Running head: IDD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 1

IDD Analysis Worksheet

Filling out this worksheet should help you to organize your initial insights and analysis about
your individual instructional design (ID) topic.
As you fill in information in response to the prompts in this worksheet, you will be learning how
to do the analysis toward creating your final IDD.
Please keep the headings and instructions intact as you’re writing.

Brief Introductory Info

Provide information in this table to give the briefest idea about your topic.
Your Name
Your IDD Topic
Organization (Where the learning
solution will be implemented)
Learners (Target Audience—it’s
possible that you’ll have both a
primary audience and a secondary
audience)
Gwen Hansen
“Impaction Readiness” Learning Module
College of Education, Health, & Human Services
(CEHHS) Student Services at California State
University San Marcos (CSUSM)
Primary: Prospective freshman and transfer students
applying to the impacted nursing and kinesiology
programs at CSUSM.
Secondary: Potential access for: Community College
Counselors, parents of applicants, and other CSUSM
departments who interact with prospective applicants
(i.e. Campus tours office, Orientation & New Student
Programs)

Needs Assessment
Data Collection. Briefly describe how you collected data about your situation. Possible sources
and methods include: interviews, observation, surveys, reviewing work products or reports. You
may include questions and raw data in an appendix.

Introduction
Since 2012, I have served as the Undergraduate Coordinator in CEHHS Student Services

at CSUSM for four majors within our college, including impacted nursing and kinesiology

programs. I oversee operations regarding the life-cycle of the student, including: admissions,

new student orientation, advising, major workshops, and degree progress. I work firsthand with

students, advisors, and departments across campus who lack understanding of impacted majors’

admission processes, timelines, program requirements, and alternate pathways available to

students who are not admitted to the nursing or kinesiology major. I am in a unique position to
IDD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 2

help guide those seeking understanding because I am familiar with the criteria for these

programs. Furthermore, I update the CEHHS Student Services website regarding these impacted

programs and therefore have a unique opportunity to facilitate access to the information they

seek, clarify expectations, and help applicants explore other avenues available to them.

First Source (Observation)

The Bachelor of Science for Nursing (BSN) and the Bachelor of Science for Kinesiology

(BSK) majors at CSUSM are impacted majors, meaning there are more applicants seeking

admission to the major than there are seats available. We receive continual inquiries from

applicants, parents, community college counselors, and other departments across campus

wanting information and clarity regarding these impacted majors. Prospective applicants struggle

with the following regarding impacted majors: understanding the admission process,

understanding the courses that are required in the major, and understanding their options when

denied admission to an impacted major.

Additionally, recent changes to the application process has added further confusion and

frustration. Previously, students were admitted to Pre-Nursing or Pre-Kinesiology non-degree

majors, and then, once at the university, they applied to the Nursing or Kinesiology major. The

major advisors would help students in these pre-majors navigate the admissions process or

explore an alternative major if not admitted.

Under the new impaction criteria for these programs, there is no longer a designated non-

degree pre-major (Pre-Nursing or Pre-Kinesiology). Instead, only a limited number of applicants

are admitted directly into the Nursing or Kinesiology major. Those not admitted to the impacted

major, are admitted either into an alternate major of their choice or admitted as undeclared. The

advisors to these alternate majors, who are unfamiliar with impacted programs, report they are
IDD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 3

not equipped to answer questions from the students who were denied admission to one of the

impacted majors. Additionally, the result of this change limits access to work individually with

students who are not admitted. The structure of majors and advisors at the university are divided

up by colleges. Therefore, it is imperative that prospective applicants understand what impaction

means, what subject knowledge to come prepared with to be successful, and what alternate

pathways they can pursue if denied to the major.

Second Source (Application Data)

My second source is applicant data provided by Enrollment Services. This data provided

the total number of applicants that applied for Fall 2018 for Kinesiology (962) and Nursing

(2,111) majors. Although this data does not provide information regarding qualifications of the

applicants, the high number of prospective students who did apply does imply the scope of

interest in these two impacted majors. This also verifies some information regarding the reports

from departments across campus regarding the number of inquiries that they receive.

