title for task 4
Instructional analysis tells you what behaviors (activities, tasks, subtasks, and steps) are required to produce the new job outcomes or work products How can you teach someone to produce those outcomes if you do not know the action steps that are required to produce them?
Step 3: Identify and Analyze the Enabling Content
Enabling content is the knowledge and subskills students must learn to perform the tasks that produce the job outcomes For example, the enabling content and enabling skills for “adding page numbers to a document in a word processor”
might be “What are page numbers?” “What is a footer?” “What is a page?”
“Which menu option contains this function?” “How do I display menus?” and so forth
Enabling content is systematically identified and analyzed using a procedure called content analysis During content analysis, each low-level step in the instructional analysis is analyzed to determine what students must know or be able to do to complete that step This information is then added to the hierarchy at the point where it is needed Color coding the enabling content makes it easy to distinguish it from the procedural content in the instructional analysis After content analysis is performed, information that students already know when they come to training is deleted from the list of enabling content (you do not need to teach information that students already know)
Here is an example of enabling content that has been imbedded in a portion of an instructional analysis (Note: text enclosed in square brackets [ ] is the enabling content):
Example of enabling content imbedded in a procedure
Use ping with the host name to verify that you can communicate with several of the other hosts on the same network
Ping returns with “unknown host” response
Diagnose name resolution problem [Concept: Network name resolution and how it works; file names on local hosts where names are found; Name Servers—what they are and how to tell if they are “up” and functioning]
Verify that the host name is listed in the /etc/hosts file on the local host
Verify that the IP address of the Domain Name server is listed in the /etc/
resolv.conf file on the local host
Verify that the Name Server is functioning [If not obtained locally, obtain from the customer]
Ping returns with “Network is unreachable”
Diagnose routing problem [Covered previously under architecture and protocol of networks]
Ask the customer to verify that the IP address and subnet mask of the local host are correct [Covered previously under IP addressing]
Ask the customer to verify that all hosts on the local network are using the same subnet mask [Get subnet masking information from the customer and then individually compare it to the nodes to make sure it is correct using DMIT]
Ask the customer to verify that the default (gateway) router IP address is correct [Get default router IP address information from customer and individually compare it to the nodes to make sure it is correct using DMIT]
If problem is not resolved, call the next level of support
Sometimes, if a group of related enabling content is large and is required in many places in the instructional analysis, it is useful to pull that enabling content together and teach it upfront in a course module of its own The content in this situation is analyzed hierarchically to organize and break higher-level information into its lower-level components
Here is a partial example of how this was done for a network problem determination course (only the top three levels of the analysis are shown)
Networking concepts Definition of a network
Collection of interconnected hosts that share information Network control
Why network control is necessary Types of network control
Network cabling [How to recognize cable type and connector]
Why you need to know about network cables Types of network cables
Network topologies Network topologies ISO model
The ISO model and how it functions Software suites that use the ISO model Types of networks
LANs WANs
Due to space limitations, we cannot show the entire analysis The following outline is the lower-level content analysis for the “Network Control” section of the content analysis displayed above:
Network control
Why network control is necessary Types of network control
Hierarchical network (e g , RTLL, CSAM, BRL/TRU) One central host that controls the entire network
One host (system) within the network controls all the data flow across the network
Requires adapter cards
Peer-to-peer network (TCP/IP, BDL, ZAQ201, ZPPN)
All the hosts in the network are equal (peers to each other) and equally control the network
No central controlling host required; each peer has its own network control program
Network control program must be running in each peer SS/6000Z SPs are peer-to-peer
Requires adapter cards
Net-centric network (e g , GGL, frame relay) Does not require a host
No network operating system
Any host can be attached to this type of network
Requires some kind of box to attach to the network (e g , 4698, router, etc )