This document discusses the needs assessment process, which is the first step in the Dick and Carey instructional design model. A needs assessment is used to identify instructional goals by determining the gap between desired goals and current status. There are six types of educational needs that can be assessed. The needs assessment aims to identify the problem, causes of the problem, and potential solutions. Determining goals is also discussed - goals should be stated in terms of new skills, knowledge, or attitudes for learners and include what learners will be able to do after instruction. A clear problem description, evidence of causes, and suggested solutions should result from a needs assessment. The importance of determining goals is that it directs all subsequent design decisions by specifying

1. Lesson 2
Needs Assessment
Mohamed Ibrahim, Ph.D.
mibrahim1@atu.edu

2. Needs Assessment
• The first step in the Dick and Carey model

3. • To identify the goals for an instructional project
• Identify the gap between the desired goals and the current status
• This gap is referred to as a need
Needs Assessment

4. 1. Normative need
2. Felt need
3. Expressed need or demand
4. Comparative need
5. Anticipated or future need
6. Critical-incident need
Six types of educational needs

5. During the Needs Assessment the designer attempts to identify:
1. The problem
2. The causes of the problem
3. Identifies array of solutions to solve the problem
Determining Goals

6. Determining Goals
Goals are usually stated in terms of new:
1. Skills
2. knowledge
3. attitudes that you want the learners to acquire
• Include what will learners be able to do when they complete the
instruction,
• The real-world context in which they will have to use these new skills

7. The result of Needs Assessment is:
• A clear description of a problem,
• Evidence of the causes of the problem
• The nature of any suggested solutions
Needs Assessment

8. The importance of determining the goal:
• Determine what you are going to teach
• Determine what the learners are going to learn

9. The goal:
• Goals statements are usually general statements that can be broken
down into more specific statements
• The goals direct all subsequent design decisions.

10. • The learners: What the learners will be able to do in the performance
context.
• The performance context: in which the skills will be applied.
• The tools: that will be available to the learners in the performance
context.
The goal:

11. Is Instruction the Answer?
• While instruction is an appropriate solution in some cases, other
factors such as lack of motivation, lack of practice, or obstacles to
success may be the cause of the poor performance.
• This is where the Needs Assessment can help out

12. Example of a goal statement
Goal statement:
• Given a research topic, first-year English students will use the Alta
Vista Internet search engine to locate information related to their
topic and then evaluate the quality of the sources they find to select
the most worthwhile.

13. Questions?
Mohamed Ibrahim, Ph.D.
mibrahim1@atu.edu