Needs Assessment and Evaluation. A Synthesis Paper.

Needs assessment is a young and growing field. Needs assessments contribute to effective educational planning and help educators improve services to students. Needs assessment can be used to identify goals and objectives, but probably has the most utility as a problem-focusing strategy that includes the following sequence: (1) identification of problems, purpose of assessment, and target audiences; (2) determination of what and how data are to be collected and analyzed; and (3) recommendations to ameliorate situations related to these problems. The literature indicates four needs assessment models, not necessarily those most often used, that seem applicable for higher education, industry, and business needs assessment. These models--Kaufman's Needs Assessment Model, Coffing's Client Needs Assessment Model, Lee's Needs Assessment Model, and Harless' Front-End Analysis Model--are compared. Evaluation must be distinguished from needs assessment. Needs assessment looks from the present toward the future; and evaluation looks from the present toward the past. In systems models, needs assessment is the first step and evaluation is the last step. It may also be said that needs assessment is proactive and evaluation is reactive. (SLD)