2. Needs Assessment
1. What is the learning problem or opportunity?
The learning opportunity of intercultural language skills would
the Baderman Island Resort Corporation.
benefit
2. What is currently available?
Neither the Northwest Valley Community College or Boardman
Corporate University provides no courses for intercultural language
greeting skills.
3. What should be available?
A intercultural language greeting skills course should be available to
the employees of Baderman Island Resort.
Instructional Plan Template | Slide 2
3. Gap Analysis
4. Explain the gap analysis between what is available and what
should be available.
Currently the employees cannot communicate well with the
international quests; therefore skills in communicating with
international quests would benefit both the employees and the quests.
5. What is your recommended solution for filling the gap?
Recommendations would include designing and developing a
language communication greeting skills course.
Instructional Plan Template | Slide 3
4. Instructional Goal
The instructional goal of the Intercultural Language Greeting
Communication Skills course will provide the students the basic skills
of speaking greetings in different cultural languages, which will help to
communicate better with Baderman’s international guests.
Instructional Plan Template | Slide 4
5. Performance-Based Objectives
•
After completion of COM 270, the student will show his or her
learning accuracy by scoring above 70% in the language lab at
Northwest Valley Community College, allowing the student to
appropriately speak different cultural greetings.
•
After completion of COM 270, the employees of Baderman Island
Resort will complete a final examination, in which they must receive
a passing grade of 70% plus, which will determine how accurate
they can speak different language greetings to Baderman’s
international guests.
Instructional Plan Template | Slide 5
6. Summative Assessment and Learning
Outcomes
•Using the language skills lab at Northwest Valley Community College
will evaluate the students language speaking learning outcome.
•Taking a final examination after completion of COM 270 will determine
how much the student has learned, and if the course successfully and
accurately accomplish what it set out to accomplish.
Instructional Plan Template | Slide 6
7. Learner Characteristics
The learner characteristics include information about your target
audience such as:
•
•
•
A college language class with 15 men and 15 women.
Test scores range from 5% below average, 5% above average in
language usage, intercultural language development, and
grammar.
The majority of students learn through audio conferencing and
recordings.
Implications based on these characteristics determine the lessons
were accessible to all students and each student was challenged
appropriately.
Instructional Plan Template | Slide 7
8. Learning Context
•
The intended instructional setting is in a traditional
classroom.
•
The instructional plan for the learning language context
will be developed for the learner to be exposed to
language input, which is in suitably informative contexts.
Instructional Plan Template | Slide 8
9. Delivery Modality
Based on the learning context and learner characteristics, the most
effective method of delivery would recommend an instructor-led course
with the help of audio conferencing and recordings in a language lab
situated on campus.
Instructional Plan Template | Slide 9
10. Instructional Strategies
• The information to be taught will include intercultural speaking skills,
especially greetings in different languages. The instructor will use an
audio device in the different languages to help the students learn the
different intercultural greetings.
• Instructional strategies will include workbooks, audio devices,
pictures, and a language lab. The learner will need to understand the
different language dialects associated with different cultures.
Instructional Plan Template | Slide 10
11. Plan for Implementation
•
The course will take place in a classroom two days per week for one
hour, for six weeks, after which the sixth week will include a
readiness check involving all six weeks of the course.
•
Instructors and learners will be involved in this course. Each week
will include lab assignments, workbook assignments, questions and
answers, and communication skills between the instructor and
students.
•
The plan will be implemented by an intercultural language skills
instructor. The class is an instructor-centered environment.
