ANALYZING THE

LEARNERS
TOPIC 5
To characterize the
different type of learners

To distinguish the
different learning styles of
the learners
THE DIVERSIFIED
LEARNERS
Learners are likely to be in a great diversity of
learning preferences, abilities, and experiences that
they will bring to a course or other learning
experience.
When learner variability is not addressed in a design,
it is inevitable that many learners will experience
obstacles to their learning, limiting the effectiveness
of the learning experience for them and inducing
additional costs in time and resources to make
adjustments and accommodations (Brinck, 2005).
PURPOSE OF
LEARNER
ANALYSIS
Each learner is different.
Learner analysis is important in
designing instruction so that
designer can design an
instruction that is relevant and
interesting to the intended
audience.
WHAT IF NOT ENOUGH INFORMATION IS COLLECTED ABOUT THE
LEARNERS?

Designers will make mistakes such as:

• Assuming that all learners are alike.

• Assuming that learners are like designers, therefore,

designers will design an instruction that suits them
with examples familiar to them.

• May inadequately explain something and

overexplain other things.
• Planning for diverse learners should begin at a very early stage of the ID
process. It can lead to more robust, accessible, and impactful designs.
• Planning for diverse learners should begin with developing empathetic
understandings of the characteristics in which learners will vary.
LEARNER ANALYSIS
UNDERSTANDING
LEARNERS
• Each learner is a unique individual. However,
each has certain characteristics that are:
• Similar - Characteristics that are relatively
the same among people

• Different - Variations in various aspects

among people such as human form,
experience.
 Sensory capacities
- eyesight, hearings

Information processing
Example of - Ability to process information (IQ)
Similarities Types of learning
- attainment of different types of learning; eg. Problem
solving, conceptual

Developmental process
- How people learn as they develop
 Aptitudes
- readiness to learn or achieve
Cognitive styles
- ways people receive and process information
(learning styles)

Psychosocial traits
Example of - personality characteristics

Differences Gender, ethnicity & racial group

Learning Development state

- Intellectual state

Prior learning
- Accumulated knowledge that is required before
learning
HOW DO WE UNDERSTAND THE
LEARNERS BASED ON THEIR
SIMILARITIES AND
DIFFERENCES? Similarities

We must understand that some of the • Remain unchanged

• Changing
characteristics are always remain the
same (unchanged) and some are
changing, disregard whether they are Differences
the similarities or differences.
• Remain unchanged
• Changing
SIMILARITIES

UNCHANGED CHANGING
• Sensory capacities • Developmental process
• Information processing
• Types and conditions of
learning
DIFFERENCES

UNCHANGED CHANGING
• Aptitudes • Development state
• Cognitive styles • Prior learning
• Psychosocial traits
• Gender, ethnicity & racial
group
DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE LEANERS

for example, not to

Understanding who the
include instructional
learners are and their
material that may be
demographics can
culturally insensitive or
directly impact the
that has no connection to
instructional material.
students. 
 HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT
PROCESS
 Theories of development provide a framework for thinking
about human growth and learning from birth to adulthood

UNDERSTANDIN
G THE Why is it important to understand about human
An understanding of child development?
development is essential because it allows
DEVELOPMENT us to fully appreciate the cognitive, emotional, physical, social, and
educational growth that children go through from birth and into early

PROCESS adulthood.

There are many theories that prescribed the human

development process
 Piaget's Cognitive
Developmental Cognitive theory is concerned with the
Theory development of a person's thought
processes. It also looks at how these thought
processes influence how we understand and
interact with the world. 
2 OF THE MAJOR
HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT Vygotsky's
THEORIES Sociocultural In Vygotsky's view, learning is a social
Theory process. Through interacting with others,
learning becomes integrated into an
individual's understanding of the world.
Piaget's Cognitive Developmental Theory

• Piaget's stage theory describes the cognitive

development of children.  
• Cognitive development involves changes in
cognitive process and abilities.
• His theory has aided designers in
understanding what kinds of cognitive
operations are involved in outcomes that
involve abstract thinking
Piaget’s 4 Stages of Cognitive Development
Piaget introduced the 4 stages of cognitive development to explain how the
cognitive state of a child was developed:

• Sensory motor Stage : Birth to 2 yrs

• Pre-Operational Stage : 2 to 7 yrs
• Concrete Operational Stage : 7 to 11 yrs Watch
video
• Formal Operational Stage : 12 and up

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory
• Vygotsky believed that children learn actively and
through hands-on experiences.
• His sociocultural theory also suggested that parents,
caregivers, peers and the culture at large were
responsible for developing higher-order functions.
• His social interactivity theory is attractive and
useful for constructivist in thinking about the design
of learner-centered and context-sensitive learning
environment
Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

• Vygotsky introduced the Zone of Proximal Development.

• A ZPD is a learning zone that he believed a child will be able to learn
with the assistance of peers or someone who are more knowledgeable.
The assistance provided is widely known as scaffolding.
• Stages of ZPD:
• Task a Learner Cannot Accomplish With Assistance
• Tasks a Learner Can Accomplish With Assistance
• Tasks a Learner Can Accomplish Without Assistance
ZPD

With peer interaction or

guidance from anybody who
are more knowledgeable, a
child can do things that are
initially difficult

Tools and technology

can also be used to
provide the
assistance -
scaffolding
 Watch
video

Zone of Proximal Development (

ZPD)
Piaget vs. Vygotsky: Key Differences

Piaget
stressed how a child's interactions
and explorations influenced
development
development is largely universal
Vygotsky
placed a greater emphasis on how
social factors influence development. 
cognitive development can differ
between different cultures

Instructional designer may combine and apply the best in both

theories to design the instructional application
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Prior knowledge is the information and educational context a learner already has before
they learn new information

Students’ prior knowledge influences how they interpret and filter new information given in
the classroom (Ambrose et al., 2010; Cordova et al., 2014; Dochy et al., 2002; Umanath &
Marsh, 2014).

