AECT Standard 3

Artifact 5: Front-End Analysis

Context and Conditions

The Front-End Analysis was created in EDET 722: Instructional Design and Assessment during my second semester in the Learning Design and Technologies master’s program. This included a needs assessment and analysis report that we part of a larger instructional design document used to develop a PowerPoint prototype of an instructional module.

The needs assessment described the purpose, process, results, and recommendations for action. The purpose was to gather data needed to create a prototype of an instructional module to strengthen basic multiplication skills for students with learning disabilities. The process involved administering a survey to a small group of 3rd through 5th grade students with learning disabilities that receive special education services in a small group setting for math. This survey was intended to collect background information and identify the students’ perceived understanding of their foundational multiplication skills and its impact on their understanding of more complex concepts taught in their general education classroom. The survey consisted of ten questions, including Likert scales, rating scales, and open-ended questions, to collect data based on normative, comparative, and anticipated needs. The results were then reviewed and organized into tables and graphs. The recommendations and actions based on the data indicated that the instructional module should focus on using models to represent and solve multiplication facts.

The analysis report was then completed, which included a goal analysis, learner analysis, and a contextual analysis. After 20 initial goals were identified, the goals were refined into 5 main goals aimed at utilizing different types of models to represent and solve multiplication facts in groups of one through ten. The learner analysis provided information regarding demographics, prior knowledge, and academic characteristics of the participants. Lastly, the contextual analysis consisted of the orienting, instructional, and transfer context.

Scope

The purpose of the front-end analysis was to gain experience with assessing the needs of a situation, collecting and analyzing data, providing recommendations for action, and providing an analysis and context for designing an instructional module. This front-end analysis was conducted within my school building to further support my students with learning disabilities in math, and also served to set the content focus for my PowerPoint prototype. 

Role

The front-end analysis was completed as an individual project as I acted as the sole designer of the final product this front-end analysis was created for. In addition to my knowledge and experiences as a special educator who works with students with learning disabilities in math, my professor reviewed and provided feedback for my work throughout the process of creating the needs assessment and analysis report.

Instructional Design

This front-end analysis reflects the MRK model in that the needs assessment and analysis report consider instructional problems and learning characteristics. This is evident in the needs assessment as it provides information to aid in instructional decisions throughout the design process. The analysis report then uses learner characteristics to better understand the students through a contextual analysis (Morrison et al., 2013). The analysis phase of the ADDIE model is also reflected as the instructional problem, instructional goals, and information about learners is identified (Durak et al., 2016).

Related Performance Indicators

AECT Standard 3: Candidates facilitate learning by creating, using, evaluating, and managing effective learning environments (Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 2012).

Indicators:

• Assessing/Evaluating - Candidates use multiple assessment strategies to collect data for information decisions to improve instructional practice, learner outcomes, and the learning environment.

• Managing - Candidates establish mechanisms for maintaining the technology infrastructure to improve learning and performance.

• Ethics - Candidates foster a learning environment in which ethics guide practice that promotes health, safety, best practice, and respect for copyright, Fair Use, and appropriate open access to resources.

• Diversity of Learners - Candidates foster a learning community that empowers learners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities.

Reflection

The front-end analysis was my first experience planning and conducting a needs assessment and analysis as it was during my second semester in the Learning Design and Technologies master’s program. When reviewing my work, I felt several aspects were still appropriate with only a few that I would do differently with the knowledge and skills I have gained since. In the needs assessment component I was pleased to see how in-depth my explanations and descriptions of the problem, process, results, and recommendations for action were. These consisted of an appropriate amount of information needed to guide the remainder of the design process. The target audience the instructional module was intended for was students with special needs in math so the survey was created to gather data related to how they feel their disability impacts their understanding of higher-level concepts on their grade level that involves multiplication, and what multiplication strategies they find most helpful. However, if I were to recreate the needs assessment, I would have included multiplication problems to gather data on how students use strategies to try to solve multiplication facts rather than just ask them which strategies they preferred.

While I would have liked to have included more questions to assess students’ usage of multiplication strategies, the goals I created were written with proper intention based on the results of the needs assessment. My analyses demonstrated my ability to make data-driven decisions when designing instruction. Additionally, the organization and structure of both my needs assessment and analyses reports show my ability to create design documents that can guide both instructional designers and educators in better understanding the target audience and overall learning goals to ensure the design process stays focused and relevant. As a special educator, I had data collection and analysis skills as I regularly assess student progress and create IEP goals based on those results. This front-end analysis report showcases those skills, which I continued to improve during my time in the Learning Design and Technologies master’s program as I am now able to use that information to develop an instructional module.

