III: Task Analysis

Brown & Green (2006) explain that the task analysis "provides important information about the content and tasks that will form the basis for the instruction being developed" (p.106). This step includes gathering information on the type of activities that will make up the instruction. In addition, the instructional designer must determine the appropriate sequence for teaching these activities.

Many different task analysis approaches exist. Here is a brief list of approaches:

• Jonassen, Hannum, and Tessmer's Approach
• Morrison, Ross, and Kemp's Three Techniques
• Dick, Carey, and Carey's Instructional Analysis
• Smith and Ragan's Analysis of the Learning Task

An instructional designer should determine the effectiveness of the recommended tasks and modify them if necessary.

Hints:
A subject matter expert (SME) is helpful when developing a task analysis. He/She "[provides] guidance on the scope and sequence of the content and tasks that need to be included in the instruction" (Brown & Green, 2006, p.117). In an educational setting, this might be a veteran teacher or an expert from a particular field. It might even involve communicating with an online SME.

It is easier to change tasks at this phase, than to modify them later in the instructional design process, so I would recommend spending ample time completing the task analysis.