Analysis

Analyze performance gaps through contextual, learner, and systems-level evidence to guide data-informed design decisions.

Contextual and Learner Analysis: Human-Centered Design in STEAM (In-person PD)

Course: EDIT 6170E – Introduction to Instructional Systems Design
Instructor: Dr. Jill Stefaniak
Industry: K-12 Education, Instructional Design, Professional Development
Tools: Design Thinking frameworks, learner analysis methods, contextual analysis tools, professional development planning artifacts
Responsibilities: Conducted contextual and learner analysis, identified instructional barriers and stakeholder needs, and informed the design of a human-centered professional development experience focused on STEAM education.

This artifact presents a contextual and learner analysis embedded within a high-level design document for an in-person professional development workshop and collaborative design sprint focused on human-centered design in STEAM education. The analysis examined learner needs, contextual barriers, stakeholder influences, and instructional environments of K–12 science teachers to inform the design of an empathy-driven professional learning experience.

Project Context & Highlights

The Problem

Teachers often face critical barriers such as limited time, resources, and institutional support when attempting to implement inclusive, human-centered instructional practices within standard science classrooms.

The Solution

An intensive, in-person collaborative design sprint engineered around rigorous learner and contextual analyses that equips educators with practical, empathy-centered frameworks for authentic classroom inclusion.

Key Highlights

  • Ensures precise contextual alignment with current educator environments and workplace realities.
  • Systematically identifies diverse learner profiles, systemic constraints, and target performance gaps.
  • Integrates a structured human-centered design framework focused on deep professional empathy.
  • Directly addresses accessibility regulations and structural instructional limitations.
  • Aligns professional development content with immediate, measurable application in STEAM classrooms.
Design Decisions and Reflection

Overview

The artifact is a design document for an in-person design sprint for K–12 science and engineering teachers. The document communicates the vision and intent of my design. It lies at the intersection of a foundational artifact and an analysis; however, it also supports future projects and frames the learner and contextual analysis, which is the focus of this reflection. The analysis is embedded in a high-level document for an in-person design sprint.

The learner and contextual analysis included in this document provides a thorough understanding of learner context and offers insight into learners’ characteristics, motivations, and aspirations, including how they are situated within their systems. It draws from multiple sources to provide a structured and deeper understanding of learners’ backgrounds, considerations, stakeholder involvement, and learning settings.Key insights that emerged across related projects were linked to motivational factors that impact the success of outcomes, including stakeholder support and strategies that promote long-term implementation. These insights informed the development of objectives and the design of activities aligned with desired outcomes.

Justification for Inclusion

Due to the depth of learner and contextual insights embedded in the document, it is appropriately placed within the analysis theme. Understanding who the design is intended for supports the development of responsive learning environments and directly influences learner performance and outcomes. The analysis process helped define the measurable objectives and informed the design of learning experiences by centering learner needs within the design process. In doing so, systems and contextual factors were examined from multiple perspectives to develop a more comprehensive understanding. This was applied to align the task analysis to ensure support for the needs of the learner and design solutions.

This document demonstrates the ability to identify stakeholder needs and the causes of the target population’s performance gap, as well as to determine necessary support for instructional goals, an approach applied across both current and future projects in this portfolio. The analysis was informed by multiple readings of teacher professional development literature and observational data from my experience as a practitioner and learning specialist.

The most significant role this document played was in supporting a critical analysis of learner needs, contextual factors, and performance gaps. It provided a glimpse of the systems-level perspective of the factors contributing to performance gaps and served as an entry point for analyzing how these elements interact within broader instructional systems.

Value and Assessment: Reflective Practice as a Catalyst for Professional Growth

Constructing a contextual analysis shifted my perspective from designing isolated learning activities for younger learners to considering broader, systems-level adult learning contexts. This shift made me realize the importance of adapting instructional design approaches and delivery methods to meet the needs of adult learners within their specific settings and contexts.

This experience helped me develop transferable instructional design skills that later supported more advanced work, such as conducting a needs analysis. It demonstrates an effort to design within real-world constraints while addressing barriers identified through both experience and literature, resulting in more sustainable and appropriate instructional design decisions.

This experience prompted critical reflection on my instructional assumptions. It validated some prior beliefs while challenging others, including the expectation that teachers would immediately embrace the design, the tendency to generalize my own experiences to others, and implicit biases that could influence the instructional framework of this document. It also surfaced important questions that required further reflection and adjustment.

Overall, this document represents more than a planning artifact; it reflects my analytical thinking and growth in human-centered design. It challenged me to shift my perspective and recognize elements that I may have previously overlooked. These insights informed my future instructional designs and supported the development of more intentional, multifaceted design decisions.