Artifact 6: Accessible Website

Context and Conditions

The final project, which involved building an accessible website, was completed for EDET 735: Technical Applications for Diverse Populations during my sixth and final semester of the Learning Design and Technologies master’s program. This website was also composed of other assignments completed during this course, such as a lesson plan, barriers to learning chart, and an accessible slide presentation.

In order to create an accessible website, the website must be in compliance with web accessibility standards and the previous work included within the site must also ensure accessibility. The topic for my website focused on incorporating universal design for learning (UDL) strategies into lesson planning and making learning accessible for all students, which included the integrating assistive technology tools into instruction to support individual student needs.

The website consists of five webpages: home, barriers to learning, accessible slides, research, and multimedia resources. The home page included an introduction with the purpose of the website and the lesson plan. This also included an embedded accessible lesson plan Google Doc with descriptive links to access it outside of the website. The barriers to learning page provided an embedded barriers to learning chart with descriptive links to access it outside of the website on Google Docs with an accessible table with appropriate headings, rows, and columns. The accessible slides page includes the purpose of an accessible Google Slides presentation. This page also provides the embedded accessible slides, as well as descriptive links to access it outside of the website. The research page provides five articles and five weblinks for further information regarding UDL and accessible lesson planning. These articles and links are provided with descriptive links and full APA citations. Lastly, the multimedia resources page includes two embedded YouTube links that further explain incorporating UDL into lessons.

This website was designed using Google Sites. When creating the website, accessibility was ensured by providing alt-text for images, descriptive links for documents and external resources, and structured with appropriate headings, subheadings, and paragraphs on each webpage to ensure screen reader accessibility. Prior to publishing the website, the accessibility checker WAVE was utilized to check for issues that needed to be addressed. WAVE indicating there were no major accessibility concerns for the website.

Scope

The purpose of building the accessible website was to gain knowledge and experience in implementing accessibility principles when designing a website with embedded documents and links, as well as checking a website for accessibility to make adjustments as needed. This accessible website served as the final project, combining all the topics and knowledge learned throughout the EDET 735 course.

Role

This accessible website was created as an individual project. I served as the sole designer and developer of the website content and product. I utilized my knowledge of accessibility standards, website design and development, UDL strategies, and accessible lesson planning throughout the creation of this website.

Instructional Design

The creation of this accessible website reflects the learning characteristics phase of the MR model. The website was created based on the needs of learners with disabilities. In order to design this website, the characteristics and challenges of those learners with disabilities were taken into account to ensure accessibility. It is important to consider the characteristics and abilities of those types of learners when designing and planning (Morrison et al., 2013). Additionally, this accessible website relates to the analysis phase of the ADDIE model in that the instructional designer must consider the target audience to determine the learners’ needs (Durak et al., 2016).

Related Performance Indicators

AECT Standard 3: Candidates facilitate learning by creating, using, evaluating, and managing effective learning environments (Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 2012).

Indicators:

• Creating - Candidates create instructional design products based on learning principles and research-based best practices.

• Using - Candidates make professionally sound decisions in selecting appropriate processes and resources to provide optimal conditions for learning based on principles, theories, and effective practices.

• Managing - Candidates establish mechanisms for maintaining the technology infrastructure to improve learning and performance.

• Ethics - Candidates foster a learning environment in which ethics guide practice that promotes health, safety, best practice, and respect for copyright, Fair Use, and appropriate open access to resources.

• Diversity of Learners - Candidates foster a learning community that empowers learners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities.

Reflection

This project was my first experience developing a website for the sole purpose of making it accessible. During this process, I learned the guidelines for an accessible website, how to check a website for accessibility, and how to create accessible word documents and presentations. I had previously learned skills such as coding, website development, and creating presentations throughout the program. Therefore, this project being completed during my final semester allowed me to utilize those skills for the creation of a final product. 

As a special educator, I provide accommodations, such as screen readers, for my students on a regular basis. Until this project, I had not thought about many steps going into creating a website that will ensure the accuracy of a screen reader, such as alternative text for images and embedding content using HTML tags. Thinking back on previous products I created in my previous courses, I did not take adding accessibility features into account, which is something I will do for now on after taking this final course. 

This website demonstrated the skills I developed or built on during my final semester as it incorporated alt images, high contrast text, and screen reader capabilities throughout. If I were to go back and do it again, the only changes I would make would be to format my research page differently. While it was accessible, I think I could have made it more engaging by adding categories or images rather than just displaying the content as a list of articles. Additionally, I would have added brief descriptions for each of the videos on the multimedia page so that learners can expect what they are going to learn about prior to starting the video. Overall, it showcases my knowledge and skills in web accessibility, which I will continue to improve and build on as both an educator and instructional designer.