Third Source (Telephone log data)

My third source is a telephone log from the school of Nursing. After I analyze this

information, I am hoping to see if any themes arise as to the type of questions that are frequently

asked and where the callers are referred to when answering their questions.

Problem or Opportunity. Based on the data you collected, describe the issue you want to
improve, whether solving a problem or taking advantage of an opportunity.

Here’s Where We’d Like to Be

Prospective students applying to Nursing or Kinesiology majors at CSUSM should

understand that the major they are applying to is impacted and highly competitive. It should be

clear to applicants that they may be admitted to CSUSM under the alternate major of choice, but

not the impacted major. Furthermore, they need to understand that admission to these programs
IDD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 4

is direct, meaning that they cannot apply to Nursing or Kinesiology majors once attending

CSUSM under a different major. Applicants should be aware that both these majors are Bachelor

of Science degrees, requiring some prior knowledge of the sciences from high school.

Additionally, they should understand other avenues available to them, that allow them to pursue

their career goals, in the likelihood they are not admitted to Nursing or Kinesiology.

Here’s Where We Are Instead

Currently, communications concerning the admissions process is unclear. Students are

being admitted to their alternate majors, and as a result, departments across campus receive high

volumes of calls wanting clarification of the process. While some students grasp the admission

process independently, others do not. Impaction criteria for admission is another factor that many

students do not understand. For example, admission evaluators use the eligibility index from

high school to determine qualification for freshman applicants seeking admission into the

impacted majors. Additionally, there are limited seats available for those who are qualified.

Admitted undergraduate students contact our office regularly, wanting to apply to the program

while attending under a different major, showing a lack of understanding of the admission

process or understanding perhaps, that they were not qualified.

Secondly, students who are admitted to the impacted majors report they were not

expecting the number of science courses required for the major or the difficulty of those science

courses. Course rates for Anatomy & Physiology I, taken by Kinesiology students Fall 2017,

showed approximately 30% of students failed or withdrew from the course. Although, there may

be multiple factors attributing to this, helping students understand the science requirements could

help them better prepare for the major while in high school.
IDD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 5

Finally, although admission to these impacted majors may be limited, there are other

avenues that students can pursue. Often, perspective students look at the major as their only

opportunity to pursue their dream. Helping students explore other options could reduce

frustration and disappointment. When they can learn about other pathways it can help them make

decisions for their future.

This Is the Gap We’d Like to Fill (The Difference Between What Should Be and What Is)
Cause(s) of the Gap. Explain what’s causing the gap. You may not have all three of the major
causes shown below. If not, indicate which ones don’t apply to your project. For those that apply,
write a few sentences to describe the cause.

Lack of Knowledge, Skills, and/or Attitudes

For this case, lack of knowledge is the major reason for the performance gap. The

number of inquiries the campus receives regarding the admission process, what impaction

means, and how competitive the admission process is, demonstrates a lack of understanding.

This lack of understanding results in frustration as well as disappointment for applicants. Also,

the percent of students who fail one of the science courses required shows that prior knowledge

regarding the sciences is needed to be successful in both impacted majors. Finally, when

frustrated and disappointed applicants are not given information of other options available, they

have a difficult time accepting a denial into the impacted major, indicating the need to learn

about these avenues.

Lack of Motivation
At this time, lack of motivation is not indicated as a factor.

Issue(s) in the Organization or Environment

At a recent meeting I attended with Enrollment Services and CEHHS Deans, a

communication plan was discussed for impacted programs. Currently, when applicants apply to
IDD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 6

CSUSM they are given an explanation of the admission process and are required to select an

alternate major. They have to sign that they understand the terms before submitting the

application. However, it was discovered that after submission, applicants no longer had access to

what they signed and did not receive a follow-up correspondence reminding them of the

conditions and terms. Communication strategies are now being put into place to address this

issue for the next admission cycle.