Instructional Plan Template | Slide 11
12. Instructional Resources
Instructional Resources would include:
•Whiteboards
•Overhead Projector
•Computer, Internet Enabled
•Language Lab
•Photographs
•Audio and Video Equipment
•Texts
Instructional Plan Template | Slide 12
13. Formative Assessment
Five formative assessment strategies incorporated into the
implementation to an intercultural language speaking skills instructional
plan:
•Student self-reflections
•Readiness checks
•Progress checklist
•Mid-project survey
•Quizzes
Instructional Plan Template | Slide 13
15. Outcome Review
A Likert Scale determined the following:
•Learners competence and comprehension matches with the
instructional goal
•Learners follow procedures when complying feedback information
•Learners illustrated the ability to use intercultural language skills set
forth within the course materials
•Learners openly participated in classroom activities and discussions
Instructional Plan Template | Slide 15
16. Recommendations
The outcome review indicated the participants gained understanding
and comprehension of the learning materials at an average level. In
reflection associated with the learners academic level, the possibility
has been established that course materials and training will coincide
with instructional goals, performance objectives, and learner outcome.
Instructional Plan Template | Slide 16
17. Recommendations (continued)
Recommendations for future course instructional design:
•Encourage group discussion and classroom activities
•Increase learner and facilitator feedback
•Apply a higher degree of learning materials
•Allow the learners more flexibility in lab accessibility
Instructional Plan Template | Slide 17
18. References
•
Becker, A., & Nekrasova-Becker (2013). Evaluating a project-based
activity: Suggestions for content language integrated learning
courses. Retrieved March 16, 2013 fromhttp
://nclrc.org/about_teaching/heritage_learners.html
•
California State Board of Education (2003). Foreign language
framework for California public schools. Retrieved March 22, 2013
from
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/documents/foreignlangfrmwrk.pdf
•
Information Technology Services (2013). SPSS Techniques Series:
Statistics on Likert scale surveys. Retrieved March 22, 2013
fromhttp://www.uni.edu/its/support/article/604
Instructional Plan Template | Slide 18
19. References (Continued)
• Jackson, F., & Malone, M. (2009). Building the foreign language
capacity we need: Toward a comprehensive strategy for a
national language framework. Washington, DC: Center for
Applied Linguistics
• Humphrey, D. (2013). Intercultural communication: A teaching
and learning framework. Retrieved March 15, 2013 from
http://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/paper/1303#toc_4
• McGraw-Hill (2011). Instructional resources. Retrieved March 23,
2013
fromhttp://acuityforschool.com/details/instructional_resources.sht
ml
Instructional Plan Template | Slide 19
Notes de l'éditeur
The opportunity of learning different cultural language greetings will provide Baderman Island Resort employees the ability to assist Baderman’s international guests. The employees do not have the necessary skills to speak to Baderman Island Resort international guests because many do not speak English. Baderman Island Resort Corporation deals with different cultural speaking guests and many of these guests do not speak English. The employees at Baderman do not possess the skills to speak with the guests in their native language, so therefore there is a communication gap between the guest and the employees.
Currently there are no courses available to provide intercultural language greeting skills. It would be to the companies benefit to provide a training course to teach the employees how to greet their guests in their native language.
An intercultural language greeting communication skills course should be available to Baderman Island Resort employees to teach them the skills needed to communicate with international guests. Providing the employees with a training program would benefit Baderman’s Island Resort Corporation because the communication gap would be bridged.
4) In explaining the gap analysis one must first identify the objectives the Baderman Island Resort employees would like to achieve. Baderman Island Resort contributes to many international guests and some employees cannot communicate well with them. Difficulty in communication with visitors of the Baderman Island Resort can have a negative impact on the resorts clientele. Currently the employees would like to be able to communicate with all clientele; therefore, skills in communicating with international guests should be incorporated into a training program for Baderman Island Resort employees, which would benefit the organization. When communication is lost through translation, the corporation can loose some of its clients due to this communication gap. Employees become frustrated when they cannot communicate with the clients and the clients become frustrated when they cannot be understood. Therefore, providing a training course would benefit both the employees and the clients.
5) My recommended solution for filling the gap would be to design a training program through Northwest Valley Community College to assist the employees in better communication skills with the international guests. The corporation and Northwest Valley Community College will meet to facilitate a course suitable to providing the opportunity of learning intercultural communication language greeting skills for corporation’s employees. The gap related to communication skills will need to be bridged in order to collaborate with the recommended solution. When the employees learn new language greeting skills the gap will be bridged, and therefore will benefit both the employees and the guests at Baderman Island Resort.
The summative assessment and learning outcomes associated with the instructional goal of communicative intercultural language greeting skills will be accomplished by using the language skills lab at Northwest Valley Community College. The language lab includes pictures and audio equipment relevant to each cultural language. The student will listen to audio recordings and match pictures with words, and will be asked to complete questions asked, and record the different languages into recording software. The facilitator will read the answers to the questions and listen to the students recording and provide the student with feedback. The feedback will instruct the student to either study certain areas or let the student know he or she is doing well.
A final examination will be conducted at the end of the course, which will determine how much the student has learned. The final examination will require the student passes with a 70% or more grade in order to successfully complete the course. The final examination will include true and false questions, multiple choice questions, and writing a completed sentence in each language learned. The final examination will include 50 questions related to intercultural communication language greetings.
The learning outcomes will show the student is able to communicate the different language greetings to the international guests at Baderman’s Island Resort, allowing both the employees and guests to communicate in a more appropriate manner; therefore the gap will be bridged regarding adequate communication between the employees and international guests.
Implications based on the learner characteristics will determine rather the lessons were accessible to all students or not. Additionally implications regarding the learner characteristics will determine if the lessons provided challenged each student appropriately. The intercultural communicative language greeting skills course include as many men as women and the test score range from 5% below average to 5% above average in language usage, grammar, and intercultural language development, which implicates a few learner differences. One student acquired a 5% below average language usage skills; therefore this student was overly challenged. The course may need to make some adjustments to the challenges of the students. The designing and development of the course may need some adjusting so that every student is challenged appropriately to their needs.
The classroom characteristics include pictures and audio equipment. A meaningful context will be created for the students by adding new information with illustrations, photographs, and audio equipment. A springboard is used for communication in the different languages. Constraints include individual differences in learning.
Instructional materials will be determined by using the characteristics of each student. The instructional plan will challenge each student individually by providing adequate learning materials relevant to each student.
Context provides a delivery system, which answers the questions: where, when, and with whom (California State Board of Education, 2003).
The lessons will be made accessible to all students according to their learning styles. The learner will have the needed exposure to intercultural language input provided by the language lab. The students will receive feedback from the instructor according to their performance in the class. Instructional designs can be delivered in many ways; however, a language course teaching students how to speak different languages is best served in a face-to-face environment.
Kolb (1984) believes if the learning cycle is to be effective, learning activities will engage the cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions of the learning process, which involves reflection that engages the affective dimensions of the learning process. Reflections are best provided in a face-to-face classroom environment. A face-to-face classroom climate provides a supportive atmosphere (Humphrey, 2013)
The instructor will present the class with materials to the students providing them the opportunity to master different language dialects associated with different cultures. The students will be asked to repeat the different greetings after hearing them on an audio device or hearing them from the instructor. Homework will include working through the workbooks provided for the student. The workbooks will include pictures and words from different cultures, which will include greetings. The students will be asked to match the picture of a particular culture to the greetings associated with them. Additionally, the student will spend time in the language lab at his or her convenience as long as the language lab assignment is completed by its due date. The language lab will be one of the main contexts for the students. The instructor will prepare assignments to be completed by the students in the language lab. Each week the students will complete a different assignment with the last part of the assignment being a readiness check. The readiness check will be graded by the instructor to discover if the student is on task. The course will include communicating between students in a particular language each week. The course will take place two days per week for one hour for six weeks, after which the sixth week will include a readiness check involving all six weeks of the course. However instructional strategies will be faced with an array of potential learning opportunities and ways of learning for each individual student because the instructor will need to discover what ways of learning will work best for their students. Additionally, learning style preferences will be involved with implementing the best instructional strategies.
The plan for implementation involves an instructor, and his or her students. It takes place in a classroom. The learning environment will be instructor-centered. The students will rely on the instructor to help them understand and gain knowledge required to speak to other individuals in their cultural language dialogs. Students will receive materials required to complete the course, such as a syllabus explaining what will be expected of them throughout the course, workbooks, and instructions for the language lab usage. The students will be expected to complete assignments in their workbooks and the language lab each week.
The plan will be implemented by an intercultural language skills instructor, and will be an instructor-centered environment. The instructor will implement the plan to the students. Resources for implementing this plan will include use of the language lab, audio equipment, an overhead projector, book publishers, podcasts, and pictures. The instruction will be implemented in the classroom and language lab; however, the students will need to study and complete assignments on their own. The instruction will be implemented twice weekly for one hour; however, this does not include time spent in the language lab. The course will provide students the opportunity to speak to their quests in their own cultural languages. The participants will be selected through the Badman Island Resort corporation. It will include the employees working for this resort who come into contact with the visiting quests.
Instructional resources will enrich the learners’ learning and support the facilitators teaching practice. Key developments in the learners’ materials will offer new opportunities for the learner. Instructional resources are designed to engage learners with interactive practice activity, improve student achievement in key areas, and help facilitators intervene in time to make a difference. Additionally, instructional resource provides extra practice and instruction, which includes three important components:
Introduction and explanation related to a given skill
Guided practice
Opportunity to evaluate progress throughout instruction (McGraw-Hill, 2011).
Formative assessments help the instructors and programs monitor instructors’ effectiveness throughout the course, offering multiple opportunities for instructors to self-assess and improve subsequent lessons. Formative assessment helps students and teachers measure language proficiency, and promotes accountability among language programs. Additionally, formative assessment documents success and can make an argument for increased funding for the program. Formative assessment results can be used for program advocacy, improvement, and expansion (Jackson, and Malone, 2009).
Formative assessment is the only type of data used, which ensures every student is mastering the desired outcomes, and is embedded within weekly classroom lessons, linked to an overarching instructional standard or goal. When an instructor embeds a formative assessment into their instruction, they must have strong content knowledge, an understanding of each learning objective a student must master, and know how to uncover where a student might get lost, and what to do to correct any misconceptions.
A student self-reflective formative assessment balances quantitative information with qualitative information. Readiness checks help to determine how and what the student is learning. A progress checklist helps students assess their progress with the project activity by going through a list of requirements to identify areas in which the student needs further assistance. Mid-project surveys record information about the students experiences with the language lab activities, reports on their attitudes, self-confidence levels, and abilities to perform specific tasks (Becker, and Nekrasova-Becker, 2013). Quizzes throughout the course will help the student know if he or she is acquiring their goal.
Informal interviews monitor students’ concerns and explore the facilitators’ needs. Additionally, informal interviews help to identify needs requiring immediate attention in order to make the program more satisfying. A midterm evaluation survey will be given three weeks into the program to examine students’ perspectives of the curriculum, and investigate areas for improvement over the next few weeks. Pre- and posttests are conducted in order to examine students’ improvements in intercultural language proficiency. A program evaluation survey will be performed at the end of the course, which will focus on the satisfaction of the course. Additionally, the evaluation survey will help to identify the activities that helped the learners improve their intercultural language proficiency the most. The follow-up management staff survey will be completed when the learners return to their jobs, which will reveal the proficiency of the course. The evaluation strategy of academic achievement will involve posting the students overall grades at the end of the course.
An outcome review involves interpreting what the student has learned, which is done in an observable or measurable manner. A Likert scale is used to determine if the design goals, performance-based objectives, and learning outcomes were reached. The Likert scale assumes the strength and intensity of experience is linear on a continuum from strongly agree to strongly disagree with the assumption that attitudes can be measured. The Likert scale used was a five point Likert scale. The Likert scale is set up to include the participants opinion toward each question asked. The questions were answered as such: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = not sure, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree (Information Technology Services, 2013). After collecting all the data connected to the Likert scale, it has been determined that the design goal was met, along with the performance-based objectives, and learning outcomes. The majority of the participants answered with a 4 or 5.