Needs Assessment
Reading chapter 2 of Designing Effective Instruction by Morrison, Ross and Kemp, I began to understand the purpose of doing a Needs Assessment. I thought that someone would say "this is our problem-lets teach a program on it to solve the problem." I had not realized the factors involved in deciding to even implement the instructional design process. There is a lot of time involved in making the decision, however it would be time well spent. A company could save a lot of money if it was determined that the problem was not the result of unskilled workers but instead that the placement of the work materials created mistakes or slowed down production. If instruction occurs regardless of actual need the company's profits could actually decrease because money was expended unnecessarily with no resulting improvement.
I found the chart on performance assessment (Figure 2-3) to be really useful. It is a quick glance that gives information to help lead the designer in deciding on a plan. I really appreciated the fact that they acknowledge that management can sometimes be the problem.
The topic I have chosen for my project I see as an anticipated need based on my past experiences with other students. Almost all students at one time or another will be required to go through the job application process. My experience has shown that deaf students have difficulty with this process, so I anticipate that as the students become old enough to enter the job market they may also encounter difficulties and would benefit from instruction prior to needing the skills.
Cheryl Briggs Sept. 14, 2001