It was further discovered, that applicants with guaranteed admission to the university,

have the ability to choose undeclared as an alternate major. This is not something that can be

altered. However, this may have some bearing on why undeclared students attending New

Student Orientations over the summer and attending undeclared general education learning

courses report feeling disgruntled about the impaction admission process. It is possible, that

these students might think that they are guaranteed admission to the major of their choice versus

guaranteed admission to the university.

Initial Solution(s). Briefly describe your initial ideas for removing the gap. We’re
studying how to do instructional design in IST522, so we’re hoping that there’s a gap in
knowledge and/or skills that you will want to close with a learning-oriented solution. Many
times, there are other gaps that you should consider (or point out to someone in your
organization), even if you will not try to conquer them with your IDD project.

Learning Solution
The learning solution is to create an asynchronous learning solution to guide applicants

through the impacted major process in order to prepare them for acceptance or denial of

admission to the major. Asynchronous instruction is the best solution in this situation for two

reasons. First, our applicants apply from the local area, from out of state, and even

internationally. Secondly, the resources available to handle the volume of inquiries are limited.

There isn’t enough staffing to handle all the calls or to meet with prospective applicants in
IDD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 7

person. Asynchronous instruction will be a consistent environment for all learners regardless of

location. Moreover, an asynchronous environment will be the best way for applicants to become

acquainted with the impacted programs, the criteria required for admission, and the alternative

options they can explore.

Instructional content would include three main categories: impaction, major course

requirements, and alternative pathways. Each category will be broken into subsections (i.e.

admission process, impaction criteria, major requirements, etc.). This allows the applicants to see

what topics will be covered and allow them autonomy to go at their own pace, select the topics

they want to learn about, and refer back to relevant information as they deem necessary.

Additionally, the smaller sections allow the ability to create different levels of instruction.

For instance, limited interactions can be applied for content covering facts and procedures, while

more complex interactions can be applied for scenarios that the applicants find themselves,

which also prepares the learners to make decisions concerning outcomes they experience. The

smaller sections also enable content to be updated and replaced as necessary. Other Possible

Solutions

Another possible solution is to introduce other departments, that work with prospective

students or with undeclared populations, to instructional content. The investment in helping other

staff and departments learn as well, could alleviate frustration for those faced with a disgruntled

student and empower them with the learning solutions.

Goals for Your Project. Organizational goals often include things like saving money,
increasing customer satisfaction, improving quality, increasing the percentage of students
reading at grade level, decreasing the dropout rate, or providing personnel who have reached a
certain level of fluency in key languages. Learner goals are less formal and precise than learning
objectives. Often, they are not particularly measurable. For a learner goal, we’re looking for a
broad statement about what the learners will learn. See Piskurich, pages 130 to 131, for
definitions and examples.
IDD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 8

Main Organizational Goal(s)

Advisement for the nursing and kinesiology majors is housed under CEHHS Student

Services which provides advising and various services to students to “promote student success in

our academic programs and beyond and provide exemplary services and programming using

progressive, data-driven, holistic, and student-centered approaches” (Student Services, [S.S.]

n.d.). The goal of this project is to improve applicant satisfaction in understanding impacted

majors and admission criteria. Another goal is to decrease the number of inquiries seeking

clarification regarding these majors by improving the quality of advisement made available to

prospective students. This project will assist CEHHS Student Services in its vision to provide

exemplary services for students by creating a seamless experience for prospective students

applying to our impacted majors.

Main Learner Goal(s)

Learner goals are related to obtaining a degree that leads to careers in nursing or

kinesiology fields. To that end, they seek admission to the impacted Nursing and Kinesiology

majors. The main learner goal for this project is to provide a learning solution that guides

applicants to navigate the specific application processes and criteria for these impacted majors.

Learner Analysis
Data Collection. Write a sentence or two to describe how you collected data about your learners.
Possible methods include: observation, interviews, focus groups, surveys, and reviewing work
products or reports. (You might, at this point, have only one source, or you might have more than
three. The headings are there to provide structure for your answer.) You may include questions
and raw data in an appendix.

First Source (Survey Data)

The primary source of data collection will be a survey of recently admitted students to

Nursing and Kinesiology majors for Fall 2018. (Appendix A).

