Needs Assessment

The needs assessment occurs during the early stages of design. When conducting needs assessment the instructional
technologist is analyzing problems that affect performance, identifying critical needs that have significant impact on the
organization or employees, setting priority for selecting interventions, and providing base-line data to assess the effectiveness
of the instruction (Kemp, Morrison, and Ross, 1994).

The needs assessment lays the foundation for details to be focused on throughout the process to assure that optimal
performance is met. The gap between “what is” and “what should be” is where the tools are decided upon for determining
the desired outcome. Once the focus is understood, it can be understood what basis the criterion-referenced tests, and
formative and summative evaluations will follow.