GreyNet

Needs Assessment & Analysis Stage 1 Prepared By: Trevor Kealy 61-3-95346985 July 1997 tkealy@onaustralia.com.au

Table of Contents

1. Needs Assessment & Analysis

1.1. Project Description & Problem Identification 1.1.1. Problem Statement 1.2. Context of problem 1.2.1. Community Development
1.2.2. Government Directions
1.2.3. Barriers to Aged Education
1.2.4. GreyNet Program Support
1.2.5. Ongoing Support
1.2.6. Ability to Practice
1.2.7. Support Post Training
1.2.8. Preferred Style of Training - approach 1.3. Nature of Gap 1.3.1. What exists
1.3.2. What should be 1.4. Suited to an instructional solution? 2. Needs Assessment & goal definition 2.1. Priorities for action 2.1.1. Instructional priorities
2.1.2. Proposed data collection methods 2.2. Methodology of the needs assessment
2.3. Goal Statement(s) 3. Learner analysis 3.1. Target audience
3.2. Proposed Data Gathering Strategy
3.3. Parts of Proposed Strategy Actually Implemented
3.4. Summary of findings of the learner analysis 3.4.1. General Characteristics 3.5. Recommendations on minimum entry level

Needs Assessment & Analysis

1. Project Description & Problem Identification

The Greynet project aims to provide residents of the City of Port Phillip with the opportunity to gain skills and confidence to access the Internet in order to:

Reduce isolation

Access a global network of information, including Victoria’s proposed ‘Electronic Service Delivery’ (a plan to make many government services accessible on-line).

Establish a web site of local information with links to other relevant sites.

There are five stages to the proposed project.

Setup a reference group to advise the Project Co-ordinator. Aug. 97

Conduct free on-site Internet demonstrations for identified groups of older people. Sep. to Dec. 97

Conduct free Internet introduction courses. Oct.. to Dec. 97

Conduct advanced Internet training. Feb. 98 onwards

Facilitate a group of older people to set up and maintain their own web site. Feb. 98 to Dec. 98.

1.1 Problem Statement There is an array of problems to be addressed for the project to succeed. It is perceived that there:

Is not enough awareness of what the Internet and World Wide Web (WWW) is and can offer to older people
Are inappropriate resources (books, documents, training etc.) available to support the older generation in adopting the Internet
Little or no skills in the tools, processes and procedures for accessing, using and building the WWW and Internet
Are hurdles to overcome in developing and growing community awareness and involvement in the Internet

1.2 Context of problem

1.2.1 Community Development

1.2.2 Government Directions

The success of the government’s plan to place services on-line will depend on more than just technology. It will need to ensure that a broad range of the community is able to access the service. There are, according to Terry Wright, ESD Project Manager for Multimedia Victoria’s Department of State Development, "four inherent challenges in what we are doing and they come in the areas of: culture, legislation, organisation and technology. The Greynet project seeks to address the area of cultural challenge. The growing population aged over sixty years is characterised by having little or no computer experience but a greater awareness of their life options. Although the technology is being put into place by government (e.g. free Internet access at libraries and the ESD project), the tools with which to address the educational barriers are not yet available. Older people, particularly those with low incomes, are at risk of becoming even more isolated.

1.2.3 Barriers to Aged Education

In respect to educational access, these barriers include:

Lack of confidence
Lack of appropriate support
Poor physical access to facilities
In some cases, their isolation
Acceptability of courses offered

1.2.4 GreyNet Program Support The program relies on the community’s members driving it. There will be guiding support from the Elwood St Kilda centre in aiding this community development - project leader. 1.2.5 Ongoing Support Those accessing the Internet will need to be made aware of the support infrastructure and avenues open to them to seek answers to questions. There will be technical support at the various access sites however; the level of support in the use of the computer and procedures for accessing the Internet will be varied. There will be a need to educate people on the levels and types of support they can expect. At the Elwood St Kilda centre there will not be any formal support. This also applies to many other sites such as the libraries within the City of Port Phillip. 1.2.6 Ability to Practice Once people are trained in accessing the Internet, they need to find points of access to practice. Across the City of Port Phillip and greater Melbourne there are an array of access points for them, beyond those that their own or have friends with access. At the Elwood St Kilda centre there will be two computers with access to the Internet. They will be made available seven days a week for an estimated eight hours a day. 1.2.7 Support Post Training Post training, people will require support in applying and developing their skills in using the Internet. The availability of this support and the levels of it will vary considerably. As with the local libraries, there will be no formal on-site support at the Elwood St Kilda centre. There will be a need to develop a support infrastructure. It is envisaged that the initial demonstrations, training and supplied reference materials will initially support people. After this, people are basically on their own. This is where the community development components of the project come to bear. There needs to be a forum where people can come together to discuss and share their experiences and address questions they have. 1.2.8 Preferred Style of Training - approach The training will be a mix of stand up demonstrations, with handouts, and a paper based self-paced booklet for personal use. There will be an opportunity to attend a facilitated discussion group, at weekly intervals, to discuss progress and answer questions. At the demonstration there will be a method used to determine entry level and therefore which direction to take to enter ‘intro to net’ course. People with no PC skills will be directed to attend an ‘intro to PC’ course. Post intro course people will have an option of which course to take next.

