Task Analysis

Task analysis is often considered the most critical part of instructional design because it provides important information about the content and tasks.

What should learners know or able to do after the instruction?

Morrsion defined 3 main problems instructional designer face is this phase:
1. define the content
2. observe SME who goes through the steps
3. take the learners perspective

Even though there are many approaches to task analysis, they all share a common goal: pinpoint the content and skills that have to be included in the instruction

I liked Jonassen, Hannum, and Tessmer's approach the most. Basically, you have 5 activities:

1. inventory tasks
2. describe tasks
3. select tasks
4. sequence tasks
5. analyze tasks and content level

SME's play a crutial part during task analysis - content and how to sequence.
I feel this is the part sometimes missing at schools. Teachers, who are SME's, are not included in the process.

Finally, you come up with a document - flowchart or outline that describes the content and tasks. Maybe even both? I like the simplicity of a flow chart --> easy to follow. But also the more detailed outline --> more specific .

After reading this article I feel little bit better about the analysis document. I now have an idea where I should be headed with this project.