IDD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 9

Second Source
The secondary source of data collection will be logged inquiries from the School of

Nursing.

Third Source
The third source of date collection will be an institutional report regarding failure rates in

Anatomy & Physiology courses (Appendix B).

Learner Profile. Describe your typical learners (they will often possess a range of knowledge,
skills, and other characteristics). Include additional information if you have a secondary audience
for your learning solution. Most important will be information about relevant experience, prior
knowledge (what they already know about your topic), tool skills, aptitudes, attitudes, and
motivation for learning what you want to teach them.
Note: Please do not use learning styles as a factor in your learner analysis. (These will not help
you to make design decisions.) Also, be extremely cautious about making assumptions about
generational differences. Some young people have no clue about technology. Some older folks
invented the technology that we use today.

What Work or Study They Are Doing Now

The user population consists of freshman and transfer applicants desiring to obtain a

degree in the fields of nursing and kinesiology through CSUSM’s impacted majors.

Prior Knowledge About This Topic

As prospective students for this project, applicants have varying levels of comprehension

about admission to an impacted program, criteria and coursework needed for success, and

alternative pathways to meet their career goals. Although information is housed on the campus

websites, the amount of inquiries and student frustration indicates more learning is needed.

Tool Skills
The target audience has varying skill levels regarding understanding the process, self-

evaluation of their qualifications for a science-based degree, and awareness of other options

available to them.
IDD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 10

Expected Ease or Difficulties in Learning

Freshman applicants have less experience on one hand, but often family members assist

them to research majors and career options when applying to a university. In addition, some

applicants have higher index scores than others. Since this will vary among applicants, some

freshman applicants will be more capable than others. Likewise, the transfer applicants have

more college experience, but they also vary in their preparation for transfer. This is reflected in

both their prerequisites met and their grade point average. Therefore, the transfer applicants will

have some learners more capable than others.

Motivation for Learning About This Topic

Learners will be motivated to gain understanding so they can successfully apply either to

the Nursing or Kinesiology major in hopes of admission to the program.

Other General Characteristics That May Impact Their Instructional Experience

Unaware of any at this time.

Prerequisites or Entry Requirements. If applicable, note any requirements that your learners
must meet before they are eligible to take the learning solution that you will offer. (If not
relevant, say so.)

Prerequisites (Courses)
The target audience will need access to computers and have basic computer skills,

including using a keyboard and mouse, to navigate the CSUSM website in order to be eligible to

take the learning solution.

Entry Requirements (Everything Else)

No other entry requirements are expected.
IDD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 11

Context (Workplace/Environmental/Setting) Analysis

Data Collection. Write a sentence or two to describe how you collected information about the
context of your situation. Possible methods include: observation, interviews, surveys,
organization records. You may include questions and raw data in an appendix.

First Source (Interviews)

The primary source of data collection will be interviews of administrators, particularly

the Assistant Dean of CEHHS Student Services, regarding current processes and needed

improvements.

Second Source
The secondary source of data collection will be an institutional report of Fall 2018

applicant submissions. (Appendix B)

Numbers & Locations. How many people are in your target audience, and where are they?

Number of People in Your Target Audience

The target audience consists of approximately 3000 prospective students.

Location(s) of People in Your Target Audience

The target audience consists of local, out of state, and international applicants.

Work Setting Logistics, Resources, Constraints. This might include instructors, classrooms,
and availability of tools, equipment or technology.

Classroom Instruction Considerations (If Applicable)

Not applicable.

Online Instruction Considerations

Learning instruction will be delivered to the target audience online via the CEHHS

Student Services website. Some learners may not have access to computers. If they do not, they

would have to gain access through another source, such as a local library.
IDD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 12

Content (Task) Analysis

Data Collection. Write a sentence or two to describe how you collected information about the
content for your learning solution. Possible methods include: interviews with subject-matter
experts (SMEs), documentation, observation of master performers (or others), existing courses,
and articles, video tutorials, etc. You may include questions or other details in an appendix.