1.3 Nature of Gap

1.3.1 What exists

The 50+ group of the community are being targeted for this project. Within this group, the actual level of knowledge and use of the Internet is unknown. It ranges from those with absolutely no knowledge to those who are very well versed in its operation and application. There is also a wide range of knowledge and skills in computers, from zero to expert. There are a vast number of training courses and materials available to the 50+ who want to access and ‘surf the net’. The quality of materials and applicability to their needs varies greatly. As do the prices for them - from free to hundreds of dollars The knowledge, interest level, and relevance to individuals of the Internet ranges from absolutely none to lots. The continuum ranges from:

1.3.2 What should be According to the Project Leader the 50+ should:

be made aware of what is on the Internet, its relevance to them and its useability so that they can make an informed choice on how to apply themselves to this emerging technology
have the opportunity to access the Internet
have ways of gaining the knowledge and skills to be able to ‘surf the net’ and make best use of it
have access to a variety of training, that is relatively inexpensive, that supports their lifelong learning
be able to develop a virtual community, making the best use of the Internet as a tool for themselves
be enabled and facilitated to grow, to a level where the group can develop and manage their own community web site

1.4 Suited to an instructional solution? The project has a complex array of aspects to it and the majority of the actions to take are non-instructional. The project requires a strategy to incorporate the change that is being envisioned for the community and the 50+ group. This will encompass elements such as communications, marketing and community support and development. Training is a small component. The instructional aspects are the attainment of knowledge, skills, and attitudes to the Internet and the emerging technology. 2. Needs Assessment & goal definition

2.1 Priorities for action

The following are seen as the overall key project activities to be achieved:

Develop a project plan and approach for GreyNet
Put in place facilities for access to the Internet at the Elwood St Kilda centre
Identify key community members to be part of the steering committee and project team
Identify the needs of the target audience – 50+
Develop a training approach and training materials - introductory to advanced levels
Promote the project to the community – publicise, and develop the community involvement
Provide demonstrations of the Internet to the 50+ and offer training courses on ‘intro to PCs’ and ‘intro to Internet’
Provide introductory training courses to 50+ and thus enable people to start ‘surfing the net’
Provide people with ongoing facilities and opportunities to socialise and discuss the project and the Internet
Create a web site at Elwood St Kilda Neighbourhood Centre

2.1.1 Instructional priorities In moving towards implementing the GreyNet project the following are seen as critical needs to enabling people to get on and start ‘surfing the net’:

introduce concepts of the WWW and Internet
provide people with skills to use the web browser to ‘surf the net’
provide people with the skills to use search engines on the Internet
provide people with the skills to navigate the Internet
provide people with an understanding of the jargon used on the Internet
provide people with an understanding of the support infrastructure available to them

develop intermediate and advanced level training that addresses
browsers - Netscape and Explorer
newsgroups
E-mail and Eudora
advanced search engines
Using MIRC be able to initiate chat program and participate in Internet chats
HTML language
WEB Page Design

2.1.2 Proposed data collection methods

Interviews with:

Project Leader
Representative members of target audience

what is happening and why and how they perceive it could be resolved.

what their expectations are of the Internet are

their current knowledge of Internet and computers

what knowledge, skills and attitudes they see as required to operate the Internet

knowledge of aged education and specific needs to cater for

Literature Research

Investigate aged education
Existing training publications and materials

Determine trends and approaches
Identify useable materials
Gain insight into specific needs of population

