ANALYSIS IS THE FIRST STEP to identifying the instructional problems or opportunities present in any situation. Technology offers instructional designers fast and efficient ways of conducting assessments by combining tested tools with modern know how.

There are many different tools that are used by instructional designers to conduct analysis of needs for any given situation. Allison Rosset (1999) suggests that there are just as many ways to use technology in conjunction with these tools to make analysis faster and easier. Below a few are discussed. 

Information can be gathered by evaluating extant data, such as sales figures , test results, or accident reports. Much of this data can be accessed via the Internet, either by website or email. This can save a great deal of legwork , and help speed the analysis process.

Communication with real people is important in many situations for determining the opportunity for instruction and the desired outcomes. Interviews and surveys are just two examples of how to get in touch with the people that can reveal these things. Often anonymity is important in gathering information from people, and logistics can create problems. Technology allows an instructional designer to keep these factors in mind while conducting their analysis in a shorter period of time. 
Web pages and email can be used to conduct interviews, distribute surveys, and gather input from subjects. This allows the instructional designer to work with more people in a a shorter amount of time, while still keeping a study relatively anonymous. Using technology to conduct interviews and surveys also lets the researcher reach a much larger audience, since geographical and time constraints are circumvented. 

Group discussions or brainstorming sessions are also great tools to capture the information needed to address an instructional opportunity. They allow for people in similar situations to compare ideas and make suggestions. Technology negates the restrictions of location and dialogue, making a discussion possible between people anywhere on earth. 

Videoconferencing, online chat rooms, and listservs are just a few ways that technology can be used with these tools to make analysis more effective. Both allow realtime interaction with the participants, creating a virtual "conversation". Observation of these conversations provide as much information as a similar face to face situation, and can involve participants from remote locations wherever the technology is available.

The ideas presented above are just to get you started. There are many creative ways for instructional designers to use technology when conducting an analysis. If you want to find out more about these ideas, look into Allison Rosset's First Things Fast.

Createdby Dan Potter, Student of Educational Technology