Identifying Subordinate and Entry Skills
Subordinate Skills Analysis
The subordinate skills analysis is the second part of the instructional analysis process. Following the goal analysis, the appropriate set of subordinate skills for each step needs to be identified.
There are several processes that are used to identify subordinate skills including hierarchical analysis, procedural analysis, cluster analysis, and a combination of techniques.
Hierarchical Analysis
Hierarchical analysis is used to analyze individual steps in the goal analysis that are classified as intellectual or psychomotor skills. The purpose of completing a hierarchical analysis is to identify just what the learner must know to be successful, nothing more and nothing less. The example below is of making tea, it includes the goal, the steps it takes to make the tea, and the subordinate skills needed for each step.
Procedural Analysis
Hierarchical analysis can contain sequences of procedural steps. Procedural analysis is the process of listing chronologically, in a step-by-step manner, all the substeps required to perform and instructional goal.
Cluster Analysis
Cluster analysis is used when the instructional goal or the main subskill in the goal requires learning verbal information. Examples of this could be clustering state capitals by geographic area or bones in the body.
Combination Techniques (also known as information maps)
It is common that the instructional analysis process results in identifying a combination of subordinate skills from several domains for a goal that was classified as belonging to only one domain.
Type of Goal Type of Subordinate Skill Analysis
Intellectual Skill Hierarchical
Psychomotor Hierarchical
Verbal Information Cluster
Attitude Hierarchical and/or cluster
Cognitive Task Analysis
Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) is the methodology of concepts of job analysis and job task analysis. The product of CTA is an array of goals, subgoals, and tasks that characterize the skills required to perform a job, and the array is most often hierarchical or a combination of procedural and hierarchical. Other products should include:
1. Description of the context in which the skill will be performed, including the notation of tools needed for performing the skill.
2. Precise statements for the performance
3. Description of the criteria that to be used to assess the performance.
The results of CTA are used to begin development of many different types of training solutions such as simple job aids and text-based materials.
Concept Mapping
Concept mapping is another analytical procedure associated with learning task analysis. It is a graphical representation of how conceptual knowledge is structured and can take many different forms (e.g. flow charts, hierarchies, circles, or spider webs). It is appropriate for use as an instructional method for teaching intellectual skills and not so much as an analytical method in instructional design.
Hierarchical analysis can contain sequences of procedural steps. Procedural analysis is the process of listing chronologically, in a step-by-step manner, all the substeps required to perform and instructional goal.
Cluster Analysis
Cluster analysis is used when the instructional goal or the main subskill in the goal requires learning verbal information. Examples of this could be clustering state capitals by geographic area or bones in the body.
Combination Techniques (also known as information maps)
It is common that the instructional analysis process results in identifying a combination of subordinate skills from several domains for a goal that was classified as belonging to only one domain.
Type of Goal Type of Subordinate Skill Analysis
Intellectual Skill Hierarchical
Psychomotor Hierarchical
Verbal Information Cluster
Attitude Hierarchical and/or cluster
Cognitive Task Analysis
Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) is the methodology of concepts of job analysis and job task analysis. The product of CTA is an array of goals, subgoals, and tasks that characterize the skills required to perform a job, and the array is most often hierarchical or a combination of procedural and hierarchical. Other products should include:
1. Description of the context in which the skill will be performed, including the notation of tools needed for performing the skill.
2. Precise statements for the performance
3. Description of the criteria that to be used to assess the performance.
The results of CTA are used to begin development of many different types of training solutions such as simple job aids and text-based materials.
Concept Mapping
Concept mapping is another analytical procedure associated with learning task analysis. It is a graphical representation of how conceptual knowledge is structured and can take many different forms (e.g. flow charts, hierarchies, circles, or spider webs). It is appropriate for use as an instructional method for teaching intellectual skills and not so much as an analytical method in instructional design.
Entry Skills
Entry skills that must already be mastered in order to learn the new skills included in the instruction. The instructional analysis process helps the designer identify what the learners must already know or be able to do before they begin the instruction.
Entry skills that must already be mastered in order to learn the new skills included in the instruction. The instructional analysis process helps the designer identify what the learners must already know or be able to do before they begin the instruction.
Components of Instructional Analysis Process
I feel like I have gained a better of understanding of the instructional analysis process after reading this chapter and going back to review the goal analysis chapter. The journal assignments have been very helpful because it is forcing me to determine the important topics of each chapter and organize them in a logical way. I am a very visual person and being able to see the hierarchical analysis was very helpful. Dick and Carey stated that the subordinate skill analysis can be used to determine where the learner might mess up. The hierarchical analysis can be very helpful to determine those those steps that could be missed otherwise.
So far in the instructional design process we have learned:
1. Identify Instructional Goals: this includes the performance analysis, task analysis, and needs assessment
2. Conduct Instructional Analysis: this includes the goal analysis (classify instructional goals and identify the major steps required to accomplish the instructional goal) and the subordinate skills analysis.
So far in the instructional design process we have learned:
1. Identify Instructional Goals: this includes the performance analysis, task analysis, and needs assessment
2. Conduct Instructional Analysis: this includes the goal analysis (classify instructional goals and identify the major steps required to accomplish the instructional goal) and the subordinate skills analysis.