Series 1: Workbook 1B Companion Course
Planning & Analysis in Instructional Design
Course Description
This workbook builds directly on the introductory skills from Workbook 1A. While Workbook 1A introduced learners to the instructional design cycle, core theories, and key components, Workbook 1B focuses on applying planning and analysis techniques to strengthen course design. Each chapter provides hands-on practice and contributes to a professional-quality Course Evaluation & Enhancement Plan, a portfolio-ready artifact.
Final Project
Instructional Design Course Evaluation & Enhancement Plan
By the end of this workbook, learners will have created a comprehensive plan to assess, refine, and enhance a real or hypothetical instructional course.
Companion Course 1B
Chapters
Select a chapter tile below to read the content and complete the activities.
Chapter 1
Conducting a Needs Analysis
Before you can design or improve a course, you need to understand what’s really needed. A needs analysis is the process of figuring out the gap between where learners (or an organization) are now and where they need to be. It’s like taking a snapshot of the current situation so you know what to build or improve.
Chapter 2
Understanding Your Audience
Audience analysis means looking closely at who your learners are, what they bring to the course, and what might get in their way. It’s about creating a well-rounded picture that helps you anticipate challenges and design with intention.
Chapter 3
Auditing and Refining Learning Objectives
In Workbook 1A, you learned how to write learning objectives and practiced using Bloom’s Taxonomy to make them specific and measurable. In this chapter, you’ll move from simply writing objectives to evaluating and improving them for real courses.
Chapter 4
Aligning Content, Activities, and Assessments
Strong instructional design is built on alignment, making sure that learning objectives, course content, and assessments all point in the same direction. When alignment is present, learners know exactly what is expected of them, and every part of the course supports their success. When alignment is missing, learners may feel confused or unprepared, and assessments may not reflect what they were taught.
Chapter 5
Planning for Revision and Enhancement
Once you’ve completed your needs analysis, audience analysis, objective audit, and alignment map, you will likely end up with a long list of possible improvements. The challenge is that you can’t fix everything at once. Instructional designers need to make thoughtful choices about which changes will have the biggest impact and are most feasible to implement.