Discussion: Needs Assessment

When you are engaged in program planning, a needs assessment helps to determine the actuality and details of a specific problem. It also addresses how the target population views the problem—which is critical since their perspective and motivation to change are essential for the success of the program.

In this week’s video, the necessity of appraising a community’s assets as well as its challenges is evident as Dr. Donna Shambley-Ebron and Dr. Rebecca Lee discuss needs assessments. What additional insights have you gleaned from the Learning Resources that you intend to apply to your program?

For this Discussion, you develop a framework for completing a needs assessment for your program. To do this effectively, it is essential to begin with the program and the population you have identified and then develop an appropriate approach for conducting a needs assessment. This also leads to consideration of the types of data needed and the data collection methods to be used.

To prepare:

• Consider aspects of your problem and population as you review the information on needs assessment presented in the Learning Resources.
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• How would you conduct a needs assessment? What considerations would influence your decision making about this process?
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• What would be the most efficient and effective methods for collecting data? What challenges could be encountered?
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Post a cohesive scholarly response that addresses the following:

• Discuss how you would conduct a needs assessment for your selected problem and the target population. Why is this approach appropriate for the problem you 
• have identified? Support your response with evidence from the literature.
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• Describe your proposed data collection methods and evaluate any challenges you might encounter.