This is where a clear framework of educational objectives is necessary for a school and particular discipline. No teacher really works alone; all teachers must rely on the fact that student achievement is attained through a careful understanding of where students need to be. The teacher's other task is to determine what other factors might impact student learning ("Assess Instructional Needs," 2001). What other needs of the students must be met in order for the student to master a new skill or concept? This could be an obvious consideration such as do all students speak English as their primary language. If not, modifications may have to be made from the beginning of the process. Other factors that need to be consider such as the socio-economic factors of the community or individual students overlap with the learner analysis portion of creating an instructional design system. Other stresses from family life, peers, and environment frequently affect a student's ability to gain new knowledge or retain previous knowledge. Contact with parents and knowledge of the students...

If this vital first step is forgotten or mishandled, the teacher may be jeopardizing student learning.
References

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (August, 2001). Assess

Instructional Needs. Retrieved October 19, 2006 at http://www.ieee.org/organizations/eab/tutorials/refguide/als01.htm

Techniques of Analysis. (2000). Retrieved October 20, 2006 at http://wwwpersonal.psu.edu/jlf105/analysis.htm