● https://www.communityscience.com/knowledge4equity/AssetMappingToolkit.pdf ● https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/programdevelopment/files/2017/07/Tipsheet3.pdf
Needs Assessment Needs Assessment
An integral step in the program development process is identifying the needs of a community. Formal and nonformal educators seeking to develop and deliver an educational program must first be informed of what their audience lacks in order to develop the right curriculum or training (Etling & Maloney, 1995). A need is the “discrepancy or gap between ‘what is’ and ‘what should be’” (Witkin & Altschuld, 1995, p. 4). The “what is” is the current state, the “what should be” is the desired or expected outcome, and the gap is the identified need(s). Extension professionals must understand what needs to target with educational programming in order to help achieve the desired situation (the “what should be”). A needs assessment is “a systematic set of procedures undertaken for the purpose of setting priorities and making decisions about program or organizational improvement and allocation of resources” (Witkin & Altschuld, 1995, p. 4). A Three-Phase Plan for Assessing Needs Each phase is laid out to guide the assessor through the entire needs assessment process (Witkin & Altschuld, 1995). The first phase, Pre-assessment, is exploratory by nature and seeks to help you prepare the needs assessment for implementation. Assessment is the second phase; data gathering and analysis occur here. During the last phase, Post-assessment, the Extension professional sets priorities, communicates results, and evaluates the needs assessment for effectiveness.
Needs Assessment Tools and Techniques
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