by Leila Zaim-2018
Needs Assessment :Obtaining N.A Approval - Collecting Data

What is A NEEDS ASSESMENT ?
• A needs assessment is a systematic process for
determining and addressing Gaps between
current conditions and desired conditions .
• An educational needs assessment can be defined
as the gap between what is known and what
should be known. / continuous improvement.
• Its About Where you are and where you want to
be.
• A needs assessment is a strategic planning tool for
any learning activity.

WHY is NEEDS ASSESMENT NECESSARY ?
• To learn about problems and issues facing
our educational system , in order to design
effective educational programs . A
continuous improvement tool.
• It Allows educators to make informed
decisions about needs/Gaps in the
educational system.
• Extends the reach and impact of educational
programs.
• By knowing the learners’ needs, we can
integrate knowledge, skills, and behavior to
over come gaps that & improve performance

Two Goals of the needs Assessment
1. What does the audience already know and think ?
What are the educational products and services
needed ?
2. What can we do to make our educational products
more accessible acceptable and useful?

A successfully performed Needs Assessment provides the
following :
• Impact : how education and training can impact your audience .
Example : class room management work shops for teachers which impact the
classroom positively . Less disruptive – better learning environment
• Approaches : Knowledge about educational approaches that may be effective .
Example Project Based Learning (PBL) students engage in explorations of real-
world problems and challenges. Teaches content and problem solving .
• Awareness : of existing programs and of present gaps.
Example: ineffective safety procedures .
• Outcomes: information about the current situation , used to document
outcomes.- credible data
• Demand: Knowledge about the potential demand for future programs and
products- safety ED programs for childhood protection.
• Credibility: That the program is serving the target.

Two Types Of Assessment
• Direct Needs Assessment :
• Accomplished through formal
research that gathers data from
clients.
• quantitative in terms of probability
and confidence.
• Pros Results in data that is more
specific in needs of individuals
• Cons requires more resources to
design , conduct , and implement
• Requires institutional approval to
conduct
• Should be conducted periodically .
• Indirect Needs Assessment : can be
conducted any time during meetings .
• asks advisors for their opinion about priority
needs
• Doesn't not require the same planning time,
design, implementation , analysis.
• But still must follow credible procedures and
must be carefully documented
• It may uses secondary data ( data collected
for previous research)

Nine steps of Needs Assessment
1. Decide to plan using data from needs assessment.
2. Choose the needs assessment and planning scope
3. Identify Needs assessment and planning team.
4. Obtain needs assessment planning partner’s participation .
5. Obtain Acceptance of the Needs Assessment Frame of Reference:
The Linkages among Mega-Macro- and Micro
• Obtain institutional Approval before conducting needs assessment .
• secondary data ( data that already exists ) doesn’t require an institutional
approval

6. Collect data
7. List Identified documents and agreed upon
Needs .
8. Place Needs in Priority Order
9. List problems ( selected Needs that need to
be resolved)

Step 3. Establishing a Needs Assessment Planning
partners
• The members of the planning team will depend on the
level , on the purpose and on the Scope at which the
assessment is being conducted.
Mega, Macro, Micro
• Establish a team leader who pulls the larger team
together and directs the needs assessment process.

Make sure the team is consists of individuals who have a
variety of skills or knowledge-can actively contribute to
one or more aspects of the needs assessment process,
such as :
1. ability to request and obtain data and resources
2. ability to analyze and synthesize / produce the data, or
access to a team of people who can assist with this
3. ability to prepare a report and develop action items
4. ability to act on the results once the action items are
identified
5. ability to represent a unique perspective (e.g. teachers,
parents, students) of all impacted groups

Ensure a cross section of individuals / representative sample of a
larger group
• Individuals who work in the
system and who will be involved in
implementing changes based on
the results, such as administrators,
principals, teachers, transition
coordinators, security and/or other
staff
• Individuals who benefit from or
are impacted by the services,
parents or family representatives,
students, community members,
and other stakeholders
• Consider developing a permanent
(rather than 1-time) needs
assessment team who can revisit
the resulting plan and priorities,
and identify new needs as they
arise on an ongoing basis.

