Identify Instructional Problems: Learner Needs Assessment and Goal Analysis
This worksheet reviews basic steps in a basic needs assessment and goal analysis in order to identify
a need or performance problem that can be addressed by instruction. You may also find that
conducting a job analysis (what skills/steps learners will need to do in a performance context, e.g.,
hospital or clinic) could be helpful in identifying a need.
Needs assessments are used identify what performance problems exist in your context. Remember, a
needs analysis means identifying the gap that exists between the desired state and the current
state. For our purposes, this gap should reveal that training or instruction is needed in the context. The
purpose of the analysis is to generate initial instructional goals.
Initial Questions to Consider
“What is the problem we are aiming to solve?”
“Will instruction solve the problem, or is there another approach?”
“What is the purpose of the planned instruction?”
“Is an instructional intervention the best solution?”
Determine the type of assessment
1) Problem Model
Use when there is a problem to be corrected, but it is not necessarily due to a lack of
instruction. Non-instructional solutions are considered.
Summarize the problem:
Is the cause of the problem related to employees’ achievement in training environments or learners’
achievement in educational environments?
Is the problem due to a lack of knowledge or skills? (Important)
Can non-learning factors be a culprit? E.G., environment, lack of resources or tools, low
motivation/morale, improper incentives, institutional barriers, etc.
Describe possible interventions to address the problem (instructional or non-instructional):
2) Innovation Model
Use when there may be something new to learn. Examines changes or innovations in an
educational system (e.g., new directives from accrediting bodies or national taskforces in
nursing education) or in an organization and determines if new learning goals should be
introduced to the curriculum.
Describe the topic area and current state of instruction/curriculum:
Describe the desired state, innovation, and/or proposed outcomes & goals:
How will the proposed instruction contribute to desired outcomes and goals? How does it align with
your organization’s mission and/or fit into the greater curriculum?
How is instruction relevant to learners’ needs and/or goals?
3) Discrepancy Model
Use when an evaluation of an existing instructional product or program is necessary or
required for improving performance or learning outcomes. Focuses on gaps between “what is”
and “what should be” (current vs. desired states).
Describe the topic area and current state of instruction, including current [observed/measured]
outcomes:
Describe the desired state, including desired [improved] outcomes & goals:
Succinctly identify the resulting performance or learning gap:
Adapted from:
Jonassen, D. H., Tessmer, M., & Hannum, W. H. (1999). Task analysis methods for instructional design. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Richardson, J., et al. (2013). Purdue EDCI 575 IDA course materials.
Rossett, A. (1995). Needs Assessment. In Anglin, G. J. (Ed). Instructional technology: Past, present, and future, p.183-196. Englewood, CO: Libraries
Unlimited, Inc.
Smith, P. L. & Ragan, T. J. (1999). Instructional Design. 2nd. Danvers, MA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Based on your prior assessment, briefly summarize your overall instructional problem here:
Next, identify the instructional goals. The instructional goals you identify will be the starting
information for the next steps in the instructional design process. At this point, your instructional goals
will be broad and will lead to the development of more focused, specific performance objectives.
A goal analysis is typically done with a small group of individuals who are familiar with the problem.
Begin with identifying an aim or general intent (e.g., improve diabetic assessment):
Set goals (e.g., behaviors that describe learner performance) that contribute to your aim:
Refine this list of goals (e.g., sort goals, delete redundant statements, refine overly vague or
“fuzzy” goals, etc.):
Then, rank and select the most salient goals using the table below:
Instructional goals by priority
Reasons for importance
Refine goals again, making sure your list of goals are directly related to the task(s) being
addressed. Goals to be deleted or omitted:
Make a final ranking, selecting only the most critical or important goals needed to perform the
tasks. Final, ranked goals to be addressed with instruction:
Adapted from:
Morrison, G.R., Ross, S.M., Kalman, H.K., & Kemp, J.E. (2012). Designing effective instruction (7th Ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Richardson, J., et al. (2013). Purdue EDCI 575 IDA course materials.