First Source (Interviews)

Interviews with Subject-Matter Experts:

• Assistant Dean for CEHHS Student Services

• Assessment Specialist for CEHHS Student Services

• Associate Vice-President for Enrollment Management

• Associate Vice-President for Student Academic Support Services

Second Source (Observation)

I train advisors on the impaction criteria for nursing and kinesiology and the admission

processes that are conducted in CEHHS Student Services. I have first-hand knowledge and

observation of the content based on inquiries directed to me regarding the processes, the

timelines, the program requirements, and the alternate pathways available to students who are

not admitted to the impacted majors.

Content to Include. Describe the main tasks, content, or procedures that you intend to include in
your module. Your earlier analyses should help you to decide the level and depth of these tasks.
Include citations for your content descriptions if you consulted written sources. Include general
statements about how well your learners should be able to master the content.

Main Tasks to Master (Overview of the Content)

This IDD module will focus on understanding the Nursing and Kinesiology impacted

admission processes, timelines, program requirements, and alternate pathways available to

students who are not admitted to the majors. This instruction will include an asynchronous e-

learning module divided into subtopics. The content for this module will be established by
IDD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 13

reviewing inquiries from prospective applicants, parents, community college counselors, and

other departments across campus wanting information and clarity regarding these impacted

majors. Content will also be determined by interviews with the Assistant Dean of CEHHS

Student Services, who has volunteered to serve as the Subject-Matter Expert (SME) for the

project, as well as the survey from Fall 2018 admitted students to provide further content that is

learner-centered based.

Mastery of the following subtopics is yet to be fully established. However, applicants

level of mastery can be demonstrated by tests/challenges to assess their knowledge, self-

evaluations, and reflections while completing the modules.

Essential Declarative Knowledge (Things People Should Be Able to Talk or Write About)
Subtopic: Introduction to impacted programs. This subtopic will cover the definition of

impaction and criteria considered for admission. Level of mastery should demonstrate that

learners can define what impaction means and identify the impaction criteria, so they understand

how competitive admission is for an impacted major.

Subtopic: What does a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing/Kinesiology entail. This

subtopic will address courses required upon admission to an impacted major. Level of mastery

should demonstrate that applicants can identify what sciences are required, so that they can better

prepare themselves for success prior to taking the sciences in the major(s).

Subtopic: Alternative Pathways. This subtopic will provide scenarios of additional

avenues available when not admitted to an impacted major. The content will provide guidance to

applicants by providing alternate pathways to pursue their career goal. Level of mastery should

demonstrate that applicants can recognize other options available to them.

IDD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 14

Essential Procedural Knowledge (Things People Should Be Able to Do)

Level of mastery should demonstrate that applicants can apply to the impacted majors

without frustration regarding the process. They should be able to self-assess their readiness for a

Bachelor of Science degree based on their prior study in the sciences. They should be able to

choose other options for obtaining their career goals and be able to make informed decisions

regarding their next steps, if not accepted to one of the impacted majors.
IDD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 15

References

Student Services (n.d.) [Website]. Retrieved from

https://www.csusm.edu/cehhs/studentservices/index.html
Running head: IDD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 16

Appendix A

Admission to Impacted Major Questionnaire

1. Did you, or a family member, visit the CSUSM website to learn about the major you applied
to? Select all that apply:

___Admissions
___School of Nursing
___CEHHS Student Services
___Did not visit the CSUSM website

2. If you visited the website, were you able to find and understand the information you were
seeking?

___Yes ___No
If no, what difficulty did you experience?

3. What is your understanding of an impacted program?

___Highly sought after (desirable) major

___There are more applicants to this major than seats available
___It is difficult to get into this major
___All of the above

4. Nursing & kinesiology are Bachelor of Science degrees that require taking college level
science courses. How aware were you of this requirement?

___Fully prepared
___Somewhat prepared
___Not prepared at all

5. Did you understand that you would be admitted into your alternate major unless accepted
into the nursing/kinesiology major?

___Yes ___No

6. What information do wish you had known about when applying to nursing/kinesiology
major?

7. What information would you recommend to new freshman applying to the

nursing/kinesiology major?
IDD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 17

Appendix B