Needs Assessment

1
Needs Assessment

• A Mini-workshop on Needs Assessment
• Conducted by Thomas E. Grayson, Ph.D. (2002). A
  Mini-workshop on needs assessment. Assessment of
  Programs and Services in Student Affairs (APSSA).
  Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student
  Affairs. Champaign, Illinois

2
Goals of Workshop

• Long Term To enable you to conduct useful needs
  assessments that inform and lead to action that
  will improve programs, services, organizational
  structure and operations.
• Short Term To enable you to understand the
  nature and purpose of needs assessment and to
  help you acquire a basic understanding of how to
  conduct a needs assessment.

3
Broadbased definitions of a Needs Assessment

• A process for identifying the knowledge and
  skills necessary for achieving organizational
  goals (Brinkerhof Gill, 1994).
• A method of finding out the nature and extent of
  performance problems and how they can be solved
  (Molenda, Pershing, Reigeluth, 1996).

4
Broadbased definitions of a Needs Assessment

• A process for pinpointing reasons for gaps in
  performance or a method for identifying new and
  future performance needs (Gupta, 1999).
• A systematic approach to identifying social
  problems, determining their extent, and
  accurately defining the target population to be
  served and the nature of their service needs
  (Rossi, P. H., Freeman, H. E., Lipsey, Mark, W.
  L., 1998).

5
A few important terms

• Gap A gap is the difference between what is and
  what should be. (what results are) vs. (what
  results should be)
• Knowledge Knowledge is what people need to
  know, such as subject matter, concepts, or facts,
  in order to do a job.
• Skills or Abilities Skills or abilities are
  what people must know in order to perform a job.
• Competencies Competencies are the knowledge,
  skills, attitudes, values, motivation, and
  beliefs people must have in order to be
  successful in a job.
• Unmet needs NAs are predicated on the
  assumption that groups of people have needs that
  are not being met or addressed adequately. When
  people are aware of such needs, the awareness is
  often expressed as demands. When they are not
  aware, the needs are said to be latent. NAs seek
  to uncover unmet needs, both recognized and
  latent.

6
Need as noun

• Need as noun refers to the discrepancy or gap
  between a present state what is, and a desired
  end state what should be (Witkin, B. R.,
  Altschuld 1995) or between the actual and the
  ideal (Kaufman, R. 1992).
• The need is neither the present nor the future
  state it is the gap between them. In a sense, a
  need is the problem or issue of concern.
• Witkin, B. R., Altschuld, J. W., (1995).
  Planning and conducting needs assessments A
  practical guide. Newbury Park, CA Sage
  Publications
• Kaufman, R., (1992). Strategic planning plus An
  organizational guide. Newbury Park, CA Sage

7
Need as verb

• Need as verb points to what is required or
  desired (Witkin, B. R., Altschuld 1995) or what
  is necessary (Scriven, 1999) to fill the
  discrepancy (i.e., solutions, means to an end).
• Witkin, B. R., Altschuld, J. W., (1995).
  Planning and conducting needs assessments A
  practical guide. Newbury Park, CA Sage
  Publications
• Scriven, M., (1999). Needs Assessment concepts
  and practical tools. An evaluation workshop
  conducted at The Evaluators Institute,
  Washington, DC., July 18, 1999

8
Diagnostic Definition of Need

• A need is anything essential for a satisfactory
  mode of existence or level of performance. In
  other words, needs are tied to whats
  indispensable, that is, necessary.
• Scriven, M., (1999). Needs Assessment concepts
  and practical tools. An evaluation workshop
  conducted at The Evaluators Institute,
  Washington, DC., July 18, 1999

9
Needs vs. Wants Preferences

• Diagnostic needs are in some sense necessary,
  whereas wants are desired or preferred.
• Wants are felt and conscious. They are just
  preferences, unless, of course, they also happen
  to be a need. Wants are malleable, opinions,
  wishes, etc.
• Scriven, M., (1999). Needs Assessment concepts
  and practical tools. An evaluation workshop
  conducted at The Evaluators Institute,
  Washington, DC., July 18, 1999

10
Performance Need vs. Treatment Need

• The distinction between performance needs and
  treatment needs is important (Scriven, 1999).
  When we say that international students need to
  be able to read English, we are talking about a
  needed level of performance (a gap exists). When
  we say they need classes in reading, or
  instruction in the phonics approach to reading,
  we are talking about treatment (a solution).

11
So, what is a needs assessment?

• a systematic set of procedures undertaken for
  the purpose of setting priorities and making
  decisions about program or organizational
  improvement and allocation of resources. The
  priorities are based on identified needs (Witkin
  Altschuld, 1995, p. 4).

12
So, what is a needs assessment?

• Assessing student needs is the process of
  determining the presence or absence of the
  factors and conditions, resources, services, and
  learning opportunities that students need in
  order to meet their education goals and
  objectives within the context of an institutions
  mission (Upcraft and Schuh, 1996).