Step 5. Obtain Acceptance of the Needs
Assessment
• It is essential to obtain approval
for direct needs assessment
research.
• Share with partners the scope :3
needs planning levels Mega ,
Macro , Micro.
• Get their commitment to the
level Ideally Mega level
Critical to obtain common frame
of reference /point of view .
Spend enough to obtain their
understanding and commitment .
Have common understanding &
expectations

Institutional Approval
• Institutional approval required : for
any direct human research .
• Approval before Conducting NA
research.
• Some institutions have IRB
Institutional Review Board .That
reviews human research to ensure
compliance with policies and
regulations.
• Some time you must submit a
study plan and proposes
instrument- online courses
usually 6
weeks for
approval
Exempt from
Regulations for the
protection human
subjects
Qualified for
the review of
IRB

Institutional Approval not required:
• Indirect research using
secondary data ( data obtained
for other research )
• Meetings and committees
asking for ideas form experts &
advisory committees. ( this is not
research activities )

Step 6. Collecting Data Soft /Hard Data
• Hard Data: is a verifiable fact that is
acquired from reliable sources .
• Data that is Quantitative built to
understand the question of “what” or
“how much”
• Measurable, factual and indisputable.
• Can be obtained from organizational
records, drop out rates . public records ,
absences ,complaints etc….
• Can include multiple choice/ structured
surveys , questionnaires answer What
? How much

Soft Data
• Data that has been collected
from qualitative observations
and quantified.
• This doesn't mean that such
data is unreliable. Considered
the best data when supported
by hard data( performance
results)
• Example: questionnaires
interviews, meetings Surveys
Note :
should choose both ,Make sure that both types of Data agree.
Consider how much time does each method take
Needs Assessment Techniques

Focus Groups
• Group discussions conducted in person with limited number of stake
holders to gain information about their views and experiences.
• It is not a primary tool for needs assessment .
• Pros:
• highly useful- gathered details as follow up to survey.
• Inexpensive
• Socially oriented inspire : Synergism( people responding in natural situations)
• High validity: credible questions easily understood .
• Cons: time consuming .
Note :Secondary Data : is data that was originally collected for other
research purposes.

Data that should be collected
• Baseline information – what recognition activities are currently taking place in the school ?
What have the employee surveys told us? What does the general research and literature say?
• Employee needs – what type of recognition is most meaningful to employees? In what way do
• employees prefer to be recognized? Who do employees prefer to receive recognition from? Do
• they prefer public or private praise?
• Department/division business needs - What types of behaviors do managers want to promote to
• meet business objectives? What are the corporate values? What are the department’s/division’s
• top priorities? If client service is the #1 priority, then tailor recognition activities to support that
• priority. ‘
• Organizational culture – assess the climate or culture of your department, division or unit. Low
• morale? High turnover? What are the demographics of your employees? Work-life balance?
• What are the underlying issues that affect satisfaction and feeling valued? Employee survey
• results may shed some light on this subject.

Needs Assessment Questionnaire.
• Some times it is useful to develop a needs assessment questionnaire
using the following guide lines
1. Make sure the questions are about results , not about processes or inputs .
2. Ask about perceptions of gaps in . What is and what should be .
3. Ask questions about the three levels of needs :
Mega : external contributions.
Macro : Organizational Contributions.
Micro: building block- internal and operational results
4. Have evidence of appropriate validity and reliability of questions and
samples
5. Make sure questionnaire long enough to get reliable responses , but short
enough that people will respond.

• SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It
is sometimes referred as SLOT analysis with liabilities coming in place
of weaknesses.
• In a business or a company, GAP analysis compares the actual
performance with the potential performance.
• it helps to identify if a company is performing to its potential and if
not performing, why? And what are the gaps . ?flaws in resource
allocation, planning, production etc.

• SWOT analysis evaluates a company against its peers, while GAP
analysis is an internal evaluation to identify performance deficiencies.
• SWOT analysis is done for long-term planning while GAP analysis is
often done to reach short term goals.
• SWOT analysis is often a comprehensive study evaluating many
aspects and many competitors. GAP analysis can be very simple
targeted towards fine-tuning one process.
Thank you