TASK ANALYSIS: The Ignored - yet Essential - Skill Presented by: Dr. Bob Appelman Clinical Professor Emeritus IST@IUB www.Indiana.edu/~drbob

Tasks are UBIQUITUS EXPERTS do tasks differently than NOVICES They’re EVERYWHERE! – They are EVERYTHING you DO! From BRUSHING TEETH – to getting to School – to RESEARCHING Not everyone does a task the same way BUT, there are some tasks that NEED to be done a certain way EXPERTS do tasks differently than NOVICES ATHLETES perform sporting tasks relative to their PHYSICAL ABILITY PROFESSIONALS execute their tasks a varying degrees of EFFECTIVENESS & EFFICIENCY SCIENTISTS & ACADEMICIANS perform their intellectual tasks relative to their COGNITIVE ABILITY

So, what does this have to do with ID? An Instructional Designer must know every task their learner must do to accomplish their Learning Goal It might require a task like typing, reading, creative thinking, entering data, or shaping clay on a potter’s wheel. The task(s) must be defined as: PROCEDURAL or COGNITIVE (or a combination of both) You know of PROCEDURAL LEARNING & CONCEPTUAL LEARNING BUT, in TASK ANALYSIS you usually MASH them TOGETHER into a SEQUENTIAL LINKAGE … known as a FLOW CHART

Procedural & Cognitive Analysis Flowchart

Performance Technologists need Task Analysis Skills Performing tasks is what employees do! Improving how they do tasks is what both Instructional Designers and Performance Technologists are asked to do! Human Resource Departments depend on TASK DEFINITION to define every JOB DESCRIPTION TASK ANALYSIS involves SKILL DEFINITION within each task Employers are seeking people with specific skills, but young people are not aware of the skills they have or what skills they need Career development is based on Skill development

Let’s Turn to Specifics Indiana is facing a crisis in rural areas Young people are leaving the rural areas and migrating to cities Our research shows that Young People in Rural Areas: have a strong work ethic & have strong moral values and are highly motivated to succeed Are going to schools that are not teaching essential work related skills Schools and students do not know what opportunities are out there in rural areas But we found exceptions in a few schools & in a few small towns Through Project Lead the Way (PLTW), PBL is being implemented Students are learning skills as they are given Entrepreneurial Projects Small towns are beginning to promote Entrepreneurial activities We are using TASK ANALYSIS as a major component to aid in the CAREER DEVELOPMENT of young people and for businesses in RURAL COMMUNITIES