Courseware Authoring Needs Assessment

Before developing an online course, one must assess the learners and needs of the learners to ensure that the objectives of the class are properly met and the students receive the proper information to make them successful. Through this Basic Skills Writing Online course, students will gain a clear understanding of how to write a five-paragraph essay, how to properly organize their thoughts within the essay, how to write a thesis statement, and how to provide adequate support for their major points within the essay. In order to do this, the developer must take a critical look at the learners and learner context, the needs assessment objectives, and the instruments for obtaining the needs assessment information.

Since the Basic Skills Writing Online course is a remedial course that students must take as a prerequisite to English Composition, all of the learners that are required to take it have shown that they possess weak writing skills when they took the Accuplacer Exam. In a study that examined the characteristics and behaviors of students who are placed in remedial classes, Dugan and Ochroch (1986) found "that personality factors such as self-esteem and internal locus of control were correlated with success for high-risk students." As a result, many students in remedial classes have low self-esteem in regards to their academic skills. Byrd and Ginger's (2005) study on factors that cause students to be unprepared for college level courses revealed that skills and abilities, background factors and life experiences, and non-traditional student self concept all play a role in a student's preparation for college. Another factor that Ignash (1997) was told by high school teachers that "overcrowded classrooms, poorly funded schools, and a breakdown in support structures for children" prevent them from preparing students for college. He also said that remedial learners also include English as a Second Language students and high school drop outs.