Assessing relevant characteristics of learners is very important for instructional designers. In the past instructions were created with typical learners taken into consideration, but today, along with the rise in the sensitivity level to atypical learner needs, differentiation in this field is absolutely necessary. The fact that up to 16 percent of US adults experience certain problems with learning also adds to this necessity.
First of all, to assess the learner characteristics, we need to understand what characteristics in fact have to be assessed. There are three groups of characteristics distinguished by the scientists: decision-related, situation-related and learner-related. The first group is related to decision-making on the learners’ participation in instruction. It is essential for instructional designers to clearly define who can make decisions on participation.
Characteristics related to situation deal with the events that surround decisions to deliver and design instruction. The main focus should be on those who are affected by the design. The last group of characteristics is related to the learners themselves. It can be subdivided into the following groups: prerequisite skills, knowledge and attitudes and the other characteristics. Prerequisite can be briefly described as some skill or characteristic that a person has to possess to become successful when performing the job, but which cannot be developed through training.
There are four types of prerequisite: physical traits, previously learned knowledge, previously learned skills and previously learned attitudes. Among the physical traits there is grip strength visual acuity, manual dexterity, weight, height and several other ones. It is important for employers to make the necessary accommodation for those workers who have physical or other disabilities. Previously learned knowledge is related to the rules that people know in different spheres, such as grammar, medicine or other. Previously learned skills are ability to compute, read and write, etc. Previously learned attitudes are interpersonal relation at the work place, punctuality and other similar things. To establish instructional prerequisites, it is often required to apply trial-and-error method.
Among the other learner-related characteristics there are demographic ones, learner sensitivity to special issues, physiological features, aptitudes, experience, knowledge, learning style, value systems, life cycle stage, attitudinal characteristics, geographical location, and job category. Among the stages in the classical model developed by Dalton, Thompson and Price there are four, such as follows: apprentice, colleague, mentor and sponsor. Each of the stages has certain effect on the instruction, as well as different focus.
It is important for instructional designers to know when to assess the learner characteristics and how to do it. There are three points in the design process when it is necessary. The first is before preparation of instruction, which is done to solve some problems related to human performance and meet specified instructional needs. At this point they define assumptions about the knowledge and other points. Expensive methods that can be used for assessment are often not required.
Results of the learner assessment should be summarized in the form of a learner profile – narrative description of each learner with key assumptions made about them in the course of assessment. The learner profile should summarize the following: necessary background skills, knowledge, physical traits and attitudes and other necessary learner characteristics. Profile can be normative (established judgmentally), descriptive (established through examining characteristics of the group) and historical (examination of the instruction history).
There are different views on the learner’s environment and the effect of its change on the learner. According to behaviorists, environment changes shape learning. Cognitivists focus on the interactions between mental world and external surrounding of the learner.
In the recent years there formed three important issues related to the learners: 1) addressing the needs of older learners and workers; the learner’s comfort with using the technology-mediated instructions; 3) learner independence from others. These issues should be addressed within the nearest time, as they are important for successful learning and work of the people today.
Works Cited
Rothwell, William J., Kazanas, H.C., Rothwell, William, and Kazanas, H.C. Mastering the Instructional Design Process : A Systematic Approach. California: Pfeiffer, 1998. Print.
