OLT 578 Journal Entry 2

The 5 Whys of my project helped reveal the organizational issues with the course. Students were overwhelmed with work and unable to complete all the assignments in each unit and were lost through the units because the course organization did not follow the order of the book. The analysis portion of the ADDIE process led me to perform a needs assessment.

Analyzing Problems

Needs Assessment

• Determine whether there really is a problem.
• Determine whether the cause of the problem is related to learners’ achievement in educational environments.
• Determine whether the solution to the achievement/performance problem is learning.
• Determine whether instruction for these learning goals is currently offered.

Analyzing the performance of learners in the previous semester I found that 25%of the students failed the course, 29% earned a D, 25% earned a C, and 21% earned an A or B. Over half of the students earned a grade that was 69 or lower. These students who earned a D or F in the class did not turn in at least one assignment per chapter. Those that earned a C either missed submitting assignments or submitted incomplete work. Reviewing the work that was submitted I found that those students who earned a D or F had very few errors for the work that was completed.

End-of-course surveys revealed that the learners were confused about the layout of the course compared to the book. They were confused when the unit would skip a chapter and then backtrack to a previous chapter. They also stated they would prefer to have the computer basics unit at the beginning of the course. This unit introduces computers and computer basics to the students. They felt this information would have helped them more at the beginning of the course. These surveys also revealed that the students felt overwhelmed having to complete seven discussion board posts and reply to classmates in a two-week period.

This analysis tells me that the students were benefiting from the instruction but were unable to complete the amount of work and were confused by the organization of the content compared to the book.

Analyzing Context

Instructional Context

This course focuses on teaching students computer basics and utilizing office productivity software. Students need access to a computer and the internet to be successful in the course. If students do not own a computer, they have access to a computer with the proper software and internet access in the Instructional Support Lab. If students own a computer but do not have access to the internet they can access the public wifi on campus. Finally, if the student does not have Microsoft Office installed on their computer, they have access to the program suite for free.
This course covers a large amount of information so it is best to leave it as a 16-week course. Offering the course online gives students the flexibility to work on the course around their personal schedule each week. A self-paced environment would not work well for this course. A 16-week timeline leaves a lot of time for a student who is not self-motivated to fall behind quickly and struggle to complete the work at the last minute. A structured schedule with set due dates will help keep the learners on track to complete the course by the last week.

Transfer Context

The discussion board prompts would be better utilized to discuss how the skills they learn in each unit can be utilized in everyday life. The assignments give the students examples of how the skills can be used in an office environment but there are many other applications they can use on a daily basis. The instructor can also share in their lecture how they use the concepts and techniques in their jobs and lives.