13
Purposes of a needs assessment

• For professionals in Student Affairs, a needs
  assessment is especially useful in the
  justification of program policy. Another
  important purpose is to examine an expressed need
  and develop alternatives to address it.
• Schuh, J., Upcraft, L., Associates. (2001).
  Assessment practice in student affairs An
  applications manual. San Francisco, CA
  Jossey-Bass

14
Purpose of a Needs Assessment

• To generate ideas and document perceptions about
  various issues (exploratory in nature)
• To collect information to support likely
  alternatives (decision making)
• To estimate relative acceptability of various
  alternatives (identifies potentially
  controversial issues)
• To select the most acceptable policy or program
  from alternatives (allows stakeholders to
  influence institutional response to needs)
• To determine whether needs have been met
  (documents effectiveness of unit)
• Schuh, J., Upcraft, L., Associates. (2001).
  Assessment practice in student affairs An
  applications manual. San Francisco, CA
  Jossey-Bass

15
What will a needs assessment do for you?

• A needs assessment answers questions about the
  social conditions a program is intended to
  address and the need for the program. Needs
  assessment may also be used to determine whether
  there is a need for a new program and to compare
  or prioritize needs within and across program
  areas.
• Rossi, P. H., Freeman, H. E., Lipsey, Mark, W.
  L., (1998). Evaluation A systematic approach,
  (6th Edition). Sage Publications

16
Assessing the Need for a Program or Service

• Evaluation Questions will address
• The nature of the social problem or issue the
  program is expected to ameliorate
• The needs of the population experiencing that
  problem
• Rossi, P. H., Freeman, H. E., Lipsey, Mark, W.
  L., (1998). Evaluation A systematic approach,
  (6th Edition). Sage Publications

17
Key Factors in Conducting NAs

• Keep in mind the value and necessity of
  broad-based participation by stakeholders.
• Choose appropriate means of gathering information
  about critical issues and other data.
• Recognize core values in the group whose needs
  are being assessed.
• Witkin, B. R., Altschuld, J. W., (1995).
  Planning and conducting needs assessments A
  practical guide. Newbury Park, CA Sage
  Publications

18
Key Factors in Conducting NAs

• Needs assessment is a participatory process it
  is not done to people.
• Needs assessment is a political activity. Some
  people may view the process as causing a loss of
  control. Priorities derived may be counter to
  entrenched ideas in the system.
• Data gathering methods by themselves are not a
  needs assessment. Data collection is but one
  component in the process.
• Witkin, B. R., Altschuld, J. W., (1995).
  Planning and conducting needs assessments A
  practical guide. Newbury Park, CA Sage
  Publications

19
Once again, what is a needs assessment?

• Assessing student needs is the process of
  determining the presence or absence of the
  factors and conditions, resources, services, and
  learning opportunities that students need in
  order to meet their education goals and
  objectives within the context of an institutions
  mission (Upcraft and Schuh, 1996).

20
Where should we focus the needs assessment?

• Focus on the ends to be attained, rather than the
  means. This means we must know where we want to
  gomission, goals outcomes (Witkin Altschuld,
  1995).
• Institutions should narrow their focus and use
  their assets to advance their mission, rather
  than to broaden their focus and dilute what they
  do best (Schuh, Upcraft Associates, 2001).

21
Target Groups Level of Need

• Level 1 (primary) the focus is on service
  receivers students, clients, patients,
  information users, etc.
• Level 2 (secondary) the focus is on service
  providers and policy makers teachers, parents,
  administrators, caseworkers, professional staff,
  support staff, etc.
• Level 3 (tertiary) the focus is on resources
  or solutions buildings, facilities, equipment,
  supplies, technology, programs, delivery systems,
  working conditions, time allocations, etc.
• Witkin, B. R., Altschuld, J. W., (1995).
  Planning and conducting needs assessments A
  practical guide. Newbury Park, CA Sage
  Publications

22
Three-Phase Plan for Conducting a Needs Assessment

• Phase 1 - Pre-assessment (exploration)
• Phase 2 - Assessment (data gathering)
• Phase 3 - Post-assessment (utilization)
• Witkin, B. R., Altschuld, J. W., (1995).
  Planning and conducting needs assessments A
  practical guide. Newbury Park, CA Sage
  Publications

23
Needs Assessment Tools

• Surveys
• Questionnaires
• Interviewing
• Focus Groups
• Observations
• Performance Measures
• Ranking
• Grading
• Scoring
• Rating

24
Needs Assessment - Conclusion

• Needs assessment is an essential tool in making
  sure that the programs that are offered are
  needed and that new interventions will meet an
  unaddressed need of students and other clients.
• Unless systematic needs assessments are
  conducted, precious resources are wasted
  addressing problems that do not exist.
• Schuh, J., Upcraft, L., Associates. (2001).
  Assessment practice in student affairs An
  applications manual. San Francisco, CA
  Jossey-Bass

25
Needs Assessment Process(Final Thoughts)

• First focuseither performance needs or treatment
  needslevel 1, 2 or 3
• Needs assessment is an inquiry tool. The process
  must be flexible and must look for the facts.
• Look for needs, not wants.
• Look for failure data or fault data, then look
  for treatment data and comparative data.
• Ask the client to compare Tell me, how do you
  compare this to another experience.
• Direct approach Ask, What do you think? How
  does it look to you?
• Indirect approach Ask, What do you think others
  think?
• More needs assessment fail probably because of
  inadequate data presentation than for any other
  reason.
• Use mixed methodsboth quantitative and
  qualitative, when possible.