2.2 Methodology of the needs assessment The project is about a new innovation to be introduced. It is not a performance problem so there is no benchmark or specification to reflect against. The approach to the assessment was therefore to seek Optimal outcomes and Feelings on the topic. Therefore, in investigating the problem the following methods were used:

Interviews were held with a number of people in the community on how they see the Internet. They were asked what they knew of the Internet, the use they would make of it, how they perceived others of the 50+ generation would view it and what would motivate them to use it. They were also asked their views on educational needs, facilities, opportunities, and requirements for the 50+. The people interviewed were the Project Leader and representative members of the target audience

Reviewed documentation on aged education to determine historical factors of aged education in Australia, the type of approaches used and the basic requirements of the generation. Reviewed publications, newspapers and magazines, about the introduction of the Internet as an emerging technology. Reviewed documentation outlining approaches to Internet training and several existing training packages and materials on training the Internet. 2.3 Goal Statement(s) The following are seen as the initial broad instructional goals to be developed for the project. They are the aimed at the demonstration and introductory courses only.

Given the term WWW, the learner will be able to define the concept.
Given the term Internet, the learner will be able to define the concept.
Given the term Internet Browser, the learner will define the concept
Given a keyword and a nominated search engine, the learner will demonstrate searching the Internet for information using a Netscape browser
Given a web page of search engine results with hyperlinked text, the learner will demonstrate navigating and scrolling across the web pages and sites, returning home when asked to, using a Netscape browser
Given a web page with text, access to a local printer and using a Netscape browser, the learner with demonstrate printing a page from the Internet
Given a list of Internet jargon terms, the learner will be able to define each concept
Given the term ‘support infrastruture’, the learner will be able to define the concept

3. Learner analysis

3.1 Target audience

There are approximately 12,767 residents in the City of Port Phillip aged 50 years and over (approximately 18% of population – ABS 91 Census). They have an array of life experiences that they bring to the project. There will be some that have experience with technology, computers and data lines etc, while others have none at all and some may even fear it. 3.2 Proposed Data Gathering Strategy

Interviews

Interview representative members of the target audience to determine needs.

Focus Groups

Conduct focus groups with a cross section of the community to identify and gauge types of prospective learners

Documentation reviews

Investigate and review any materials that reflect trends and approaches to aged education.

Questionnaires

Have a questionnaire filled out by members at demonstration sessions to determine needs and existing skills and interests 3.3 Parts of Proposed Strategy Actually Implemented Interviews have so far been conducted with two members of the target group. One person was an Internet user and quite familiar with the Internet and what it took to reach a point of being able to ‘surf’. Another had knowledge of the Internet but had never actually used it. 3.4 Summary of findings of the learner analysis The information to date is based on minimal discussion and research of documented findings on the 50+ group. In summary, the audience will come from a wide variety of backgrounds and educational levels. They will bring to the project a vast array of skills and knowledge. There will be a varying level of computer literacy – from none to a lot and a varying level of curiosity about the Internet Further information will be available from further interviews, post focus groups and questionnaires. 3.4.1 General Characteristics

Age	50+
Sex	Male & Female
Educational Levels	Secondary, Tertiary, Graduate & Post Graduate
Achievement Levels	Vast and varied
Learning Styles	All types
Verbal Abilities	Varied
Relevant Experience	From zero to expert
Attitudes to Subject	Ranges from disinterest to positive and enthusiastic
Perceived Needs	Enough to get on and see what’s there
Disabilities	Sight, hearing and environmental aspects to be considered in delivery sessions
Special needs	Access and comfort

3.5 Recommendations on minimum entry level There will be several training sessions. The first is the demonstration session where the Internet will be introduced. Another is Intro to PCs. There is no entry requirement for these last two other than interest. For the ‘intro to the WWW’ course people will be required to have the following prerequisite skills (existing or gained from Intro to PC course):

In a classroom environment given a Mouse, pad and personal computer operating Windows 95,

the learner will navigate within the environment and initiate a nominated application, bringing up the application’s start-up page/screen
the learner will open, close and resize nominated application windows using a mouse
the learner will use the scroll bar function to navigate up and down an application’s window using a mouse
the learner will navigate the toolbar and open and close drop down windows using a mouse
the learner will navigate the toolbar and open drop down windows and initiate a nominated function using a mouse
the learner will demonstrate highlighting of nominated text within an application using a mouse

These requirements are very broad at this stage and not all are in behavioural terms. Further discussion will occur with PC experts to determine representative skills for this entry level material.