Sub-Badge 2: Target Population & Environment

Challenge 1: Determine characteristics of a target population and/or environment that may impact the design and delivery of instruction.

Criteria for successful completion of this challenge: Evidence of assessing, testing, or surveying a population or environment in part of a learner or content analysis. Evidence must show data collection methods (such as survey, interview, observation, research or other data).  

Reflection must address: How you collected your data, determined the characteristics of your target population, and how these characteristics impacted your design choices (cultural and educational background, learner skills, organizational performance factors, environmental characteristics, etc.)

Artifact

Design Document for the Digital Multimeter Project (EDCI 572)

Reflection

I have selected the Design Document for the Digital Multimeter project as the artifact to demonstrate how I have determined information about Target Population and Environment. I have selected this artifact because this project involved conducting detailed Learner Analysis, Performance Context Analysis and Learning Context Analysis to determine the target population details.

This competence is important because understanding learners is critical in the initial phase of an instructional design project before any designing is done, in order to better cater to learners needs and environment constraints. Examples of how this artifact demonstrates this competency include the following:

· Learner Analysis was conducted by interviewing tryout learners (two high school students) to gain information about entry skills, previous knowledge, attitude toward content and delivery system, general group characteristics etc.

· Performance Context Analysis was conducted by interviewing an instructor to understand supervisory support during instruction, physical and social aspects of the site and relevance of skills learned to workplace.

· Learning Context Analysis was conducted by interviewing tryout learners (two high school students) to determine site compatibility with instructional and learner needs, feasibility for simulating workplace etc.

My previous knowledge in interviewing and observations helped me conduct a thorough analysis by asking relevant questions.

My Design Document for the Digital Multimeter project worked as an appropriate artifact for the Target Population and Environment challenge because it clearly documents the various types of learner and environment analysis conducted. Some important things I learned while earning this challenge include the variety of factors impacting a learning design solution, and understanding the level of attention to detail required while collecting information. I will incorporate skills learned in this challenge when conducting an analysis of target population and environment for future instructional design projects.