7Conducting a Task Analysis

Presented by: Leesha Roberts, Instructor II, Valsayn Campus, Center for Education Programmes, UTT

PREPARING A TASK ANALYSIS

Depending on your instructional problem you have defined you may need to conduct one or more of the following:

Topic Analysis – this is suited for defining cognitive knowledge

PREPARING A TASK ANALYSIS

Procedural Analysis – this is suited for use with psychomotor tasks, job tasks or cognitive sequences involving a series of steps.

Critical Incident Method – this is used for analyzing interpersonal skills (i.e. verbal and nonverbal such as body language)

STEP 1:

Define the instructional goal.

Instructional Goals usually express observable actions that we accept as evidence that learners have indeed acquired new knowledge, understanding and appreciation.

Goals can be a single sentence or a statement.

STEP 2:

List the key steps involved in completing or acquiring the required knowledge.

Instructional Goal

Subordinate Skill/Knowledge

Subordinate Skill/Knowledge

Subordinate Skill/Knowledge

Subordinate Skill/Knowledge

Subordinate Skill/Knowledge

Subordinate Skill/Knowledge

WORKING EXAMPLE Instructional Goal: Learners will state

the names, locations and uses of major muscles of the human body.

Flexors Upper-body flexors

Sternomastoid

located in neck

pulls head forward

Biceps

located on front of upper arm

WORKING EXAMPLE raises forearm at elbow joint

Lower-body flexors

Sartorius

Located on side of the thigh

flexes thigh up toward waist

Hamstring

located in the back of the thigh

bends knee to raise lower leg

References:

Zook, K. B. (2001). Instructional design for classroom teaching and learning. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Morrison, G. R. (2011). Designing effective instruction. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Rothwell, W. J., & Kazanas, H. C. (2004). Mastering the instructional design process: A systematic approach. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass.