When I was a young professor of instructional design and technology at San Diego State University, students often sought advice on how to make decisions about outcomes and strategies. At that time, back in the late 70s, mostly they were concerned about instructional design for face-to-face classes. Even when working on classroom programs, they were flummoxed by the scores of decisions they had to make. My students wanted help with planning. Some call that planning needs assessment. Others prefer needs analysis. Many weigh in for performance analysis or front end analysis. One nickname that makes me smile is disambiguating whatchamacallit. … [Read more...]