When a client comes up with a training requirement, you identify the problem using needs analysis and suggest a suitable learning solution. On asking about your target audience, you just receive a one-line description about them and go ahead with the development of storyboards and course design. But is this information good enough to serve their learning demands?
As learning designers, our key objective is to make sure we meet the needs of our learners. Understanding their behavioural patterns and fine-tuning the content accordingly will help us improve their performance.
Why Is It Important?
Conducting learner analysis plays a pivotal role in creating meaningful content. Good courses often fail to take off because they lack learner analysis. Knowing your learners will help to develop content that resonates with them. Once you strike a chord with your learners, they connect better with your course, and it becomes easier for them to continue further and retain information.
Most of the novice instructional designers have a pre-conceived notion about the learner’s intellect. As a result, they may over-emphasize or even miss-out on the information. This may put off learners. Hence, it is important to exercise caution when designing courses that cater to a variety of audience. Conducting learner analysis before you delve deep into the course will solve such unwanted problems.
Factors to Consider While Conducting Learner Analysis
Age Group – This helps to choose a suitable tone or visual strategy for your learners. For instance, you may use an informal tone for the Millennials but not for the Baby Boomers. Similarly, cartoon type illustrations or avatars may work well for the Millennials. However, the older generation may find them silly.>
Job Roles and Tasks Performed – Knowing their job roles and how they perform their daily tasks help to identify any performance gaps. You may also identify additional skill sets which they will need to acquire during the training.
Geographical Location, Cultural Background, and Preferred Language – Location, cultural background and language preferences help to determine the need for localization. Let’s say if your learners are from Spain, and they include both English and Spanish speakers, then you may need to release your course in both languages.
This also helps in selecting narrator voices and characters based on different races and ethnicity.
Experience Levels – You can use their experiences to build relevant scenarios and case studies. In case you develop simulations or hands-on activities, capture the work of individuals who perform well.
Prior Knowledge About the Subject – If you have an idea of your learners’ knowledge base, you won’t spend time reviewing the information which they already know.
Learning Preference – Some may like to learn by watching videos while others may prefer to read. You may also need to consider learners with disabilities and include alternative means for them.
Problems – Before designing a course, it is important to identify the pain points of your learners. Maybe there’s a lack of motivation or a problem with the process. Sometimes, the problem may not be with the learners. Maybe the goals set for them are simply unrealistic because their manager is bad.
Expectations and Outcomes – These are important to set clear learning objectives. The objectives should focus on what the student should be able to do after completing the course.
Ways to Collect Information About Your Learners
Here are a few ways using which you can capture the above information.
Surveys/Questionnaires – Prepare surveys/questionnaires and send them to your learners. You may either create an online survey or an interactive PDF with questions. Include open-ended, closed-ended (Yes/No), or multiple-choice questions to gauge their attitudes.
Pre-tests – Prepare and distribute a series of questions to test their prior knowledge.
Stakeholder Interviews – Talk to the project stakeholders. This will help you gain more clarity and identify the existing knowledge gaps.
Face-to-Face Meeting – Some learners may not reveal much information via other methods. However, this being a very personal approach may work well and help you address their concerns.
Direct Observation – Watch your learners doing their jobs. Observe their attitudes, take notes, click photos, or record video/audio.
Focus Groups – A focus group can have 6 to 10 people and a moderator participating in a discussion about the expected learning outcomes.
HR Reports – Talk to the HR department and request them to share past performance data. This can help to identify the gaps.
Knowing your learners is a key to designing an effective course. If you don’t ask them what they want, they’ll never care about what you serve!
