assessment learning needs, priorities

1. ASSESSMENT OF
LEARNING NEEDS
THANUJA ELEENA MATHEW

2. • DEFINITION
• Assessment of learning needs might be to help curriculum
planning, diagnose individual problems, assess student
learning, demonstrate accountability, improve practice and
safety, or offer individual feedback and educational intervention

3. • TYPES
 Felt needs (what people say they need).
 expressed needs (expressed in action).
 normative needs (defined by experts).
 comparative needs (group comparison).
 Other distinctions include
individual versus organizational or group needs.
clinical versus administrative needs.
subjective versus objectively measured needs.

4. • ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING NEEDS
• An educational need/learning need is basically something we
ought to learn for our good. The learning need is the gap
between a trainee’s present level of competence as required by
the task. The standard set by organization or by the profession
itself. Learning needs depend on context where a person works
and his knowledge and skill in relation to his role and
responsibilities. For e.g. needs of a person who work in rural
area is different from a person working in urban area. Learning
needs also depends on person’s aspirations for future in terms

5. • Learning need assessment is a crucial stage in educational
process that leads to change in practice, and also form basis for
continuing professional development. If educational system is
formal and not based on learning need assessment it will be
instrumental process, not a creative or professional one. This
especially true in a profession where there is inherent
unpredictability and uncertainty. If it is purely based on need
assessment it may be dangerous and limit tactics. learning need
assessment should be identified on the basis of what has been
experienced or what the experienced members of profession

6. • Purposes of Learning Need Assessment
1.To help in educational planning/future training planning.
Education on the basis of identified need faces real challenges
in making appropriate to and integrated with professional.
2.To encourages trainee to become aware of his/her own limits
which provide a sound base for future learning
3.To identify shortcoming’s in trainee’s performance i.e.
difference between trainee’s competence and that required by
the task or profession or stage of training.
4.To find out individuals learning needs as trainees come from

7. • Process of Learning Need Assessment
• It consists of three steps
 Identify learning needs
 Prioritizing needs
 Need analysis

8. I. Identify Learning needs
• There are many methods of need assessment. Some are formal
and some are informal
a.Gap or discrepancy analysis
• This is formal method of need assessment. It involves
comparing performance with the standard stated. This may be
by self assessment, peer assessment or objective testing.
a.Observation
• This can be formal (e.g. a planned event when trainee knows

9. a.Reflection on action/ reflection in action
• Reflection on action is thinking back on some performance with
or without triggers such as video tape or audio tape and
identifying what was done well and what could be done better
(it indicates learning need) reflection in action involves
thinking about actual performance at the time it occurs and
recording identified weakness and strengths at the time. It is
based on trainee’s perception about his own shortcomings or the
areas in which he feels he has no sufficient experience or
exposure.

10. a.Peer review/ comparison by peers
• It is becoming a favourite method. It involves peers assessing
each other’s practice and giving feedback or perhaps advice
about possible education, training or organizational strategies to
improve performance. Comparison of trainees with their peers
can help to highlight training needs. Trainees are encouraged to
do this comparison themselves by working together, and
observing each other.
a.Critical incident review and significant event auditing
• Although Critical incident recording is basically used to for

11. a.Document analysis
• A routine review of medical records, charts prescribing letters,
test results, incident reports can be identified learning needs if
format is designed in such a way that it indicates what is
satisfactory and where improvement is required.
11.Prioritizing Needs
• After identifying gaps in performance or learning needs their
importance is assessed and prioritized. This is an intuitive
process. Some of the learning needs are appropriate to present
circumstances, some will be too costly or too time consuming.

12. • . Need Analysis
• It is finding ways to close the performance gap or meet the
need. Type of problem identified is a major determinant of
learning method chosen, so there may not be one educational
solution for 111 identified needs. The analysis should be done
along with the trainee. He should be encouraged to find
experiences to address these gaps. Need analysis should also try
to identify who, how, where and when the training might be
best employed.

13. • Actions which may be taken includes
↣Feedback when has been shown or is doing the task regularly
but still has a skill deficiency.
↣Further practices were trainee has little opportunity to practice a
learned skill
↣Formal training or further study.
↣Informal training.
• Now meet with management or coordinating group to check
validity of outcome and obtain general feedback and advice on

14. • PRIORITIES
•
 Changes in nursing practice
 Hospital changes
 Community related changes
 Ethical and legal issues
 Changes in nurse education and training
 Technological changes

15. RESOURCES
• PROFESSIONAL JOURNALS
Some of them offer a partial credit hour or one credit hour to
readers who fill out a post test after reading the article and
mailing it.
Costly and inefficient
• SEMINARS
↣They provide accredited continuing education hours for nurses
↣They have to pay the registration fees and the duration may be
one day in most cases

16. • ONLINE NURSING CEUs
• The internet provides nurses access to extremely affordable and
high quality accredited continuing education courses covering a
plethora of nursing topics
• They are the gateway to nursing continuing education for the
21st century
• In this case the courses are not restricted by geographical
barriers financial hardships or the inconvenience of taking time
from work or family
• Online CEs are inexpensive , up to date with changing trends

17. BIBLIOGRAPHY
↣SURESH K. SHARMA, REENA SHARMA
“COMMUNICATION AND EDUCATIONAL
TECHNOLOGY” 2ND EDITION, ELSEVIER PUBLICATION,
PAGE NO: 376-380.
↣B. T BASAVANTHAPPA, “NURSING EDUCATION”, 1ST
EDITION, 2003, JAYPEE PUBLICATIONS, PAGE NO: 508-
514.
↣R. SUDHA, “NURSING EDUCATION, PRINCIPLES AND

18. • NET REFERENCE
 www.wikipedia.org
 www.kkhsource.in
 www.eduhk.hk
 https://content.wisestep.co
m
• https://www.slideshare.net
• JOURNEL REFERENCE
www.nejm.org
www.Bcg.perpectives
www.geopolitica.hu/en
Sgo.sagepub.com
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.g
ov