Needs Analysis Report

Course: EDIT 6170E – Introduction to Instructional Systems Design
Instructor: Dr. Jill Stefaniak
Industry: K-12 Education, Instructional Design, Professional Development, Human Performance Technology (HPT)
Tools: Needs analysis methods, stakeholder interviews, surveys, performance analysis, systems thinking frameworks, HPT models
Responsibilities: Conducted a collaborative needs analysis to identify performance gaps, stakeholder needs, and systemic barriers; designed and analyzed data collection tools; synthesized findings to inform instructional and organizational recommendations.

This artifact presents a collaborative needs analysis conducted to identify performance gaps, stakeholder needs, and systemic barriers within a professional science education organization. The analysis applied a Human Performance Technology (HPT) approach using interviews, surveys, and performance data to inform data-driven instructional and organizational recommendations.

Project Context & Highlights

Needs Identified

Gaps were identified in conference attendance, membership engagement, professional learning participation, and equitable access to resources within GSTA.

Solutions

Recommendations include redesigning professional learning experiences (workshops, peer learning, technology integration) and improving organizational systems (access, communication, membership engagement, and informal learning networks).

Key Highlights

  • Identifies performance gaps in teacher engagement and participation
  • Analyzes stakeholder needs and learning environments
  • Informs instructional and organizational design decisions
Design Decisions and Reflection

Process Overview

The Needs Analysis Report was a collaborative effort between five team members. We sought to identify performance gaps between the current state of performance and actual desires within a local state science organization. We applied data-driven decision-making to enhance performance, prioritize needs, and address them through short- and long-term interventions.

The needs analysis process was conducted using a Human Performance Technology (HPT) approach to develop a systems-level understanding of performance and its contributing components. An initial interview with organizational leadership identified preliminary needs. As the process progressed, additional assessments were conducted, and final needs identification was informed by data analysis and evidence-based decision-making.

The identified assessment tools are based by aligning the nature of the client needs and data sources. Data collection tools were constructed to determine root causes and validate assumptions to identify contributing factors, including system processes, environmental factors, accessibility to resources and tools, organizational policies, access to technology, and the human perspective. The data collection process involved stakeholder interviews and annual organizational conference survey results. Ethical considerations were acknowledged, and data collection methods were avoided if ethical issues were determined.

Following the data collection process, the team identified needs with the data sources determined prior to data collection. Inferential and descriptive analyses were used to determine relationships between factors, identify thematic patterns, and uncover discrepancies between needs and data sources.

Once needs were prioritized and data-informed decisions were finalized, instructional and non-instructional recommendations were identified and communicated to the client through written reports. Instructional interventions included practical organizational processes, systems tracking solutions, e-learning solutions, and mentorship programs. The recommendations were followed by statements outlining the limitations of the report, as well as suggestions for future investigations.

Justification for Inclusion

This report is included as an artifact to demonstrate the ability to conduct a needs assessment, recommend solutions that address learning and/or performance needs, select appropriate data collection tools to support a project, and establish a process for determining instructional solutions. It reflects progression from foundational instructional practice toward more advanced systems-based approaches.

The thematic analysis within the report serves as the primary mechanism for identifying and interpreting organizational needs. By analyzing patterns within the data, the analysis sheds light on key performance and instructional gaps within the organization.The inclusion of this report also demonstrates the ability to apply a systemic perspective to the design and development of solutions, despite the complexity of organizational systems and their interconnected components. This approach helped validate prior assumptions and extend considerations to a broader, system-level context.

Furthermore, this artifact highlights key competencies associated with Human Performance Technology (HPT) and needs analysis, including the ability to interpret systems and system processes through a holistic lens. It demonstrates the design of sustainable instructional and non-instructional interventions that are grounded in data-driven findings and aligned with identified needs. The proposed solutions are directly informed by the analysis and tailored to the needs identified through the thematic and data analysis processes. The recommendations are limited to the data obtained; however, the report demonstrates the connection between them.

Value and Self Assessment

This was my first formal needs analysis report using the HPT approach. It provided a structured way to move beyond assumptions and examine a system through evidence-based analysis. This process supported more intentional and informed decision-making in identifying needs and potential interventions.

This experience strengthened my ability to distinguish between surface-level symptoms and deeper root causes within a system. It also pushed me to consider both instructional and non-instructional interventions, which expanded my thinking beyond traditional classroom solutions and into broader organizational strategies.

Overall, this opportunity placed me outside of my usual perspective and sparked my interest in how different types of interventions can be designed to address system-level needs. It deepened my understanding of systems thinking and helped me recognize the importance of aligning solutions to the actual nature of the problem, not just instructional causes alone.