If the prior knowledge is correct and consistent with the new information being taught, the
effect on learning is positive. However, if prior knowledge conflicts with new information,
the effect on new learning can be negative.
Gathering information for prior knowledge

Ask
teachers
Test
learners

review past
learning
material

The more designers know about the knowledge and skills learners
already have, the more effective and efficient they can make the
instruction.
COGNITIVE STYLES
COGNITIVE STYLE

It is a concept used
in cognitive psychology to
It is how learners
describe the way individuals
perceive learning
think, and remember
information

It is the information
It is learners learning
processing habits of an
styles
individual.
Cognitive Styles
vs Cognitive level

Cognitive style differs
from cognitive ability (or
level), cognitive ability is
being measured by aptitude
tests or so-called intelligence
tests.
THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE

• Theory of Multiple Intelligence is one theory that explains cognitive

learning (or learning styles)
• Introduced by Dr Howard Gardner
• This theory suggests that traditional psychometric views of
intelligence are too limited. 
• He suggested that all people have different kinds of "intelligences”,
hence, the MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE
9 MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE
BY DR HOWARD GARDNER
9 MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE
Logical –
Mathematical
Ability to solve mathematical
problems, spot trends and
patterns, and understand
relationships.
Linguistic
Intelligence
Ability to use words
effectively. Being able to use
the right words and express
what you mean is a unique
skill that can be utilised in
several different scenarios.
Interpersonal Intrapersonal
Intelligence Intelligence

good at sensing other people’s

emotions and reading their self-awareness and people’s
motives, this can be linked to ability to understand
both verbal and non-verbal themselves.
communication skills.
 Musical Visual-Spatial
Intelligence Intelligence

ability to view or
it refers to someone’s
visualise the world in
ability to sense rhythm
its three dimensions;
and sound and use this
Mental imagery, image
to create music.
manipulation
 Bodily-
Naturalist
Kinaesthetic
Intelligence
Intelligence

Ability to read and

Ability to use their
understand nature. Having
physicality to manipulate
sensitivity to the non-living
objects and other elements
elements of all living things
around them.
is considered “nature smart”.
The Ninth Intelligence (newly added by Dr
Howard Gardner)

Existential
Intelligence

refers to deep sensitivity and people’s ability to handle deep questions such as the
meaning of existence, it’s one of the most complex of the nine types of intelligence
listed in Gardner’s research. People with existential intelligence are not only
comfortable talking about these serious questions but also strive to find the answer.
PLEASE
WATCH

Multiple Intelligence Theory

DESIGNING FOR
DIVERSE
LEARNERS
DESIGNING FOR DIVERSE LEARNERS
Considerations Potential Instructional Barriers Supports

Hearing difficulties •Video •Captions (complete and

•Podcasts synchronized)
•Screencasts •Interpreters
•Lecture •Audio transcripts

Vision difficulties (such as low
vision and color blindness)
•Presentation materials and
demonstrations
•Printed texts
•Color use in presentations
•Tasks requiring color
differentiation
•Audio descriptions of visible
motion on a video
•Zoom functionality
•Screen reader accessibility
•Braille alternatives
•Image alt-text
•Designations other than color
for conveying key information
Considerations
Physical mobility difficulties
Information processing
difficulties
Potential Instructional Supports
Barriers
•Using a mouse •Keyboard accessibility
•Physical requirements •Furniture rearrangement for
•Inaccessible spaces increased mobility
•Stairs and platforms •Varied seating options
•Assessment time limits •Remove time limits
•Extensive, complex tasks •Chunk information
•Language comprehension •Support strategy development
•Technical jargon (small goals, organize tasks,
more deadlines for smaller
sections)
•Flexible schedules
•Use simple language and/or
provide vocabulary support
Considerations Potential Instructional
Barriers
Language differences •Spoken language
•Written language
•Collaborative activities
•Writing tasks
•Idiomatic language
Low Internet bandwidth •Slow loading of large files
(video, audio, images)
•Poor connections for real-time
interactions
•Multimedia streaming
limitations
Supports
•Translation tools
•Vocabulary instruction
•Captioning
•Transcripts
•Starter text for writing
•Provide alternatives to video
•Reduce image file size
•Have options for asynchronous
participation
•Mobile-friendly interface
•Chunk content in smaller
sections
Considerations Potential Instructional Barriers
Cultural differences •Gender roles or relationships
between genders
•Power differences between
students and instructors
•Concepts of authority and
respect
•Behavior expectations
Supports
•Collaboration with knowledgeable
stakeholders
•Guided group collaboration
structure and specified roles
•Communicated expectations
•Examples of expected
contributions and activities
•Connections between learner
culture and new content
Considerations Potential Instructional Barriers
Digital literacy •Tasks requiring technical skills
•Navigation of online
environments
•Learning curve for digital tools
•Frustration or discouragement
Supports
•Specific instruction or tool tutorials
•Emotional support and
encouragement
•Time and scheduling guidance
•Just-in-time help desk support
APPROACH TO CREATE AN INSTRUCTION
THAT ATTEMPTS TO FIT EVERY LEARNER

• Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach to teaching

aimed at meeting the needs of every student in a classroom. It can be
helpful for all kids, including kids with learning and attention issues. 
• UDL attempts to solve problems in learning that are caused by
learning design of the instructional material.
• The power of digital technology help improvised the learning desing
END OF LEARNER
ANALYSIS