Dr. J. N. Eastmond Jr.
Ins. T. Department
Revised 9 May 2000
NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR PRACTICUM PROJECTS
Students often come to see me about conducting a needs assessment for
their practicum project. They know exactly what they want to accomplish and are
pretty certain about the techniques they want to use. In short, they have their
solution and now what to assess the need.
While this reflects a very natural human tendency to seize upon a solution
before the problem is fully defined, it defeats the purpose of a needs
assessment. A needs assessment is meant to identify a critical problem to be
resolved, specifically to document the discrepancy between what is (present
conditions) and what out to be (desired conditions). After the problem is well
understood, devising an appropriate solution is possible. It prevents focusing
upon the wrong problem.
Needs assessments may be done formally or informally. At the practicum
level, an informal assessment is about all that is feasible to accomplish. Some
common techniques involve gathering facts about the present state of affairs and
then contrasting these with the values of those in the field as to what should be.
This can be done using (1) literature review; (2) mailed questionnaires; (3)
structured interviews, in person or by telephone; or (4) convening a group of
experts, e.g. at a workshop or retreat.
The findings from the needs assessment can often be summarized in
chart form, with facts on one side and values on the other (see example). From
the identified need, a project can be devised to help resolve the problem with the
assurance that the right problem is being addressed. On the other hand, if a
needs assessment has conducted and no change in direction or emphasis
resulted, it is likely that the assessment was not done thoroughly or at least not
with an open mind.
EXAMPLE
Selecting an Area for Study:
John D. suspected there was a lack of knowledge of how to select
appropriate computer hardware and other equipment for school media centers
among graduates of the Instructional Technology program at USU. To test this,
he decided to sample attitudes of recent graduates of the IT Department using a
telephone survey.
2
Conducting the Survey:
To minimize telephone costs, John selected ten graduates from the
previous year’s class who had located jobs in the Intermountain West. After
explaining his purpose over the phone, the interview consisted of five basic
questions which the respondents were asked to elaborate upon: (1) Have you
had to purchase or recommend purchase of any computer hardware or any other
equipment on your job? (2) did you feel that you had sufficient information to
make the choice? (3) did you feel that any particular courses in your program
helped you to make your selection? Which ones, if any, were most helpful? (4)
what additional preparation in equipment selection do you feel should be
provided in the department? (5) what means of staying up to date on new
equipment do you rely upon?
Supporting the Findings:
Following each interview, John wrote down the important points from the
conversation. There were the raw data he summarized in chart form as follows:
Table 1:
Summary of Needs Assessment Findings (Hypothetical)
Facts
Values
1. Eight out of ten (80%) of the
graduates purchased equipment during
their first year on the job.
1. Graduates of the department should
have sufficient information—or be
able to obtain information—to feel
reasonably secure in making
equipment purchases.
2. Six (60%) felt they had insufficient
information to do so.
2. Equipment purchased should be
both appropriate and dependable for
school use.
3. Money for equipment purchase
should not be wasted.
3. Three Ins.T. classes were cited as
being helpful in making equipment
selection.
4. Two graduates cited pieces of
equipment which they had bought but
later regretted.
5. Money available for equipment
purchase is scarce in schools at
present (source: State Budget Survey.)
NOTE: These values are gleaned from
the telephone interviews.
3
Result: From the survey, it was apparent that a critical need exists. While
conducting the survey, John found three possible solutions, two of which he had
not considered previously. (1) insert one or more units into existing courses; (2)
develop a new course; (3) develop a handbook, like a consumer report, which
could be used for reference. John chose the first option and went ahead with
developing two units for a practicum. This was not very different from his original
idea, but his method of structuring the units was quite different and drew heavily
on suggestions he had drawn from his needs assessment.