{"id":4390,"date":"2016-10-13T15:42:36","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T15:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.efrontlearning.com\/blog\/?p=4390"},"modified":"2017-04-07T14:50:23","modified_gmt":"2017-04-07T14:50:23","slug":"guide-learners-needs-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.efrontlearning.com\/blog\/2016\/10\/guide-learners-needs-analysis.html","title":{"rendered":"Know your Audience! A smart guide for analyzing your learners’ needs"},"content":{"rendered":"
Let\u2019s set the stage: you\u2019ve got an idea for a fantastic course. You\u2019ve storyboarded it, created your outlines and are ready to crank up the production and let it roll. You\u2019re sure that the learners are going to love it!<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a problem: Have you actually asked them, or are you just expecting them to engage with your content without understanding what it is that they actually need?<\/p>\n

Many a great course, whether of the traditional face-to-face variety or eLearning, simply don\u2019t take off because they fail to take into account two very simple things: Who the learners are, and what they need.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Successful course design<\/a><\/strong> doesn\u2019t just involve great content. It also requires great learner analysis as one of its keystones. If you understand your learners’ needs first, you\u2019ll be able to create content that is learner-centred and motivating!<\/p>\n

Discover\u00a0what motivates them<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s have a quick look at the word \u2018motivation\u2019 first.<\/strong> Of course, it\u2019s one of the mantras of business – you\u2019ve got to be motivated to succeed, motivated to sell<\/a><\/strong>, motivated to go further, higher, etc. But where does motivation itself actually come from?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been known for years that there are two types of motivation: Extrinsic and Intrinsic<\/strong>. The former is the kind of motivation that comes from external factors, for example, by doing a course you\u2019ll get a pay rise or a promotion, or you need to work in order to pay your bills. Intrinsic motivation, by contrast, arises from an internal desire to do something – that is, the person gets personal satisfaction from performing a task, whether it be learning something new or completing a tricky job.<\/p>\n

Our working lives are inarguably a combination of extrinsic and intrinsic factors<\/strong>, and when it comes to learning the same can be said. It should also be noted that the more intrinsic the desire to go through a course is, the likelier it is that it will be enjoyable, and thus have greater user engagement.<\/p>\n

So, when designing our course content<\/a><\/strong>, it\u2019s useful to consider your learners\u2019 key motivations. That\u2019s where Learner Needs Analysis comes in.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Satisfy the learners\u2019 needs<\/h2>\n

There are several ways to enroll learners into a course. One quite common method is via a skills-gap\u00a0test<\/a><\/strong>, where the learners are streamed according to their knowledge level on the subject; another is to just enroll entire departments in courses, which is far from ideal. While these might be fast and convenient, they don\u2019t answer the key question: What do learners actually want?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Course design is quite often driven by this kind of level streaming. Smart course design, by contrast, considers the individual needs and is therefore more learner-centred.<\/p>\n

A Needs Analysis (or NA) questionnaire aims to look beyond the learner\u2019s subject knowledge and ability, and understand what it is that drives them.<\/strong> It provides a much richer and more rewarding context for the course designer to work with and is far likelier to produce more satisfying results.<\/p>\n

While an Training Needs Analysis\u00a0can take time to create and, well<\/em>, analyze, it is worth it in the long run – and with the wealth of online questionnaire tools available, it is nowhere near as arduous as it once was.<\/p>\n

Creating the Training Needs Analysis questions<\/h2>\n

So, how do you create an Learning Needs Analysis?<\/strong><\/p>\n

To\u00a0start\u00a0with, you still need to capture the key data that any questionnaire requires, such as age range, gender, years employed, native language and so on. The difference then comes in what you ask and how you ask it.<\/p>\n

Clearly, you first have to ask yourself a key question: “What do I need to know about these learners?”<\/em> Make a list of all the areas you need to understand. These might include, for example, how much time your learners are eager to allocate to studying\u00a0after work, or their previous experiences of, and attitudes to, online learning<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

You may find that you end up with a considerable list, but it might help to focus on three areas: Time investment<\/strong>, attitudes<\/strong> and expected outcomes<\/strong>. Once you have tightened your list, you can start building your questions.<\/p>\n

Ensure your Learner Needs Analysis questionnaire includes:<\/strong><\/p>\n